Audi and Mercedes share the spoils at round 2 of the GT World Challenge Australia Series Queensland Raceway saw the return of GT3 machinery for the first time since 2019, with a pair of Sprint races for the SRO GTWC Australia championship.
Practice on Friday was interrupted by rain in the late session, which persisted overnight, resulting in a damp, drying qualifying session and significantly reduced dry running for the 12-car field.
Yasser Shahin in the #1 The Bend Audi took pole for race 1 ahead of Matt Stoupas in the #23 KFC Audi in the Am-Driver qualifying session, while it was a pole double for the #1 The Bend Audi with Garth Tander getting the better of David Reynolds in the #24 Bostik Racing-AFS Logistics Audi in the Pro-Driver session.
Race 1 saw Yasser Shahin in the #1 The Bend Audi take the holeshot through turn 1 from pole position, ahead of the Am class leader Matt Stoupas in the #23 KFC Audi.
The #20 Coin Spot Audi of Liam Talbot was the early mover from the third row of the grid, passing Prince Jefri Ibrahim in the #888 Triple Eight Race Engineering Mercedes through turn 3 on the opening lap. Ibrahim tried to hang around the outside of turn 4 but ran wide, opening the door for Mark Rosser in the #17 Catan Audi to make a move through 5, but the rear of the Audi R8 got loose, pushing Rosser into a slide, and forcing Ibrahim to take avoiding action into the grass.
Ibrahim rejoined the race down in 10th, while Rosser was able to continue without losing a position.
Talbot was on a charge to the head of the field, rounding up Trophy-class leading Brad Schumacher’s #55 Kelso Electrical Audi as well as Stoupas on his way to the rear of Shahin. Shahin and Talbot broke away from the field, with Stoupas leading Mark Rosser’s #17 Catan Audi, ahead of Schumacher for the top 5.
Prince Jefri Ibrahim meanwhile was working his way through the field, and by 15 minutes into the race, had got himself back onto the trio of Audis battling over third, passing Schumacher and Stoupas, with Rosser just ahead.
The race was interrupted with 42 minutes remaining by a Safety Car to retrieve the stranded #47 Supabarn Audi of James and Theo Koundouris, which had ground to a halt with a suspected electrical fire on the entry to the final corner.
The compression of the field spelt trouble for the #1 The Bend Audi of Shahin and Tander, their success penalty would see them spend 15 additional seconds extra in the pits for their compulsory pit stop, compared to 10 additional seconds for Talbot and Ross in the #20.
On the restart, it was once again Shahin vs Talbot at the head of the field, but with Rosser and Ibrahim lurking behind. Matt Stoupas lost the rear of his #23 KFC Audi rounding turn 2, forcing Schumacher into taking evasive action, allowing Tony Bates in the #24 Bostik Racing-AFS Logistics Audi to round up the pair into 5th position.
Ibrahim managed to pass Rosser just before the pit stops, with the top three diving into the pits, leaving Rosser ahead of Schumacher out on circuit.
The success adjustments for the leaders allowed Van Gisbergen’s #888 Triple Eight Race Engineering Mercedes to emerge 13 seconds ahead of Fraser Ross, now in the #20 CoinSpot Audi, with Garth Tander in the #1 The Bend Audi just behind.
Tander quickly passed Ross, and set about attempting to reel in the Mercedes of Van Gisbergen out in front. David Reynolds was the next car on track, in the #24 Bostik Racing-AFS Logistics Audi started by Tony Bates, but he was forced to return to the pits to replace a slow puncture. Once back out on track, Reynolds set the fastest lap of the race, breaking the GT3 lap record for Queensland Raceway in the process.
Van Gisbergen was able to manage the gap to Tander, bringing home victory in the #888 Triple Eight Race Engineering Mercedes AMG GT3 by 12 seconds. Tander and Shahin took second place in the #1 The Bend Audi R8, with Ross and Talbot rounding out the podium in the #20 Coinspot Audi.
Mark Rosser took Am honours and fourth overall in the #17 Catan Audi, with Gary Higgon and Paul Stokell’s #2 KFC Audi finishing 5th overall and second in class. They were the only two Am finishers after Stoupas had a significant off at turn 3, burying the car in the gravel with only 5 minutes remaining, and the Koundouris brothers retired due to an engine fire.
