Kelso MPC conquers GTWC Australia at Hampton Downs

It was down to two cars and four drivers to settle the race for the GT World Challenge Australia crown in 2025, and the travel to New Zealand doing wonders for the No. 888 Kelso MPC Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II of Brad Schumacher and Broc Feeney, as the two race wins at Hampton Downs were followed by a post-race penalty in Race 2 that saw the title leave the Arise GT camp.
 
Race 1 started with with the No. 888 Kelso MPC Audi taking the lead while the No. 1 Volante Rosso Aston Martin was fighting back, and once Brad Schumacher went wide, Liam Talbot found real estate to take the overall and Pro-Am Cup leads, all while all teams were keeping their eyes in the sky as the imminence of rain could make them review their plans.
 
The flowing nature of Hampton Downs was keeping the pace pretty similar accross the whole field, benefiting Talbot as he had 13 seconds when the pit window came, opening the gap even more at every lap.
 
The problem for the No. 1 came after the window, as the No. 888 was on a desperate chase with Broc Feeney being clearly faster than Josh Hunt, with Feeney having Hunt within striking distance with five minutes to go, and once Feeney committed to the move, experience prevailed and a brave more resulted in the lead change. Hunt would try to chase the No. 888 Kelso MPC Audi, but Feeney’s pace would prove to be too much for Josh Hunt.
 
The No. 88 Wolfbrook MPC Audi finished in third and the No. 26 Arise Ferrari in fourth, various seconds behind the contenders for the win, while the No. 181 OnlyFans MPC Audi held the No. 27 IMS Racing Audi after a whole stint of pursuit by Jonny Reid, being denied of the overtake by Damon Leitch the whole time.
 
The No. 111 111 Racing Mercedes had a commanding run and conquered the Am Cup unopposed.
 
GTWC Australia - Hampton Downs Race 1 results
 

The final race of the season had the usual suspect in the lead, as Broc Feeney was leading the 14 car field by denying space to the No. 26 Arise Ferrari, with a crash that involved three cars neutralizing things as the No. 181 OnlyFans MPC Audi and the No. 55 Tigani Mercedes were too damaged to continue.
 
Despite the neutralization, when the green flag was back, Elliott Schutte wasn’t able to close down on Feeney, with the No. 26 falling back with the view of the No. 88 Wolfbrook MPC Audi, but this didn’t result in a position change until the end of the first stint.
 
Once the mandatory pit stops and success penalties were out of the way, the No. 26 got the lead, but things got in the favor of the chasing No. 888 as the No. 27 IMS Racing Audi took a hit and got beached in the gravel with a broken suspension, bringing the Safety Car with a quarter of the race to go.
 
The lenghty Safety Car period left only 3 minutes for green flag racing, but Brad Schumacher lost no time to dispatch Elliott Schutte as the title was on the line, and even though it required a bit more bravery, the No. 888 took the lead. Schumacher did his job by opening the gap in the final lap, with the No. 888 Kelso MPC Audi winning the race, but the second place was more than enough for the drivers in the No. 26 Arise Ferrari to secure the title, or at least that was what the track was telling.
 
After the race, the stewards found a breach in the restart position of the No. 26 Arise Ferrari after the final Safety Car period, and this gave a five second penalty to the car, demoting Evans and Schutte to seventh.
 
The No. 111 111 Racing Mercedes just completed the job and finished with the Am Cup sweep.
 
GTWC Australia - Hampton Downs Race 2 results
 
With the results of the weekend, on and off track, Feeney and Schumacher get the title for Kelso MPC, with 211 points against 207 from Evans and Schutte, settling the only title fight left in the season by denying Arise GT of a title streak. The Am Cup was already decided in favor of Renee Gracie, which allowed her to put the OnlyFans MPC Audi back in the Pro-Am Cup for a weekend.
 
The next season starts on 28 and 29 March at Phillip Island, and at the moment, a return to Hampton Downs isn’t confirmed.
 
PHOTOS: SRO