CSCA Supersprint Round 5 at SMP GP Circuit
23 August 2026 / Story by Bryan Shedden, Photos by Greg Unger
The CSCA Supersprint at Sydney Motorsport Park on Saturday 15 August, delivered a true test of driver and car control. Hosted by Club Lotus Australia on the Gardner (GP) Circuit, the event attracted 90 competitors, including an impressive 35 members of the MX-5 Club of NSW. Club Lotus Australia fielded 15 drivers, while Triumph and MG (Newcastle) each had 10, and Jaguar and Sprite each entered seven.
Overnight rain left the track wet for the opening run groups, with conditions briefly improving. Unfortunately, the rain returned for the second run and stayed until the final hour, when a moderately dry racing line finally appeared. Most of the quickest times came in that last window.
Charlie Karayannis enjoyed his first run on the GP circuit
Reece Lyndon ahead of Luke Kovacic - briefly!
The conditions were made even tougher by the bitter cold and damp weather. With the pit garages unavailable while they were being prepared for Sunday's CMC Shannons Sydney Classic, a fortunate few secured carports, while everyone else huddled under awnings beside their cars. It certainly wasn't a day for staying warm!
In the MX-5 Club Sprint Championship, Chris Andry took outright honours with 98.94% in Standard, ahead of John Karayannis (98.39%, Clubman) and Gerardo Martin (97.24%, Clubman). Alex Shedden shared his red NB8A, formerly owned by Greg Unger (our day's photographer), with his dad Bryan. Alex looked set to win their family battle until Bryan's last lap finally dipped under two minutes at 119.465 seconds, beating Alex's 119.725-second first-run effort. Reece Lyndon won Modified (94.34%), Jason Russell won Open (91.23%), and Georgios Zaharof took Non-MX-5 honours, recording the day's fastest time of 105.917 seconds in his GR Yaris Rallye.
Chris Andry letting it all hang out
There was one major incident, with an ND losing control at Turn 16 and hitting the wall heavily in the wet. The car suffered extensive damage, but thankfully the driver escaped with only some soreness.
After five rounds, Chris leads the Championship on 100 points, followed by John on 95.5 and Scott McGarry on 77. With two rounds remaining — Druitt on 27 September and Phillip Island on 6 December — the championship is still wide open. Hopefully a strong NSW team will make the 12-hour journey to take on Victoria!
Finally, a special thanks to Greg Unger for braving the wet conditions with his camera at Turn 18 and then sharing his efforts with us. Legend! You can download his hi-res photos at the link.
Mark Hurst (Triumph Sports Owners Assoc) braving the conditions in his Brabham BT14
