Hidden Valley just came and is already gone, confirmed to be not in SRO’s plans for 2027, and still, GT World Challenge Australia delivered the action there, with the result being two victories with Audi machinery, one for the No. 268 Team BRM entry of Mark Rosser and Alex Pironi, and the other one going to the No. 1 Kelso MPC entry of Brad Schumacher and Broc Feeney.
The No. 44 Tigani Mercedes looked like taking the lead, then it lost the run to the first corner to the No. 268 Team BRM Audi, only for them to be outpaced by an insane Brad Schumacher in the No. 1 Kelso MPC Audi, who spun immediately after the corner and opened the door for Mark Rosser to retake the lead, with the No. 66 Tigani Mercedes and the No. 88 Team BRM Audi fighting for second and Steve Brooks taking it from Paul Lucchitti, only to hand it back because of a mechanical black as the No. 88 had hanging bodywork.
One surprise from the initial moments was Renee Gracie in the No. 181 OnlyFans Ferrari, jumping from the back of the field to fourth as the underfloor issues from Qualifying appeared to have been solved, and with the car sorted out and the No. 56 Tigani Mercedes going way wide, Gracie was already third.
The mandatory stops did nothing to change the top 3, but near the end of the race, the No. 181 had the No.1 all over the rear wing, but Broc Feeney had no success trying to overtake Will Davison. Miles ahead of them, the No. 268 Team BRM Audi turned the total control of the race into a win, with nearly 9 seconds to the No. 66 Tigani Mercedes.
GTWC Australia - Hidden Valley Race 1 results
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With too many cars aiming for the same parts of the track, the second race had more cars leaving the track on lap 1, but this time it didn’t affect the front of the field, with the No. 23 Zagame Ferrari leading the way while the No. 1 Kelso MPC Audi fought for second place with the No. 268 Team BRM Audi.
The top 3 was on similar pace for the whole first stint, and the pit stop cycle came as a blessing for the No. 1, leaving Brad Schumacher really close to Cameron Campbell from the pit lane exit, more than enough to mount pressure on Campbell if there’s no obvious place to overtake. It was until the No. 88 Team BRM Audi was all over the top two that Schumacher finally found a way past Campbell, leaving him to deal with Steve Brooks, who had less difficulty to clear the No. 23 car.
The whole problem for Brooks was that the time spent to pass the No. 23 Zagame Ferrari cost a chance to attack the No. 1 Kelso MPC Audi, with Brad Schumacher remaining unchallenged until the checkered flag as he had seven seconds for the No. 88 Team BRM Audi.
GTWC Australia - Hidden Valley Race 2 results
The duo Feeney/Schumacher (No. 1) keeps the lead in the standings with 111, but Leitch/Pires (No. 44) are close with 101 points, same as Mark Rosser (No. 268). Next in the calendar is Sydney Motorsport Park, with the fifth double header of the season set for 19 and 20 September.
PHOTOS: SRO/Jack Martin Photography
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