Round 4 of the 2026 AU4 Australian F4 Championship delivered a dramatic weekend at The Bend’s International Circuit, with the Gen2 and Gen1 championship battles both tightening significantly ahead of the season finale.
Marco Manson emerged as the biggest winner in Gen2, claiming two victories and the overall round win with 68 points. The result moved him to the top of the championship standings, with just six points separating Manson from Jensen Marold heading into the final round.
In Gen1, Jackson Culver also made a crucial move in the title fight. A victory and two further strong results earned Culver 64 points for the round, allowing him to leapfrog Koby Wilson and take a one-point championship lead.
Marold sets the pace as penalties shake up qualifying
Marold once again established himself as the benchmark in Gen2 qualifying, setting the fastest time of the opening session with a 1:49.618.
However, the result was dramatically altered by a series of penalties handed to drivers who failed to respond appropriately to a double yellow flag.
Marold, Joe Imbrogno, Brock Burton, Angus Baills, De’Argo Stewart and Luca Cosolo were all penalised, promoting William Beck to pole position for Race 1 with a 1:49.961.
The margins at the front were incredibly tight, with just three tenths separating Beck from Manson and only 0.001 seconds between Manson and Marold.
Marold responded emphatically in the second session, producing a 1:49.352 to record the fastest lap of the entire weekend. Debutant Joe Imbrogno impressed on his first AU4 outing by qualifying second, just 0.296 seconds behind Marold, while Manson and Beck followed.
In Gen1, Lewis Gotch topped the opening session with a 1:54.168, narrowly beating Wilson by 0.017 seconds. Rixon Salvino was third, while Culver completed only one timed lap.
Culver bounced back in the second session to claim Gen1 pole with a 1:53.240, finishing 0.188 seconds ahead of Gotch, with Wilson third.
Gen 2 Qualifying 1 Classification
- William Beck
- Marco Manson
- Jensen Marold
Gen 2 Qualifying 2 Classification
- Jensen Marold
- Joe Imbrogno
- Marco Manson
Manson wins a chaotic Race 1
Race 1 began with drama before the field had even reached Turn 1, with Jamie-Lee Su stalling on the grid while Angus Baills produced a spectacular save to avoid a major incident.
Manson quickly moved past Beck in the opening laps, with the pair beginning to pull away from Xavier Babbage-Hockey in third.
Joe Imbrogno challenged Marold for fourth into Turn 5 and briefly completed the move, but Marold fought back and reclaimed the position on the exit.
The race was eventually neutralised by a late Safety Car after Anton Du went off track. With the clock continuing to run, the restart left the field with just eight laps and roughly two minutes of green-flag racing.
Babbage-Hockey made the most of the restart, passing Beck for second before his race unravelled after contact with Brock Burton sent him spinning.
Beck then dropped further down the order, with Burton and Marold both finding their way past before a trip through the run-off cost the New Zealander fourth place to Imbrogno just metres before the finish line.
At the front, Manson controlled the final stages to secure victory by 3.78 seconds over Burton, with Marold completing the Gen2 podium.
In Gen1, Wilson took control early and ultimately held off Culver to claim the class victory, with the pair separated by just 0.327 seconds at the flag. Gotch completed the podium.
2026 Australian F4 | Round 4 | The Bend International – Race 1 Classification
Gen 2
- Marco Manson
- Brock Burton
- Jensen Marold
- Joe Imbrogno
- William Beck
- Luca Cosolo
- De’argo Stewart
- Angus Baills
- Lana Flack
- Anton Du
- Jamie Lee-Su
- Xavier Babbage-Hockey
Gen 1
- Koby Wilson
- Jackson Culver
- Lewis Gotch
- Rugby Mangan
- Martin Dudley
- Rixon Salvino
Marold responds with dominant Race 2
Marold produced a blistering getaway in Race 2, sweeping past both Beck and Manson to take the lead into the opening corner.
From there, the Gen2 championship leader immediately began building a gap at the front.
Imbrogno moved past Babbage-Hockey for fourth at the beginning of lap two, while Baills ran wide before Babbage-Hockey reclaimed the position.
Further back, Burton’s race was compromised by a pit stop for a replacement front wing, while further incidents involving Baills and Wilson added to the drama.
The battle for the final podium position went down to the closing stages. Babbage-Hockey made his move on Beck on the second-last lap and held on to third at the chequered flag.
The result marked Babbage-Hockey’s first podium of the 2026 season.
Out front, Marold remained unchallenged to take his first victory of the weekend by 5.310 seconds over Manson. He also set the fastest lap with a 1:51.321.
