While the No. 1 Arise GT Ferrari 296 GT3 of Chaz Mostert and Liam Talbot had pace to win during the final weekend of FANATEC GT World Challenge Australia in 2024, the pair of podiums conquered at Bathurst were more than enough to secure the title, while the No. 87 Shaw & Partners Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II of Brad Schumacher and Will Brown kept the hopes alive with the Race 1 win and the No. 81 Team BRM Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II of Alex Peroni and Mark Rosser inherited the Race 2 win as those ahead of them were hit with penalties.
With the Race 1 start being on single file, the 19 car field was led by the No. 1 Arise Ferrari, but Paul Stokell in the No. 181 OnlyFans Audi made sure Liam Talbot wouldn’t go away easily with the top spot, and aiming for the lead would be a big business for Stokell to deliver the No. 181 in the best position for Renee Gracie.
While the top two were playing cat and mouse for as long as possible, the rest of the field went for the pit stop as sooner as the window allowed, and the early service went well for the ambition of the No. 87 Shaw & Partners Audi as Will Brown advanced to second after getting the car from Brad Schumacher, and Brown was quick to close down, press and pass Renee Gracie to take the lead.
The No. 7 DayleITM Audi quickly dispatched the No. 181 to fourth place and Brendon Leitch started aiming for the leaders, but the scenario didn’t change until the finish as the No. 87 Shaw & Partners Audi looked fast all the time with Will Brown.
GTWC Australia - Bathurst International Race 1 results
The Am Cup had a dominant performance from the No. 44 Tigani Audi as Sergio Pires rounded out the overall top five for most the race.
Race 2 started with the No. 7 DayleITM Audi barging its way to the lead while the No. 8 Arise Ferrari was thrown to the hungry field as Jaxon Evans failed in his move to take first place. If you ask for the No. 1 Arise Ferrari, then you will find it in 11th place with Chaz Mostert not making huge lunges from the back, while the No. 87 Shaw & Partners Audi was in seventh.
A chunk of the race time was lost rescuing a crashed No. 22 MPC Audi, which left the field preparing for the pit window service. As the faster drivers carved through the field, Brown’s move to sixth place on the No. 4 Grove Mercedes opened the door for Mostert, so the No. 1 took it two for one to close down on the top five.
After the pit window, Liam Talbot was ahead of Brad Schumacher and gaining positions in the No. 1 Arise Ferrari, and while the No. 7 and No. 8 were still leading, that would break apart later as the No. 7 got a drive through penalty due to pit time infringement while the No. 8 had 5 seconds to be added in the final time due to unsafe release, which would initially give the push to the No. 81 Team BRM Audi, but the problem was that the No. 888 Triple Eight Mercedes and the No. 1 Arise Ferrari were right behind it in the final minutes.
Mark Rosser’s mission was to defend position but also to not let Elliott Schutte go and open the 5 seconds to nullify the time penalty, so Rosser opted for a clean and safe drive to score the win with the No. 81 Team BRM Audi as the No. 8 Arise Ferrari would be hit in the clock, with the No. 1 Arise Ferrari crossing the line behind the No. 888 Triple Eight Mercedes in third to secure the GTWC Australia title.
GTWC Australia - Bathurst International Race 2 results
The No. 44 Tigani Audi repeated the feat from Saturday and completed the Am Cup sweep with authority. Garth Walden and Mike Sheargold from the No. 45 RAM/GWR Mercedes secured the Am Cup title.
Talbot successfully defended his crown while switching from Audi to Ferrari, which broke the sequence of titles that the German manufacturer held since 2017 with three different versions of the R8 LMS GT3, and Ferrari got a trophy in GTWC Australia for the first time, which also ended a drought of GT titles that dated back from 2007.
PHOTOS: SRO/Jack Martin
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