SERIES INFO
THE SERIES
WELCOME to the 2024 Radical Cup Australia Series.
Founded on Radical Sportscars 25th anniversary in 2022, Radical Cup Australia revitalised the concept of one-make Sports Car racing in Australia and is now firmly established as one of the best supported, operated and contested one-make series in the country.
Founded as a joint venture between Radical Australia West (West Aussie distributors, Arise Racing) and Radical Australia East (GWR Australia, the East Coast distributors), the championship aims to create strong competition, an enjoyable environment for teams and drivers and a profile for supporters and sponsors.
The five-round 2024 series will support both the Shannons SpeedSeries and the Supercars Championship, opening the field up to large audiences on both free-to-air and subscription TV, plus strong trackside audiences.
In 2024 grids averaged 20 cars and the competition was intense, with new names like Alex Gardner and Cooper Cutts taking on the established chargers like Chris Perini, Peter Paddon, Jordan Oon, Adam Lisle, Elliott Schutte and more.
The racing was close, competitive but also clean and entertaining for those watching and those involved.
The grid is a diverse mix of talent, from well credentialled ‘Pro-Am’ competitors, to those doing it for fun or personal development – while in recent years the category has also emerged as a way for drivers looking to progress through the ranks of Sports Car competition to gain experience, race miles and seat time.
The added benefit is a link with global Radical competition. As a global formula, the Radicals you race in Australia are the same as the ones racing in the United Kingdom, United States, Europe and Asia – meaning the category has global links.
That was emphasised perfectly by long-time Radical Australia contender Stephen Champion taking on the 2023 Radical World Finals at the Portimao Circuit in Portugal.
2024 will see the championship take another step up with the best ever broadcast package, high profile events and more sensational Radical one-make competition that will showcase the Radical Cup Australia as one of Australia’s quickest growing series.
THE EVENTS
EACH ROUND of the Radical Cup Australia series features, first and foremost, plenty of track time – through practice, qualifying and races.
The usual format includes a pair of 50-minute
mini-endurance events with a compulsory pit stop, allowing for two driver combinations, race strategy and teamwork to play a role.
Selected rounds will see a sprint race format in place allowing for short, sharp and exciting races and plenty of action.
Off track, the Radical drivers’ lounge gives competitors a place to escape the garages with a coffee and something to snack on between sessions.
The best thing is the camaraderie between teams and drivers, making the Radical paddock the best place to hang out at every event.
2022 IN REVIEW
THE 2022 season came down to the wire at the final round in Adelaide, with Chris Perini claiming the championship crown following a tightly fought season.
Across five rounds and 11 races, Perini won four times in a year that featured nine different race winning drivers across the course of the year (six of them in two-driver combinations).
Drivers representing GWR Australia, Arise Racing and Volante Rosso all claimed victories while a remarkable 14 different drivers got saw the top three at some point last year.
Perini, from Sydney, won the title by just 39 points over Peter Paddon.
His co-driver Peter Carr was third in the points, though the pair shared second place honours overall. Carr also won the Rookie of the year title in 2022.
Jordan Oon and Adam Lisle combined for Arise Racing to finish third.
In the Radical Masters Cup, Bradley Russell edged out Andrew Eldridge for the title, with Sue Hughes in third.
Hughes, making her racing return from injury, was awarded the Hankook Drivers’ Choice award at the end of the season – voted on by her peers and rivals from within the paddock.
The 2022 season was incredible, with some of the key starts including:
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Nine different race winning drivers.
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14 drivers on the podium in a race.
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An average winning margin of just 3.94 seconds
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The closest race finish of just 0.63s, in a thriller at Queensland Raceway.
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Three round winners in the five rounds, with 10 different combinations on the overall round podiums.
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Four different polesitters from five rounds.
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Seven different front-row qualifiers.
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An average pole position margin of just 0.2 seconds – close!
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Six different drivers with fastest race laps.
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A new Radical SR3 outright lap record at Queensland Raceway.
RADICAL SPORTS
CARS
To be Radical you have to offer something innovative and unique, both values that have always been at the core of our philosophy since our inception in 1997. From the very beginning our approach has always been to create a whole new niche in the world of motorsport, to which Nothing Compares.
Radical Sportscars are now one of the largest producers of racing and track cars in the world, selling over 2,000 cars globally in past two decades. To sell that many racing cars the package has to be thrilling, dramatic, huge fun to drive and excellent value for money.
But the Radical philosophy extends much wider than just high performance race and road cars. We also run a thrilling championship portfolio at some of the best circuits throughout the world, providing competitive racing for everyone.
