2024 GT World Challenge Australia

The 2024 Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS was an Australian motor sport competition for GT cars. The series incorporated the "Motorsport Australia GT Championship", the "Motorsport Australia Endurance Championship" and the "GT3 Trophy Series". The Motorsport Australia GT Championship was the 28th running of an Australian GT Championship. This was the first season of the championship being solely managed by the SRO Motorsports Group.[1] The season began on 18 February at the Bathurst 12 Hour at Mount Panorama Circuit and ended on 10 November, also at Mount Panorama Circuit.[2]

Calendar

The provisional seven-race calendar was released on 2 November 2023 with all rounds taking place in Australia.[2] The calendar was finalized on 9 May 2024, alongside the announcement of the GT Festival, the first-ever event promoted by SRO Motorsports Australia.[3]

Round Event Circuit City / State Date Map
End. 1 Repco Bathurst 12 Hour[4] New South Wales Mount Panorama Circuit Bathurst, New South Wales 16–18 February
1 Ford Mustang 60 Years Race Phillip Island[5] Victoria (state) Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit Phillip Island, Victoria 12–14 April
2 Race Tailem Bend[5] South Australia The Bend Motorsport Park (West) Tailem Bend, South Australia 31 May–2 June
3 Eventelec Race Queensland[5] Queensland Queensland Raceway Ipswich, Queensland 2–4 August
4 GT Festival[6] Victoria (state) Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit Phillip Island, Victoria 23–25 August
End. 2 ColorSpec Race Sydney[5] New South Wales Sydney Motorsport Park Eastern Creek, New South Wales 18–19 October
5 Supercheap Auto Bathurst International[5] New South Wales Mount Panorama Circuit Bathurst, New South Wales 8–10 November

Entry list

The winning Ferrari 296 GT3 driven by Liam Talbot and Chaz Mostert.
Team Car Engine No. Drivers Class Rounds
Australia Arise Racing GT[7][8] Ferrari 296 GT3 Ferrari F163 3.0 L Turbo V6 1 Australia Chaz Mostert[9] PA All
Australia Liam Talbot[9]
8 New Zealand Jaxon Evans[9] PA All
Australia Elliott Schutte[9]
Australia Grove Racing[10][N 1] Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 4 Australia Brenton Grove[10] PA 1, 3–5
Australia Stephen Grove[10]
Australia Melbourne Performance Centre[11][12][13][N 2] Audi R8 LMS Evo II Audi DAR 5.2 L V10 7 New Zealand Brendon Leitch[14] PA All
New Zealand Tim Miles[14]
9 Australia Marc Cini[15] Am All
22 Australia Ash Samadi[13] Am All
87 Australia Will Brown[16] PA All
Australia Brad Schumacher[16]
88 New Zealand Steve Brooks[17] PA 2
Australia Nick McBride[17]
181 Australia Renee Gracie[18] PA All
Australia Paul Stokell[18]
Australia Volante Rosso Motorsport[19][20][N 3] Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Aston Martin M177 4.0 L Turbo V8 14 Australia Alex Gardner[21] PA 3–4
Australia Ben Porter[21] 3
Australia Ross Poulakis[22] 4
Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 34 Australia Chris Batzios[20] Am 3
PA 4 		3–4
Australia Ross Poulakis[20] 3
Australia David Brabham[23] 4
Australia Black Wolf Motorsport[24] Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 16 Australia Ben Schoots[24] Am All
Australia Shane Woodman[24]
Germany Car Collection Motorsport[25] Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) Porsche M97/80 4.2 L Flat-6 21 Switzerland Alex Fontana[25] PA 5
United States 'Hash'[25]
Australia Tony Bates Racing[24] Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 24 Australia Tony Bates[24] Am 1
Australia KMB Motorsport[24] Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 Aston Martin AM28 5.9 L V12 38 Australia Valentino Astuti[26] T All
Australia Michael Bailey[24] 1
Australia Darren Currie[27] 2–4
Australia Liam Dunn[28] 5
Australia Tigani Motorsport[29][30][N 4] Audi R8 LMS Evo II Audi DAR 5.2 L V10 44 Australia Sergio Pires[31] Am 1–2, 4–5
Australia Marcel Zalloua[31] 1–2, 4
Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 47 Australia James Koundouris[30] Am All
Australia Theo Koundouris[30]
66 Australia Paul Lucchitti[31] PA All
Australia Jayden Ojeda[31]
Australia RAM Motorsport[32] Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 45 Australia Mike Sheargold[32] Am All
Australia Garth Walden[32]
Australia Stephen Coe Racing[25] Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 Ferrari F136 F 4.5 L V8 56 Australia Stephen Coe[25] T 5
Australia Team BRM[33][N 5] Audi R8 LMS Evo II Audi DAR 5.2 L V10 81 Australia Alex Peroni[33] PA All
Australia Mark Rosser[33]
Australia Wall Racing[34] Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo 2 Lamborghini DGF 5.2 L V10 93 Australia Tony D'Alberto[34] PA 2
Australia Adrian Deitz[34]
Australia 111 Racing[25] Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 111 Australia Darren Currie[25] Am 5
Australia Grant Donaldson[25]
Australia Scott Taylor Motorsport[35] Porsche 997 GT3-R Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 222 Australia Paul Morris[35] T 3–4
Australia Scott Taylor[35]
Australia Triple Eight Race Engineering[36] Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 888 Australia Declan Fraser[36] PA All
Australia Peter Hackett[36]
Icon Class
PA Pro-Am class
Am Am class
T Trophy

