For the final time in 2025 a warm and sunny Sydney Motorsport Park hosted round 5 of the 2025 RX8 Cup season. 22 cars rolled out for Qualifying Saturday morning with Stiaan Kriel delivering a benchmark lap of 1:46.8 to claim his fifth Revolution Racegear pole award of the year. Tom Shaw secured second with a 1:48.2 narrowly ahead of Ashton Cattach, who clocked a 1:48.3 The battle for the top five was tight, with Tom Donohue and Grant Bray both within striking distance. Championship contender Robert Scott led the midfield in sixth, followed closely by Jack Childs, Jackson Noakes, and Aaron Hills all within two seconds of the pole time.
Stiaan Kriel converted pole into a commanding win, leading every lap and setting the fastest time of the race with a 1:48.5 His margin at the flag was just over two seconds, a steady performance that never looked under threat. Tom Shaw held second throughout, keeping Kriel in sight but unable to mount a serious challenge. Tom Donohue ran a consistent race to secure third, while Ashton Cattach and Jack Childs traded early positions before settling into fourth and fifth. Robert Scott and Grant Bray followed in sixth and seventh, both delivering clean, measured drives. Aaron Hills gained a spot to finish eighth, while Jackson Noakes crossed the line ninth but was handed a 10-second penalty post-race, promoting David Murphy to the final spot in the top ten.
Kriel continued his dominant weekend with another flag-to-flag victory in Race 2. Tom Shaw once again held firm in second, Jack Childs stepped up to third, gaining a spot from his previous finish and showing strong mid-race pace to hold off a charging Ashton Cattach, who settled for fourth. Robert Scott ran a solitary race in fifth and Jackson Noakes improved on his Race 1 result, climbing to sixth. David Murphy, Bailey Scott, Maisie Place, and Manarth Prasad filled out the top ten, with Place and Prasad locked in a tight battle throughout. Both drivers swapping spots multiple times before finishing nose-to-tail.
Tom Shaw in his 100th RX8 Cup race broke through for his first win of the weekend in Race 3. Stiaan Kriel would lead the race lights to flag but was disqualified post-race. His absence reshuffled the top order and opened the door for Shaw’s breakthrough win.
Cattach battled Shaw closely the whole race and behind them, Jackson Noakes and Jack Childs traded positions early, with Childs briefly moving into third before Noakes reclaimed the spot mid-race and held it to the flag. Robert Scott came home 5th, Grant Bray climbed steadily to sixth. Tom Donohue returned to form in seventh after his earlier DNF, making up ground in the second half of the race.
Ashton Cattach capped off a strong weekend with a commanding win in Race 4, leading every lap and holding off a late charge from Stiaan Kriel. Cattach’s best lap of 1:48.8 came early, and he maintained a steady rhythm to secure victory by just over two seconds.
Kriel, returning to form after a disqualification in Race 3, climbed from rear of the grid to second with a series of assertive moves—including a pass on Robert Scott at Turn 2 that resulted in contact between the two. Tom Shaw followed closely in third, unable to repeat his Race 3 win but still finishing within a second of Kriel. Jack Childs ran a consistent race in fourth, holding position throughout and staying clear of the midfield shuffle. Robert Scott recovered from the Turn 2 contact to finish fifth, just ahead of Jackson Noakes, who maintained sixth from lap two onward. Tom Donohue followed in seventh, Grant Bray ran a clean race to finish eighth, while Mark Wilks and Jake Hextall rounded out the top ten with his best result of the weekend. Drama struck at Turn 7 when Aaron Hills and Jake Lougher came together, resulting in substantial damage to both cars. Aaron Hills, Jake Lougher, and David Murphy all retired after five laps, while John Freeland failed to finish.
Round 5 was another fantastic action filled weekend with 3 different race winners from 4 races. The RX8 Cup saw the youngest ever round podium with Jack Childs and Ashton Cattach stepping up for the first time. Congratulations to former champion Tom Shaw for winning the round. Ashton Cattach on debut scored second and Jack Childs third for the weekend both claiming their first podium finish. Thanks to our partners Scott Property Group for their support in 2025.
RX8 Cup Series Points 2025
1st – Stiaan Kriel 511 points
2nd – Robert Scott 498 points
3rd – Jackson Noakes 426 points
4th – Grant Bray 340 points
5th – Tom Donohue 331 Points