Trophy honours went to Brad Schumacher in the #55 Kelso Electrical Audi R8, finishing 6th overall, just ahead of David Reynolds in the #24 Bostic Racing-AFS Logistics Audi, with Harrolds Racing’s Ross Poulakis and Peter Hackett finishing 8th, Scott Taylor’s #222 Porsche 9th, and Launch Racing with Michael Kokkinos finishing in 10th.
In race 2, Garth Tander had to aggressively cover from the pole position into turn 1 as both David Reynolds in the #24 Audi and Shane van Gisbergen in the #888 Mercedes got great starts from second and third respectively. Tander emerged from the first lap in the lead, and tried to pull out a gap over Reynolds to compensate for the 10s difference in the compulsory pit stop times between the #1 The Bend Audi and the #24 Bostik Racing-AFS Logistics Audi based on the results from Race 1.
His efforts were halted by a safety car 10 minutes into the race, due to a mix-up between Brad Schumacher in the #55 Kelso Electrical Audi and Matt Stoupas in the #23 KFC Audi. Schumacher tried to line up Stoupas around the outside of the final corner, but missed his braking marker, and made heavy contact with the rear of Stoupas. Both Audis ended up in the gravel trap with heavy damage and out of the race.
On the restart, Mark Rosser in the #17 Catan Audi spun on the exit of turn 3, dropping him to the tail of the field. He came in as soon as the pit window opened, attempting to undercut those he was racing in the Am class.
The leading trio of Tander, Reynolds and van Gisbergen all pit at the very end of the pit window with 26 minutes remaining, within 3 seconds of each other. Due to the success adjustments, it was the #24 Bostik Racing AFS Logistics Audi of Tony Bates who emerged in the lead, with a gap of 4 seconds over Yasser Shahin in the #1 The Bend Audi, and Liam Talbot in the #20 Coinspot Audi exiting the pits just ahead of the #888 Triple Eight Race Engineering Mercedes of Prince Jefri Ibrahim.
Shahin immediately got to work, cutting the gap down and passing Bates at turn 3 for the lead with 20 minutes remaining. Bates then had to contend with Liam Talbot; the #20 Coinspot Audi the fastest car on track as Talbot reeled in 11 seconds in no time at all, setting up an enthralling battle. Talbot went deep under brakes at turn 3, and almost spilled the Audi off the circuit, allowing Bates to re-take second place.
The next lap, Talbot attempted the move around the outside of turn 3, but Bates held his ground and closed the door on the exit of the corner, forcing Talbot to slot in behind.
A lap later again, Talbot threw his Audi down the inside, managing to keep it on the circuit but allowing Bates back up the inside, and again Bates held his ground and the pair made contact on the exit of the corner. The battle continued all the way into turn 6, with Talbot attempting the move around the outside. Bates made contact with the right rear of Talbot’s Audi, peeling off part of the front splitter, allowing the #20 CoinSpot Audi into second place and hampering the aero of the #24 Bostik Racing-AFS Logistics Audi.
The battling between Talbot and Bates had allowed Ibrahim in the #888 Triple Eight Race Engineering Mercedes to close the gap to the pair, making quick work of the wounded #24 Audi at turn 3. Ibrahim got close to the rear of Talbot, but was unable to make the pass, having to settle for third as Talbot held on for second.
But no one could chase down Yasser Shahin in the #1 The Bend Audi, as he drove away to a 12-second lead to win the second race of the weekend.
Tony Bates held on for fourth place, ahead of the recovering Mark Rosser in the #17 Catan Audi, who took Am honours. Ross Poulakis and Peter Hackett in the #101 Harrold’s Racing Mercedes finished 6th, ahead of Higgon and Stokell in the #2 KFC Audi. Scott Taylor in the #222 Scott Taylor Motorsport Porsche took Trophy class honours ahead of Michael Kokkinos in the #8 Launch Racing Audi. The #47 Supabarn Audi of brothers Theo and James Koundouris again ran into mechanical problems and was unable to finish the race.
The SRO GT World Challenge Australia resumes at Sandown Raceway on the 16th-18th of September.
