Kelso MPC and Tigani command GTWC Australia action at Phillip Island

While those at the front had total control of the two races that opened the 2026 GT World Challenge Australia season, it was shown that there will be fierce competition this year, with the champion No. 1 Kelso MPC Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II of Brad Schumacher and Broc Feeney winning on Saturday, while Sunday honors went to the textbook drive of Jayden Ojeda and Paul Luchitti in the No. 66 Move my Wheels by Tigani Mercedes AMG GT3 Evo.
 
Race 1 started with the No. 1 Kelso MPC Audi keeping the lead while the No. 181 OnlyFans had contact with the No. 66 Tigani Mercedes, sending Paul Lucchitti to the gravel, with the Mercedes AMG GT3 Evo being rescued back to the track while the Safety Car was in action.
 
One thing no one counted with during the Safety Car was rain, and the slightly damp track made some drivers change plans, while others had no luck to do so, as the No. 15 Volante Rosso McLaren was facing the wall at the main straight, which brought back the Safety Car.
 
The dark clouds stood around the track, but the rain was already gone, and the restart had the No. 56 Tigani Mercedes all over the No. 1, and Shane Smollen’s pressure on Brad Schumacher was actually bringing the No. 268 Team BRM Audi to the party, at least until Elliott Schutte decided to stuff Mark Rosser’s door with the No. 26 ARGT Ferrari, though the race continued for both cars.
 
During the second half of racing, Broc Feeney was quick to establish a gap to Oscar Targett, who nearly got passed by Thomas Randle, and with the race dynamics favoring a battle for second place, the No. 1 Kelso MPC Audi commanded the action and went straight to victory. Within the overall top 10, the No. 71 Tigani Mercedes won the Trophy class, with all the three cars of the class separated by nearly ten seconds.
 
GTWC Australia - Phillip Island Race 1 results
 

The No. 26 ARGT Ferrari was still in the front row for Sunday, but with two Tigani Mercedes on the right side, led by the No. 66 entry, could make things difficult for Jaxon Evans. Again, the No. 181 OnlyFans Ferrari was thrown to the outside of the first corner while the No. 15 Volante Rosso McLaren got beached in the second corner for a while, bringing a quick period of Safety Car.
 
Evans had another shot to pass Jayden Ojeda, but Brendon Leitch in the No. 44 Tigani Mercedes was looking more glued to the back of the No. 26, even though he wasn’t posing an immediate threat. Despite the status quo, four cars were battling for the second spot while the No. 66 disappeared in front, with Leitch and Broc Feeney exchanging moments of all out attack, with the four contenders going to the pits together and Leitch barely avoiding ramming the back of the No. 26 before the pit speed limit zone.
 
With the gentlemen drivers on track and pit compensation in the account, the only change in the order was the No. 1 Kelso MPC Audi dropping to seventh, but Sergio Pires resumed the hunt on Elliott Schutte that Leitch started, and Pires had much more ease to put the No. 44 where he wanted, basically shutting the door on the nose of the No. 26 and getting second place to eventually aim for Paul Lucchitti in front.
 
Under green flag, Pires wasn’t making that much progress, but a spin for the No. 56 Tigani Mercedes brought the Safety Car again as Shane Smollen got stuck in the gravel, compressing the gap but leaving only three and a half minutes of racing.
 
When all appeared set within the top 5, Mark Rosser got too invested in the heat of the battle with Elliott Schutte, sending the No. 268  Team BRM Audi so hard that the car lost composure under braking and hit the side of Pires’ No. 44, keeping the Mercedes parked in the grass while Lucchitti just had to bring the No. 66 Tigani Mercedes home to claim the overall victory. The No. 14 Volante Rosso Aston Martin had an equally consistent race to conquer the Trophy class.
 
Of course, Rosser’s move on Pires wouldn’t be ignored by the stewards, and the No. 268 Team BRM Audi got a 40 second penalty due to avoidable collision, tumbling down to tenth while the No. 1 Kelso MPC Audi also got penalized for collision, having 15 seconds added to their final time to shoot it down to ninth.
 
GTWC Australia - Phillip Island Race 2 results
 
The duo Feeney/Schumacher (No. 1) leads the standings with 30 points, while Evans/Schutte (No. 26) have 28, Ojeda/Lucchitti (No. 66) have 26 and the duo Wood/Brooks (No. 88) sit in fourth with 23 points.  In the Trophy class, the duo Gardner/Stibbs (No. 14) lead with 44 points, ten ahead of Stoupas/Stokell (No. 24).
 
Action resumes at The Bend, with the second weekend of GTWC Australia set for 9 and 10 May.
 
PHOTOS: SRO