Culver continued his strong Gen1 weekend by taking another class victory.
2026 Australian F4 | Round 4 | The Bend International – Race 2 Classification
Gen 2
- Jensen Marold
- Marco Manson
- Xavier Babbage-Hockey
- William Beck
- Joe Imbrogno
- De’argo Stewart
- Luca Cosolo
- Lana Flack
- Jamie Lee-Su
- Brock Burton
- Angus Baills
- Anton Du
Gen 1
- Jackson Culver
- Lewis Gotch
- Rixon Salvino
- Rugby Mangan
- Martin Dudley
- Koby Wilson
Manson seals round victory as Marold fights back from pit lane
Marold’s hopes of another victory were dealt a major blow before Race 3 had even started when a clutch failure less than an hour before the race forced him to start from pit lane.
That handed the front row to debutant Joe Imbrogno and Manson, with the pair quickly pulling clear of the chasing pack.
Imbrogno led the early stages before a small mistake allowed Manson through into the lead.
Behind them, Baills, Burton and Stewart battled for position, while Cosolo made progress through the field after passing Flack and Burton.
Manson began to stretch his advantage, but Imbrogno refused to give up and eventually closed the gap to within a second.
Marold meanwhile began an impressive recovery from pit lane. He passed Flack on lap eight, Burton two laps later, and then moved past Babbage-Hockey and Stewart on lap 11 before catching Baills a lap later.
Stewart’s race ended late with a mechanical failure, but the biggest battle remained at the front.
Imbrogno closed to within striking distance of Manson but ran out of laps. Manson held on to win by just 0.486 seconds, securing his second victory of the weekend.
Imbrogno completed an impressive debut by finishing second and setting the fastest lap of the race with a 1:51.117. Beck finished third, with Cosolo fourth and Marold fifth after his charge from pit lane.
In Gen1, Wilson bounced back strongly after his Race 2 retirement. A fresh engine and floor transformed his performance, allowing him to clear both Culver and Gotch and build a two-second advantage.
Wilson eventually crossed the line 11.387 seconds ahead to claim his second victory of the weekend.
Gotch finished third on the road but was later disqualified for a tyre infringement, promoting Salvino to third.
2026 Australian F4 | Round 4 | The Bend International – Race 3 Classification
Gen 2
- Marco Manson
- Joe Imbrogno
- William Beck
- Luca Cosolo
- Jensen Marold
- Lana Flack
- Xavier Babbage-Hockey
- Brock Burton
- Angus Baills
- De’argo Stewart
- Jamie Lee-Su
- Anton Du
Gen 1
- Koby Wilson
- Jackson Culver
- Rixon Salvino
- Martin Dudley
- Lewis Gotch
- Rugby Mangan
Manson takes championship lead into season finale
Manson’s two victories and consistent weekend saw him claim the Gen2 round win with 68 points, finishing ahead of Marold on 52 and debutant Imbrogno on 41.
The result completely reshapes the championship battle with one round remaining. Manson now leads Marold by just six points, 255 to 249.
William Beck remains third on 111 points, while Luca Cosolo has moved to 107. De’Argo Stewart sits fifth on 88.
The Gen1 title fight is even tighter.
Culver’s 64-point haul secured him the round victory and moved him to the championship lead on 229 points. Wilson trails by just one point on 228, while Gotch has slipped to third on 216 following his Race 3 disqualification.
Gen 2 Championship standings
- Marco Manson – 255 points
- Jensen Marold – 249 points
- William Beck – 111 points*
- Luca Cosolo – 107 points
- De’Argo Stewart – 88 points
- Angus Baills – 85 points
- Brock Burton – 78 points
- Lana Flack – 74 points
- Xavier Babbage-Hockey – 69 points
- Joe Imbrogno – 41 points
- Jamie Lee-Su – 17 points
- Borys Lyzen – 10 points*
- Anton Du – 1 point*
*15 Championship Penalty Points
Gen 1 Championship standings
- Jackson Culver – 229 points
- Koby Wilson – 228 points
- Lewis Gotch – 216 points
- Martin Dudley – 122 points
- Rugby Mangan – 90 points*
- Rixon Salvino – 80 points
- Matteo Kazaglis – 30 points
*15 Championship Penalty Points
The 2026 AU4 Championship now heads to Queensland Raceway for its fifth and final round from September 25-27. With just six points separating Manson and Marold in Gen2 and a single point between Culver and Wilson in Gen1, both championships will be decided at the season finale.
