Ferrari returned to form at the second visit for Fanatec GTW world Challenge Australia Powered by AWS to Phillip Island as part of the new GT Festival.
A great crowd across both days watched close racing between exotic brands Ferrari, Mercedes-AMG, Audi and the new Aston Martin.
The GT Festival event maybe a title defining event as many contenders stumbled during the event.
Ferrari and Arise Racing GT dominate
Having not scored a win since the opening round of the season at Phillip Island, Arise Racing GT added a further two by clean-sweeping the GT Festival. Chaz Mostert and Liam Talbot further enhanced their title credentials by scoring victory in Race 1, before backing up with second in the final to build a handy advantage heading to the season’s conclusion. As a bonus, Jaxon Evans and Elliott Schutte took the win in Race 2 making it six different winners in Pro-Am this year.
Title contenders stumble at the Island
While Ferrari greeted the chequered flag twice at Phillip Island, it was to full advantage as mistakes from the key opposition resulted in a significantly increased margin heading into the final two rounds. Shaw & Partners/Kelso Electrical Team MPC driver Brad Schumacher endured a tough time at the Island, spinning twice to finish fifth and eighth in both races. Brendon Leitch and Tim Miles also dropped in the standings after being penalised 40s in each race, while a tyre delamination in the opener further compounded the New Zealander’s woes. Schumacher and Will Brown sit second 30-points adrift, while a further 15 behind is the Leitch/Miles pairing.
Tigani Motorsport’s big weekend
It was a massive turnaround from Tigani Motorsport after a practice incident on Friday led to a 12:30am finish in repairing the James and Theo Koundouris Supabarn Supermarkets Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo. The pair rewarded the team by scoring an Am Class podium in Race 2 to hold second in the standings. On the other side of the garage, the Valmont Racing squad returned to the category as winners after missing Queensland Raceway. Marcel Zalloua and Sergio Pires secured the Am Class win upon their return.
RAM Motorsport’s Sunday run
The last three rounds of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS seasons have had a similar narrative in Am Class. RAM Motorsport has won the Sunday race at The Bend, Queensland Raceway and GT Festival. Garth Walden and Mike Sheargold lead the AM Class standings by 30-points, with the pair sitting on equal the most amount of wins this season.
Team BRM/ACM Finance’s hot streak
It’s been an impressive couple of rounds from Team BRM/ACM Finance resulting a victory at Queensland Raceway and second at the GT Festival. Alex Peroni is learning plenty in his first local season of racing following stints overseas in Formula 3 and Indy Lights. But it’s Mark Rosser performing at a high level as his rate of improvement is setting up these strong results. Returning to the category this year with the support of Peroni, Rosser has made great strides and a return to the winner’s circle appears imminent.