Race results

Bold indicates overall winner

Round Circuit Pole position Pro-Am winners Am winners Trophy winners Ref.
1 R1 Victoria (state) Phillip Island Australia No. 8 Arise Racing GT[N 6] Australia No. 1 Arise Racing GT Australia No. 44 Valmont Racing Australia No. 38 KMB Motorsport Report
New Zealand Jaxon Evans
Australia Elliott Schutte 		Australia Chaz Mostert
Australia Liam Talbot 		Australia Sergio Pires
Australia Marcel Zalloua 		Australia Valentino Astuti
Australia Michael Bailey
R2 Australia No. 1 Arise Racing GT Australia No. 7 Dayle ITM Australia No. 22 Team MPC Australia No. 38 KMB Motorsport Report
Australia Chaz Mostert
Australia Liam Talbot 		New Zealand Brendon Leitch
New Zealand Tim Miles 		Australia Ash Samadi Australia Valentino Astuti
Australia Michael Bailey
2 R1 South Australia The Bend (West) Australia No. 87 Shaw & Partners / Kelso Electrical Australia No. 888 Triple Eight Race Engineering Australia No. 44 Valmont Racing Australia No. 38 KMB Motorsport Report
Australia Will Brown
Australia Brad Schumacher 		Australia Declan Fraser
Australia Peter Hackett 		Australia Sergio Pires
Australia Marcel Zalloua 		Australia Valentino Astuti
Australia Darren Currie
R2 Australia No. 8 Arise Racing GT Australia No. 87 Shaw & Partners / Kelso Electrical Australia No. 45 RAM Motorsport Australia No. 38 KMB Motorsport Report
New Zealand Jaxon Evans
Australia Elliott Schutte 		Australia Will Brown
Australia Brad Schumacher 		Australia Mike Sheargold
Australia Garth Walden 		Australia Valentino Astuti
Australia Darren Currie
3 R1 Queensland Queensland Australia No. 87 Shaw & Partners / Kelso Electrical Australia No. 81 Team BRM Australia No. 16 Black Wolf Motorsport Australia No. 222 Scott Taylor Motorsport Report
Australia Will Brown
Australia Brad Schumacher 		Australia Alex Peroni
Australia Mark Rosser 		Australia Ben Schoots
Australia Shane Woodman 		Australia Paul Morris
Australia Scott Taylor
R2 Australia No. 66 Realta Australia No. 87 Shaw & Partners / Kelso Electrical Australia No. 45 RAM Motorsport Australia No. 38 KMB Motorsport Report
Australia Paul Lucchitti
Australia Jayden Ojeda 		Australia Will Brown
Australia Brad Schumacher 		Australia Mike Sheargold
Australia Garth Walden 		Australia Valentino Astuti
Australia Darren Currie
4 R1 Victoria (state) Phillip Island Australia No. 1 Arise Racing GT Australia No. 1 Arise Racing GT Australia No. 44 Valmont Racing Australia No. 222 Scott Taylor Motorsport Report
Australia Chaz Mostert
Australia Liam Talbot 		Australia Chaz Mostert
Australia Liam Talbot 		Australia Sergio Pires
Australia Marcel Zalloua 		Australia Paul Morris
Australia Scott Taylor
R2 Australia No. 1 Arise Racing GT Australia No. 8 Arise Racing GT Australia No. 45 RAM Motorsport Australia No. 222 Scott Taylor Motorsport Report
Australia Chaz Mostert
Australia Liam Talbot 		New Zealand Jaxon Evans
Australia Elliott Schutte 		Australia Mike Sheargold
Australia Garth Walden 		Australia Paul Morris
Australia Scott Taylor
5 R1 New South Wales Bathurst Australia No. 1 Arise Racing GT Australia No. 87 Shaw & Partners / Kelso Electrical Australia No. 44 Valmont Racing Australia No. 38 KMB Motorsport Report
Australia Chaz Mostert
Australia Liam Talbot 		Australia Will Brown
Australia Brad Schumacher 		Australia Sergio Pires Australia Valentino Astuti
Australia Liam Dunn
R2 Australia No. 7 Dayle ITM[N 7] Australia No. 81 Team BRM Australia No. 44 Valmont Racing Australia No. 56 Stephen Coe Racing Report
New Zealand Brendon Leitch
New Zealand Tim Miles 		Australia Alex Peroni
Australia Mark Rosser 		Australia Sergio Pires Australia Stephen Coe

