Cody Burcher and Tim Leahey have taken home the first race of the inaugural Australian GT Festival, taking Race 1 of Monochrome GT4 Australia in a nailbiter. Burcher made a great move to take the lead around the outside of Antonio Astuti at Turn 1, and managed to hold on for the final part of the race to take the victory in the #22 Tim Leahey Racing BMW M4 GT4.
Leahey and Burcher recovered from a slow start from the second row of the grid, dropping down to the bottom half of the top 10 on the opening lap after a poor launch for Leahey.
It was the #35 Miedecke Motorsport Mustang of George Miedecke who took the holeshot into the Southern Loop, followed by the #3 Thunder Buddies Racing BMW M4 of Ryder Quinn, who hassled the back of the Mustang through the opening lap. Ryder managed to force a pass into the lead at the Honda Hairpin on the following lap, putting the #3 BMW into the lead, with Miedecke sitting second, and Marcos Flack in the #25 Method Motorsport McLaren Artura in third.
As the opening skirmishes settled, the safety car was called to recover the #11 Verve Racing Audi R8 GT4 of Steve Jukes. The Audi had speared off the track on the exit kerb of Turn 1, spinning sideways into the gravel trap and tagging the tyre barrier. A lengthy safety car of almost 15 minutes held the field together as the pit stops approached.
As the race went back to green, Sam Brabham in the #27 Love Motorsport Mercedes AMG pounced from fourth, catching Marcos Flack unawares and moving into third on the restart. A lap later the pit window opened, bringing in Flack in the #25 McLaren, and the #22 BMW of Leahey, who had recovered to 5th place on the tail of the leading group.
As the pit stops cycled through, and the success adjustments to the Miedecke Motorsports Mustang and the two Method Motorsports McLarens played out, it was the Pro-Am class #3 Thunder Buddies Racing BMW that led the field with Steve Jakic at the wheel. Behind him, the battle for the silver-class lead was raging away; Oscar Targett in the #56 Ginetta G56 had emerged from the pit sequence in the lead, with Antonio Astuti in the #27 Love Motorsport Mercedes, then Cody Burcher’s #22 Tim Leahey BMW in close proximity.
Astuti poked at the Ginetta, before firing a move through on the top of Lukey Heights to take the lead, while Burcher seized the opportunity to follow the Mercedes through at MG. One lap later, the pair had reeled in Jakic to make their battle now the battle for the lead of the race. While Astuti was holding on in the #27 Love Motorsport Mercedes, Burcher looked more threatening in the #22 Tim Leahey BMW.
And the chance finally came with 10 minutes remaining. A small mistake on the exit of MG gave Burcher the run onto the main straight, and despite Astuti covering the inside line, Burcher sent the BMW M4 around the outside at the first corner to take the lead of the race. Despite the audacious move, the battle would rage on, with Astuti holding onto the rear of the BMW throughout the entire last section of the race, but Burcher wouldn’t be headed, winning the race by just over a second.
Burcher and Leahey’s performance in the #22 BMW M4 GT4 gives the BMW M4 GT4 its first win in the Monochrome GT4 Australia Championship, while second place went to the Astuti/Brabham #27 Mercedes AMG from Love Motorsport. Third went to the #25 Method Motorsport McLaren Artura of Flack and Hayman, from the championship-leading #35 Miedecke Motorsports Mustang of Miedecke and Gray.
Miedecke and Gray were hurt by the long safety car keeping the pack closed up, after their win at Queensland Raceway last round saw them required to take a 15-second longer pit stop than their competitors. Gray fought back through the field from 8th after the stop, to pass Targett in the #56 Ginetta for fourth place on the last lap of the race.
Pro-Am went down to the wire, with Shane Smollen holding off Paul Morris in the dying stages to win for the #1 Method Motorsport Porsche he shares with Lachy Mineeff. The gap between the Porsche and the #8 Nemo Racing McLaren 570s at the line, only half a second.
Am went to Anthony Levitt in the #24 Method Motorsport McLaren Artura GT4, who led home the Randall Racing #32 BMW pair of Bowe and Lawrence.
Image courtesy of GT4 Australia
