JACKSON Walls has got his nose in front in the race to be crowned 2023 Porsche Carrera Cup Australia champion.
Walls wasn’t even top 10 in the standings last year but has shone this season despite the quality of the field soaring.
A Race 2 penalty on Sunday at the Gold Coast for title rival Callum Hedge put the Kiwi on the back foot, while Walls navigated the carnage to earn himself a 21-point buffer to take into the Adelaide decider.
The 20-year-old has not won a race since the final leg of the Albert Park season-opener but has accumulated seven second-place results all up and a pair of thirds to consistently add to his points tally.
“Realistically I think I knew at Darwin that it was going to be me and Callum all the way to the end,” Walls told V8 Sleuth.
“The step we have both made this year has been massive and it will just make Adelaide that bit more interesting since we both haven’t been there ever before, so it will be pretty cool.”
So, what has changed year-on-year?
“I think just seat time, really. Me and Callum, this year we have both done a lot of time in the seat. Regardless of what car it is, we’re both doing two championships full-time,” said Walls.
“So that’s one big thing for me and I mean, look at the Supercars paddock: the first few guys do at least two championships or two different categories.”
Hedge has dovetailed his Carrera Cup campaign with a run in the Formula Regional Americas Championship; he can seal that title this weekend at Circuit of the Americas.
For Walls, he’s been contesting the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia series with father Tony. The duo hold third in the Pro-Am standings ahead of the all-in finale at Vallelunga in Italy later this month, the week before Adelaide.
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Walls has already departed Australia in preparation for that hitout.
“It’s a pretty cool car to be honest, it’s like a GT car on steroids with some old technology,” he said.
“They are rocketships, I mean we were under the Supercars lap record at The Bend when we were there. It’s just such a cool car to drive.”
While coy on his 2024 plans beyond saying “we know where we want to be”, Walls is fixated on getting the job done this year first – and he can’t wait for a high-stakes showdown with Hedge.
“We didn’t start off the best of ways but now I feel like, we’re definitely not best mates but we’re definitely very comfortable having a conversation,” said Walls.
“We usually talk every weekend or after our races and just ask how we’re doing or have a bit of a laugh about something.
“I expect regardless of the result at Adelaide that we’ll be able to share a drink afterwards and look back on what a great year we both had.”
The VAILO Adelaide 500 will be held across November 23-26.