Championship standings

Scoring system
Position  1st   2nd   3rd   4th   5th   6th   7th   8th   9th   10th  Pole
Points 25 18 15 12 10 8 6 4 2 1 1

Drivers' championship

Pos. Driver Team PHI
Victoria (state) 		BEN
South Australia 		QUE
Queensland 		PHI
Victoria (state) 		BAT
New South Wales 		Points
Pro-Am
1 Australia Chaz Mostert
Australia Liam Talbot 		Australia Arise Racing GT 1 4 2 2 10 4 1 2 2 3 174
2 Australia Will Brown
Australia Brad Schumacher 		Australia Shaw & Partners / Kelso Electrical 3 3 4 1 Ret 1 5 8 1 6 143
3 New Zealand Jaxon Evans
Australia Elliott Schutte 		Australia Arise Racing GT 2 7 3 3 4 6 9 1 6 4 126
4 Australia Declan Fraser
Australia Peter Hackett 		Australia Triple Eight Race Engineering 5 5 1 6 8 3 3 6 9 2 121
5 Australia Alex Peroni
Australia Mark Rosser 		Australia Team BRM 12 Ret 7 5 1 16 2 4 4 1 116
6 New Zealand Brendon Leitch
New Zealand Tim Miles 		Australia Dayle ITM 4 1 5 4 3 2 14 12 3 9 112
7 Australia Paul Lucchitti
Australia Jayden Ojeda 		Australia Realta 7 2 8 8 2 5 Ret Ret 7 7 75
8 Australia Renee Gracie
Australia Paul Stokell 		Australia OnlyFans 9 6 6 Ret Ret 7 6 5 8 5 60
9 Australia Brenton Grove
Australia Stephen Grove 		Australia Grove Racing 6[N 8] WD Ret WD 4 3 5 8 41
10 New Zealand Steve Brooks
Australia Nick McBride 		Australia Team MPC 9 7 8
11 Australia Chris Batzios
Australia David Brabham 		Australia Harrolds Racing 13 11 6
12 Australia Alex Gardner Australia Volante Rosso Motorsport WD WD 11 Ret 4
13 Australia Ross Poulakis Australia Volante Rosso Motorsport 11 Ret 4
14 Australia Tony D'Alberto
Australia Adrian Deitz 		Australia Wall Racing 11 10 3
15 Switzerland Alex Fontana
United States 'Hash' 		Germany Car Collection Motorsport 11 12 2
Australia Ben Porter Australia Volante Rosso Motorsport WD WD
Am
1 Australia Mike Sheargold
Australia Garth Walden 		Australia RAM Motorsport 10 13 13 11 7 8 8 7 12 11 192
2 Australia Sergio Pires Australia Valmont Racing 8 Ret 10 Ret 7 14 10 10 137
3 Australia James Koundouris
Australia Theo Koundouris 		Australia Supabarn Supermarkets 11 10 12 12 6 11 12 9 Ret WD 130
4 Australia Ben Schoots
Australia Shane Woodman 		Australia Black Wolf Motorsport Ret WD 14 13 5 13 10 Ret 13 13 109
5 Australia Ash Samadi Australia Team MPC Ret 8 16 14 12 9 16 10 16 Ret 106
6 Australia Marcel Zalloua Australia Valmont Racing 8 Ret 10 Ret 7 14 87
7 Australia Marc Cini Australia Hallmarc 13 11 15 Ret Ret 14 15 13 15 15 86
8 Australia Chris Batzios
Australia Ross Poulakis 		Australia Harrolds Racing 11 12 24
9 Australia Darren Currie
Australia Grant Donaldson 		Australia 111 Racing 17 14 20
10 Australia Tony Bates Australia Tony Bates Racing Ret 9 18
Trophy
Australia Valentino Astuti Australia KMB Motorsport 14 12 17 9 Ret 10 Ret 16 14 Ret
Australia Darren Currie Australia KMB Motorsport 17 9 Ret 10 Ret 16
Australia Michael Bailey Australia KMB Motorsport 14 12
Australia Paul Morris
Australia Scott Taylor 		Australia Scott Taylor Motorsport 9 15 17 15
Australia Liam Dunn Australia KMB Motorsport 14 Ret
Australia Stephen Coe Australia Stephen Coe Racing Ret 16
Pos. Driver Team PHI
Victoria (state) 		BEN
South Australia 		QUE
Queensland 		PHI
Victoria (state) 		BAT
New South Wales 		Points
Key
Colour Result
Gold Race winner
Silver 2nd place
Bronze 3rd place
Green Points finish
Blue Non-points finish
Non-classified finish (NC)
Purple Did not finish (Ret)
Black Disqualified (DSQ)
Excluded (EX)
White Did not start (DNS)
Race cancelled (C)
Withdrew (WD)
Blank Did not participate

