Camaro Set To Be Replaced
Dale Patterson is set to park his fan-favourite Reiter-built Chevrolet Camaro GT3.
Patterson secured a second place in class at Phillip Island, but with the interrupted season and business interests taking precedence, the Camaro has failed to appear since.
Although a favourite amongst GT fans, the Camaro is starting to show its age compared to some of the latest additions in GT Trophy.
“It may look good, sound good, but it also needs to go good too,” said Patterson.
“It’s going well, it’s just a little behind the eight ball. We’re a little bit off where the Audis are and there are few other manufacturers dropping into GT trophy through age.
“Its evolution is too old now and we’re struggling to keep up.
“It might be a crowd favourite, but we’re starting to struggle to keep up with pace of the generation cars that are coming into GT Trophy, so that’s why we’re probably not going to run it next year.
“It’s a bit unfortunate we can’t run the Camaro, but it’s not worth running a car in that category if it’s not going to be super competitive even though we had a good result earlier this.”
Patterson’s major achievement was securing the 2019 GT Trophy title in the Camaro, a success he is very proud of.
“For us to win the 2019 GT Trophy Series, I think we did really well,” he recalled. “It cost a lot to keep the car reliable and on-track so it was a pretty rewarding result.
Committed to entering GT Trophy next year, Patterson stated he has “got options that I’m looking at for a few manufacturers” as a replacement for the Camaro, although he won’t be parting with the big brute anytime soon.
“We won’t be selling the Camaro, it’ll be parked up and shiny,” Patterson said.
“We’ll bring the Camaro out on occasions, we might run a few state meetings, but predominantly we’ll use it as a ride car and advertise it through or business.”
Brad Schumacher Set To Debut Updated Audi
Bathurst local Brad Schumacher will debut a newer specification Audi R8 GT3 LMS at the final Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS at Mount Panorama as he aims to seal the GT Trophy class title.
A tight battle is expected at the Mountain as just 25-points separate Schumacher and Brett Hobson driving the fan favourite GWR Australia-prepared Nissan GT-R GT3.
Previously housed within the Melbourne Performance Centre stable and owned by Vince Muriti, Schumacher recently acquired the newer model to replace his 2015-specification R8 GT3 LMS.
Although eligible for GT Trophy, Schumacher and his team will upgrade the new addition ahead of the 2022 season to the latest specification to enter the Am Championship.
“Since early in the year, we’ve floated the idea that we’d be looking to purchase one of the newer generation Audis,” said Schumacher.
“It was just a matter of waiting for the right time or right car to come along.
“Our new R8 suited us perfectly because in its current Evo package it’s still eligible to finish off the season in GT Trophy, then we can simply upgrade it to the current specification and jump into the higher class.”
Schumacher shook down his new R8 GT3 LMS last week at Sydney Motorsport Park and emerged impressed, despite the inclement conditions.
“We tested the new R8 for the first time at Sydney Motorsport Park last week and it wasn’t an ideal day, it absolutely pelted rain all day long,” he said.
“Everything ran great and it was what we expected it to be.
“It’s amazing to see how much difference there is between our older-spec Audi and the newer version. Basically, the only components the same across the two are the wheel nuts.
“It’s a lot to get your head around, Audi Sport has really made the current spec chassis just pure race car and all of its ergonomics are suited to the driver. There are really no creature comforts so to speak, but the overall chassis is very stiff and responsive.”
Next year, Schumacher expects to mount a serious challenge on the Am Championship as Tim Slade will partner him in the endurance rounds.
“It’s not only something we want to do because we’re friends, but also we truly believe that as a team we can be super competitive in the Pro-Am category,” Schumacher said.
“Definitely part of the reason for purchasing this car was 100 percent to have Tim and I pair up together to see where it takes us.
“Tim is one of the best in Australia, if not the world, in a GT car. He is naturally gifted when it comes to jumping into a GT3 car and his track record shows that.”
Schumacher believes more drivers will progress from GT Trophy into the top tier and is excited for the coming years.
“I think moving into the future, the more accomplished drivers that this year have been racing in GT Trophy will begin to step up into the Pro-Am or Am classes,” Schumacher said.
“GT World Challenge Australia is gaining momentum day after day. Its first season under the SRO banner has obviously been a winner and has come back to really a cool, interesting category again now.
“There’s a lot of people who are interested in it and I don’t see that changing moving into the future.”
Possible Return For Bentley
Bentley could potentially join the Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia grid as soon as the next round, but this depends on a test at Bathurst.
GT Trophy competitor Mike Bailey recently purchased the ex-Maranello Motorsport Bentley Continental GT3 previously driven by John Bowe, David Brabham and owner Peter Edwards.
“The Bentley is something I’ve always loved, as soon as I saw it at Bathurst it sounded like a bloody Merlin engine was going past,” Bailey said.
“When I found out there was one over here sat dormant, it curdled my heart.
“I said to (Bespoke Motor Cars’) Jordan (Roddy), ‘find it, get it’.
“We call it the ‘Jolly Green Giant’ because it is absolutely stunning.”
Compared to his usual Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 he has already noticed distinct differences even though he is yet to test the Bentley.
“I’m a fairly big fellow and in the Aston it’s quite hard to really sit in and not be overly hot, so I think driving around the big Bentley will give me a bit more room to swing my elbows around,” Bailey described.
“I think I got the bug being at Bathurst the last time, so I’ll have to do it even harder.
“The Bentley doesn’t feel as connected as the Aston, which is very much fly by the seat of your pants. You can feel every bump, nook and cranny, plus the drama of the noise, but in the Jolly Green Giant it’s not as noisy.
“At this stage, I reckon it’s more of an endurance car, but the Bentley is definitely a grand tourer.
“I mean the Bentley is a serious tool, but it is more comfortable to drive.”
Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series driver Dylan O’Keeffe will handle the shakedown duties next week before Bailey gets his first sample of the Bentley at Challenge Bathurst.
After the event, Bailey will make a decision to contest the final round either in his usual Aston Martin or the Bentley.
“It depends how Challenge Bathurst goes,” Bailey said.
“If I like it, I might stick with it.”
The final round of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS will be at Bathurst on November 30-December 5.`
