Toyota has extended its lead in the sports car class following the fifth round of the 1999 Australian GT Production championship. It is also challenging for the lead in the manufacturer's category of the series. Toyota MR2 driver Ric Shaw increased his class S championship lead with victory in the second race at the all-new Queensland Raceway, near Ipswich on July 11. His win has helped Toyota in the all important manufacturer's championship, contested by 16 marques. Toyota is in second place, just 7.5 points behind Porsche which has 396.5 points. Ric Shaw leads the category's class S points table with 124 points, 19.5 points clear of his nearest competitor, Wayne Russell. The Osborne Motorsports driver has now posted class wins at Sandown, Hidden Valley, Phillip Island, Eastern Creek and Queensland Raceway. Meanwhile, Camry driver and reigning class C champion David Ratcliff took victory in race one in Queensland, to maintain his third position in that class. Ratcliff is confident of a strong showing in the second half of the series, where a number of tracks that will be visited should favour the Camry. "The competition in class C has really lifted its game this year," Ratcliff said. "However, the circuits where the Camry should be strong - such as Oran Park, Winton and Calder - are all still ahead of us." Showroom production cars with limited modifications for safety purposes contest the GTP category. The eight-round series takes place at race tracks in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and the Northern Territory. Ratcliff's Camry V6 is the reigning champion in the family car class for production touring cars over 2500cc, beating Falcon and Commodore V8s and Magna V6. The sixth round of the GTP series will take place at Melbourne's Calder Park on July 25. The GTP series is televised via Network TEN's Sunday afternoon Trackside program. Each telecast goes to air one week after each round is run. Remaining GTP rounds: Calder Park, VIC: July 25 Winton, VIC: August 22 Oran Park, NSW September 5