The GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS will get its 2025 season underway in style this weekend with an impressive field of 18 cars locked in for the opening round at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit.
Featuring in the Shannons SpeedSeries’ first outing for 2025, the star-studded entry list of international names and domestic drivers also welcomes a healthy number of world-renowned manufacturers.
Making up the list of famous brands included in this year’s GT World Challenge Australia season are Porsche, Ferrari, Mercedes-AMG, Audi, Lamborghini, and Aston Martin AMR – all of whom will be able to score points towards the overarching GT World Challenge global crown.
Rounding out the collection of manufacturers for the season opener is Mike Bailey's highly anticipated Bentley Continental GT3, which makes its first appearance in the series since the Adelaide 500 in 2022.
There is no shortage of star power across both the Pro-Am and Am classes in GT World Challenge Australia this year.
Melbourne Performance Centre (MPC) claimed the Overall Team Champion crown last year, which included Sprint and Endurance results, and the successful outfit will be pushing for Team honours again in 2025 with a multitude of cars.
MPC start with five cars entered for Round 1 at Phillip Island; three in the Pro-Am class, one in the Am Class, and one in the Trophy Class.
In Pro-Am Class, MPC will see its Audi R8 LMS Evo II driven by some of the nation’s best drivers, including Will Brown and Broc Feeney, who will be sharing driving duties alongside Brad Schumacher, and Supercars young gun Ryan Wood, who links up with Steve Brooks.
MPC’s third Audi R8 LMS Evo II in the class will be driven once again by Tim Miles and Brendon Leitch. The Kiwi duo are one of two all-New Zealander line ups the category with the other being the Mach 1 Engineering Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO of series debutants Anthony and Paul Pedersen.
Reigning Sprint Cup Team Champions Arise Racing GT return with two Ferrari 296 GT3s, welcoming Steve Wyatt for his grand return to GT racing alongside Jordan Love and proven race winners Elliott Schutte and Jaxon Evans.
One of the most anticipated entries in the class is that of EMA Motorsport and its Porsche 992 GT3R, where Frenchman Dorian Boccolacci links up with Shane Smollen, who steps up to the category after winning the Monochrome GT4 Australia Silver-Am (formerly Pro-Am) Cup last year.
Another international driver making his way from Europe is Brit George King, who joins Sergio Pires in one of two Tigani Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVOs as the latter moves to Pro-Am from the Am Cup. The team’s second entry is the returning Paul Luchitti and Jayden Ojeda.
Adding to the manufacturers for the opening round is the Volante Rosso Motorsport Aston Martin AMR Vantage GT3, which welcomes a completely new line-up including last year’s Sprint Cup Driver Champion Liam Talbot and Supercars co-driver Declan Fraser.
Fan favourites with their legendary livery is the slick-looking Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO II of Wall Racing, with Tony D’Alberto and Adrian Deitz behind the wheel.
Rounding out the Pro-Am Cup entry list is Team BRM’s Mark Rosser and Alex Peroni in the Audi R8 LMS Evo, and the race-winning duo will be hopeful of adding to their growing collection of silverware in 2025.
In the Am Class, it’s a battle between Mercedes-AMG and Audi as MPC’s Renee Gracie and Tigani Motorsport’s James and Theo Koundouris are each behind the wheel of an Audi R8 LMS Evo II, while Benjamin Schoots and Shane Woodman of Black Wolf Motorsport, and 111 Racing's Darren Currie and Grant Donaldson, pilot their respective Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVOs.
Rounding out the category entry list is MPC’s fifth and final entry, Matthew Stoupas and Gary Higgon, who are running their Audi R8 LMS in the Trophy Class.
The highly anticipated series will kick off the 2025 season with a one-hour race on both Saturday and Sunday. Fans will be able to see the cars up close and personal on Sunday during the Free Grid Walk.
GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS begins its 2025 campaign as part of the Shannons SpeedSeries’ GT Festival Phillip Island at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit on April 4-6.
Purchase tickets to the event via speedseries.com.au/tickets.