Ashley Seward Motorsport teammates Geoff Emery and Dean Cook have finished first and second in the Pro-Am class of Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup after a rollercoaster Gold Coast finale.
The pair ended the season tied on points with Emery winning the title on count back courtesy of his eight race victories compared to Cook’s single win which came in the final race of the year. Amid the title fight, ASM teammate Scott Taylor enjoyed his best result of the year in race two and spent time running in the podium places.
Entering the weekend Emery held a 31 point lead over Cook in the standings, after some late adjustments to prior round results granted Emery nine extra points. Following race one the pair came under increased pressure from Liam Talbot, who had entered the weekend in third, after he won the opening race with Emery fourth and Cook fifth. Talbot cut Emery’s lead to 29 points as Cook slipped 37 points adrift.
Race two further tightened the fight with Emery getting hit during a mid-race restart, ripping the left rear tyre apart and forcing the eventual champion to limp almost the full length of the circuit back to pit lane for repairs which sent him a lap down. Cook enjoyed a strong showing as he came home in second, behind Talbot who overtook the series lead by a mere two points. Cook also brought himself back into the fight, sitting just 14 points behind.
The final race of the weekend saw Emery starting from seventh, with his title rivals in first and second. An early crash in the pro field collected key Pro-Am contenders, including Talbot, and opened the door for ASM to claim a 1-2 finish in the points. Cook took the lead of the race and the championship with it, which he held for a number of laps until Emery worked his way into third, earning enough points to level the championship.
While Cook won the final race and round of the season, his first victories in 2022, Emery’s class leading eight race wins earned him his first Carrera Cup Championship.
Removed from the pressure laden fight going on between his two teammates, Taylor enjoyed a good weekend at his home race. After finishing 10th in race one, some overnight gains were found that vaulted Taylor up the order. The drama and chaos through the field in race two allowed Taylor to move up to fifth, aided by an improvement of over a second in his best lap times for the weekend. Race three was also a strong showing with Taylor running third for a few laps, before coming home with a clean car and as one of the only drivers not to be repairing crash damage after the weekend.
“It’s unbelievable, this weekend has been a massive challenge both on and off the track,” said Emery.
“I’ve been a bit sick which really affected me and then we got taken out in race two and at that point I thought it was all over. I knew in the last race that I needed to push really hard and I was able to squeeze through that crash and then make a pretty big lunge on Belford to move into third.
“This year has been unlike anything I’ve ever done before, the ups and downs were unbelievable and it seemed like I was coming away from the rounds either as a race winner or getting taken out.
“The quality at the front of the Pro-Am field is so high as well, the front few cars are right on the back of the Pro’s which has been an added challenge all year.
“I have to congratulate Cookie (Dean Cook) as well on a great year, he’s a fantastic teammate and he put up one hell of a fight with his super consistency. The whole ASM crew, Ash (Seward) and all the boys have done a phenomenal job all year and they gave me a very fast race car.”