Bold – Pole position
Italics – Fastest lap


See also

Notes

  1. ^ Car No. 4 is supported by Earl Bamber Motorsport.
  2. ^ Car No. 7 entered as Dayle ITM, car No. 9 entered as Hallmarc, car No. 22 entered as Team MPC, car No. 87 entered as Shaw & Partners / Kelso Electrical, car No. 88 entered as Team MPC and car No. 181 entered as OnlyFans.
  3. ^ Car No. 34 entered as Harrolds Racing.
  4. ^ Car No. 44 entered as Valmont Racing, car No. 47 entered as Supabarn Supermarkets and car No. 66 entered as Realta.
  5. ^ Car No. 81 entered as Team BRM ACM Finance
  6. ^ Liam Talbot was quickest in Qualifying 2, which decided the grid for Race 1, but received a five-place grid penalty for speeding in pit lane, promoting Elliott Schutte to pole position. Chaz Mostert and Talbot did keep the bonus point for pole position.
  7. ^ Chaz Mostert was quickest in Qualifying 1, which decided the grid for Race 2, but was disqualified for exceeding the maximum boost permitted, which is a breach of the Balance of Performance, promoting Brendon Leitch to pole position. Mostert and Liam Talbot did not keep the bonus point for pole position, but it went to Leitch and Tim Miles instead.
  8. ^ Brenton Grove was forced to do the race by himself, as his father Stephen got the flu. Brenton as a solo driver was effectively a Pro-Pro entry, making him ineligible for Pro-Am points.

