An Audi driver since his Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS debut in 2021, Brad Schumacher reveals what the brand means to him after the 310th and final R8 LMS GT3 Evo II was delivered recently.
Schumacher is among the latest line of drivers to taste success with Audi in Australia and fell just short of this year’s Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS Pro-Am title partnered by newly crowned Supercars champion Will Brown.
For Schumacher, it was a major shift after contesting previous seasons with his own team as an invitation from the renowned and successful Melbourne Performance Centre to join the squad in one of its leading Pro-Am entries came before the opening round.
Despite the last ever R8 LMS GT3 Evo II being delivered, Audi will continue to support the model until 2032, but it still marks a significant moment in the history of GT3 racing.
“I’ve been a competitor in Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS since it first began in 2021 and I’ve driven an Audi across all of the different variations since that time,” reflected Schumacher, who won the GT Trophy and Am Cup titles in Audis.
“I guess you could say I’m a bit of a stalwart for the Audi brand here in Australia and it’s for a good reason. Audi is a great manufacturer making awesome cars to drive for GT3 and that’s not just the latest model, it’s literally been across all previous iterations.
“Every different model and Evo variation from a driver’s perspective have all been quite a bit different, so it’s always been great to find out how the performance has been increased and how it gets better each time.
“Audi is the most successful GT3 brand worldwide and in my opinion it’s a great shame the company went down a different route all stemming down to not producing the R8 or the V10 power plant anymore.”
Audi has been a successful manufacturer locally in GT3 since aligning with Melbourne Performance Centre in the early 2010s when the first model R8 LMS GT3 debuted in Mark Eddy’s hands.
Plenty of success for MPC followed including Bathurst 12 Hours, GT titles, Endurance Championships and class victories across a 15-year association with Audi.
Aiming to continue to represent the Audi brand with distinction, Schumacher is seeking to keep the same formula again for 2025 alongside Brown and engineering guru Tom Moore.
“Any opportunity for me to work with Will and Tom Moore again would be a no brainer,” Schumacher said.