Arise Racing GT’s Chaz Mostert set a stunning time to secure one of the two Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS qualifying sessions at Bathurst.
It was a thrilling opening qualifying session as the heavyweights traded times continuously throughout the 20-minute session.
Mostert came out on top after setting a scorching 2m 00.986s in what is the Ferrari 296 GT3’s first weekend at Australia’s most revered circuit.
Some 0.845s behind was New Zealander Brendon Leitch in the Dayle ITM Team MPC Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II, while Jaxon Evans in the second Arise Racing GT Ferrari completed the top three.
On his first visit to the mountain, Alex Peroni put the ACM Finance/Team BRM Audi in fourth from Will Brown’s Shaw & Partners/Kelso Electrical Team MPC R8 LMS GT3 Evo II and the Realta/Tigani Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo of yesterday’s quick driver Jayden Ojeda.
International guests Car Collection Motorsport set the seventh fastest time with Alex Fontana aboard the sole Porsche 911 GT3-R in the field.
Grove Racing’s Brenton Grove and Triple Eight Race Engineering’s Declan Fraser were unable to elevate their Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evos further.
Renee Gracie rounded out the Pro-Am competitors in the OnlyFans Team MPC Audi.
It was a better result for the three-pointed star in Am Class courtesy of Garth Walden taking pole and extending RAM Motorsport’s lead in the season standings by just a solitary point.
Ben Schoots in the Black Wolf Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo was second in Am from Sergio Pires driving the Valmont Racing Audi solo this weekend.
Supabarn Supermarkets/Tigani Motorsport’s James Koundouris, 111 Racing’s Darren Currie finished ahead Audi solo duo Marc Cini and Ash Samadi to complete the Am line-up.
Valentino Astuti led the way in Trophy Class driving the newly repaired KMB Motorsport Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 from Stephen Coe’s Ferrari 458 GT3.
UPDATE: The Arise Racing GT Ferrari of Mostert was disqualified due to boost irregularities, elevating Leitch to pole and releagting the series leading entry to the back of the field for Race 2.
Drivers swapped for the second session and it was Liam Talbot setting a 2m 02.918s to complete the sweep for the Pro-Am Class leading team.
Paul Stokell in the OnlyFans Team MPC Audi was 0.360s off the pace in second from stablemate Brad Schumacher and the leading Am Class contender Pires.
Elliott Schutte in the second Ferrari was fourth in Pro-Am ahead of ACM Finance/Team BRM’s Mark Rosser, Tim Miles for Dayle ITM Team MPC and Peter Hackett for Triple Eight Race Engineering.
Stephen Grove in the Grove Racing Mercedes-AMG was followed by James Koundouris for Supabarn Supermarkets/Tigani Motorsport, teammate Paul Lucchitti’s Realta-backed entry and third in Am Class, Mike Sheargold for RAM Motorsport.
Marc Cini and Ash Samadi followed in their Audis from 111 Racing’s Grant Donaldson, Shane Woodman’s Black Wolf Motorsport Mercedes-AMG, while Hash rounded out the Pro-Am field in the Car Collection Motorsport Porsche.
This time, Coe took the Trophy Class pole from KMB Motorsport’s Liam Dunn.
The opening race for Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS is scheduled for 12:45pm AEDT.