Melbourne sports car enthusiasts will get two for the price of one when the Shannons Nationals heads to Phillip Island on 9-10 August, with two multi-million dollar fields of European thoroughbreds on the program.  In one of the biggest gatherings of sports cars in Australia this year, over 45 competitors are set to tackle Phillip Island across the Australian GT Championship and new Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge. The categories are two of seven in action during Round Six of the 2008 Shannons Nationals, which will also include open-wheel racing, touring cars and Superkarts.

Victorian-based drivers occupy the top-three spots in the Australian GT Championship, with Lamborghini Gallardo drivers Mark Eddy and Ross Lilley leading John Kaias.

In the last round of the series at Eastern Creek a fortnight ago, Melbourne businessman Kaias took his Aston Martin DBRS9 to victory, the manufacturer’s first win in the championship.

“Our result at Eastern Creek was really rewarding,” Kaias said.

“Going into the weekend I hadn’t driven the car since March, but within a couple of sessions we were back on our speed from earlier in the year.

“We’d previously had good speed but not a lot of luck - fortunately it all came together for us at Eastern Creek to get my first race and round win.

“The Aston Martin is a great car to drive at Phillip Island; I’m looking forward to the weekend.”

While Porsche, Ferrari and Lotus will also be represented in the 25-car GT Championship field, the new Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge presented by Porsche Insurance is all about Stuttgart’s finest.

Formed at the start of 2008, Phillip Island will be the second round of the series, which is backed by the manufacturer and caters for non-professional drivers and their Porsches.

The category started on a positive note at Adelaide’s Mallala Motorsport Park in May, with 13 competitors hitting the track.

Graeme Cook took out the inaugural round driving a 996 GT3 RSR, but he’ll have more competition at Phillip Island - with entries growing to an impressive 23, including Porsche veteran Peter Fitzgerald.

Melbourne lawyer and series co-founder Sven Burchartz - who sits second in the standings - is delighted by the progress of the new class.

“We started the GT3 Cup Challenge to give Porsche enthusiasts a place to race at national level in a laid-back and almost club-like environment,” Burchartz said.

“To see it all come together at Mallala was incredibly satisfying, and the feedback from competitors has been very positive.

“That has carried over to Phillip Island with a big entry list, and the future looks bright.”

The Australian GT Championship and Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge presented by Porsche Insurance will be joined at Phillip Island by the Kumho Tyres Australian Formula 3 Championship, Commodore Cup, Supaloc Saloon Cars, Shannons V8 Touring Cars and the Australian Superkart Non-Gearbox National Titles.

Saturday, 9 August, consists of practice, qualifying and three races, before a packed program of 18 races on Sunday.

Tickets are $10 on Saturday and $25 on Sunday, with a $30 weekend pass also available, while kids under 16 are free all weekend.

For more information about the 2008 Shannons Nationals Motor Racing Championships, visit http://www.thenationals.com.au.