References

  1. ^ "SRO to take over GT World Challenge Australia". v8sleuth.com.au. V8 Sleuth. 2 November 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Fanatic GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS confirms 2024 calendar". gt-world-challenge-australia.com. GT World Challenge Australia. 2 November 2023. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  3. ^ Goodwin, Graham (9 May 2024). "New Phillip Island GT Festival Completes 2024 Calendar". Dailysportscar. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  4. ^ "Intercontinental GT Challenge Calendar".
  5. ^ a b c d e "Shannons Speed Series Calendar".
  6. ^ "GT World Challenge Australia Calendar".
  7. ^ Klein, Jamie (16 January 2024). "Ferrari to Return to Grid with New Two-Car Team". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  8. ^ van Leeuwen, Andrew (4 April 2024). "Ferrari GT cars hit Phillip Island". Speedcafe. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  9. ^ a b c d O'Brien, Connor (13 February 2024). "Ferrari team signs Mostert, Evans". V8Sleuth. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  10. ^ a b c Klein, Jamie (6 March 2024). "Grove Commits to Full Season with Mercedes-AMG". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  11. ^ Herrero, Daniel (9 February 2024). "Top Audi squad's bold Bathurst 12 Hour strategy". Speedcafe. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  12. ^ Goodwin, Graham (30 January 2024). "31 Car Entry For 2024 Bathurst 12 Hour". dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  13. ^ a b "GT stalwart Ash Samadi confirms Audi Sport Customer Racing Australia entry". gt-world-challenge-australia.com. GT World Challenge Australia. 29 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  14. ^ a b Herrero, Daniel (7 March 2024). "Former T8 co-owner, Kiwi hotshot combine in Aus GT". Speedcafe. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  15. ^ Coch, Mat (8 April 2024). "Veteran racer set to break duck at Phillip Island". Speedcafe. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  16. ^ a b Herrero, Daniel (22 February 2024). "Will Brown joins GT World Challenge Australia". Speedcafe. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
  17. ^ a b "Kiwi to pair with Aussie in new Audi entry at The Bend". GT World Challenge Australia. SRO Motorsports Group. 27 May 2024. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  18. ^ a b O'Brien, Garry (10 February 2024). "Paul Stokell to co-drive with Renee Gracie in GT World Challenge". Speedcafe. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
  19. ^ Klein, Jamie (23 June 2024). "Volante Rosso Acquires Vantage GT3 for Series Return". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
  20. ^ a b c O'Brien, Garry (26 July 2024). "Medical "all clear" opens door for GT driver's return". Speedcafe. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  21. ^ a b Klein, Jamie (27 July 2024). "Drivers Revealed for Volante Rosso Aston Martin Effort". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  22. ^ Klein, Jamie (16 August 2024). "Volante Rosso Shuffles Drivers for Phillip Island". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  23. ^ Chapman, Simon (19 August 2024). "Ex-Formula 1 driver joins GT World Challenge grid". Speedcafe. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  24. ^ a b c d e f g "Entry list revealed for opening Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia round at Phillip Island". GT World Challenge Australia. SRO Motorsports Group. 8 April 2024. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  25. ^ a b c d e f g h Klein, Jamie (5 November 2024). "Car Collection Joins 19-Car Field for Bathurst Finale". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  26. ^ O'Brien, Garry (12 April 2024). "Astuti late addition to GT World Australia at Phillip Island". Speedcafe. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  27. ^ "Fight for Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia supremacy continues at The Bend". GT World Challenge Australia. SRO Motorsports Group. 28 May 2024. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  28. ^ "GT World Challenge Australia Bathurst Entry List V1" (PDF). GT World Challenge Australia. SRO Motorsports Group. 7 November 2024. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  29. ^ Herrero, Daniel (23 January 2024). "Bathurst-winning driver, engineer for 12 Hour privateers". Speedcafe. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  30. ^ a b c Herrero, Daniel (21 December 2023). "Webb, Russell locked in for Bathurst 12 Hour". Speedcafe. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  31. ^ a b c d Klein, Jamie (3 April 2024). "Ojeda Partners Lucchitti in Tigani Pro-Am Mercedes". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  32. ^ a b c "RAM Motorsport reveals 'Daft Punk-inspired' Mercedes livery". gt-world-challenge-australia.com. GT World Challenge Australia. 7 March 2024. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  33. ^ a b c O'Brien, Garry (5 April 2024). "International driver Alex Peroni to contest Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia". Speedcafe. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  34. ^ a b c Herrero, Daniel (1 December 2023). "New Lamborghini for Bathurst 12 Hour". Speedcafe.
  35. ^ a b c O'Brien, Connor (10 July 2024). "Paul Morris to race GT3 Porsche". V8 Sleuth. AN1 Media. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  36. ^ a b c O'Brien, Connor (28 March 2024). "Fraser reunites with Triple Eight". V8Sleuth. Retrieved 28 March 2024.