Weekly Racing Roundup (4.10.23)

Talbot, Hofer Sweep GTWC Australia Opener

Liam Talbot and Audi Sport factory driver Max Hofer won both races that made up the Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS season-opener at Bathurst.

The drivers of the No. 65 Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II claimed an early points lead as reigning champion Yasser Shahin finished second and fifth on his first appearance in EMA Motorsport’s Porsche 911 GT3 R.

Talbot held off Bathurst local Brad Schumacher in the first stint of Race 1, with Shahin slotting into third.

Hofer then took over the Melbourne Performance Centre-prepared Audi to secure the victory, while Shahin’s co-driver Garnet Patterson passed solo Am-class competitor Schumacher for second place overall.

Talbot and Hofer completed their weekend sweep in Race 2, beating the Triple Eight JMR Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo of Broc Feeney and Prince Jefri Ibrahim.

Jamie Whincup got the jump on his Triple Eight teammate Feeney at the start, however the 20-year-old Australian — who qualified third at February’s Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour — moved ahead of the seven-time Supercars champion later in the stint.

After the time-allocated pit stops, however, Talbot reeled in both of the Mercedes-AMGs driven by brothers Prince Jefri and Prince Abu Bakar Ibrahim to capture his and Hofer’s second win of the weekend.

The Ibrahim car that was started by Feeney received a 30-second post-race penalty for missing the Mountain Gate Straight on its cool-down lap, but kept second. Schumacher rose to third in the closing stint, with Geoff Emery and Christer Joens taking fourth.

RESULTS: Bathurst

2 Seas On Pole for Both Monday Races

Jules Gounon and James Cottingham put 2 Seas Motorsport on pole for each of today’s season-opening Intelligent Money British GT Championship races at Oulton Park.

Cottingham posted a time of 1:34.000 to put the No. 4 Mercedes-AMG that he shares with Jonny Adam on the front of the grid for the first of two 60-minute contests.

The British driver looked set to be joined by his teammate and defending British GT champion Ian Loggie until Kevin Tse filed a late improvement to go second for McLaren outfit Sky-Tempesta Racing.

Loggie’s co-driver Gounon then stepped in for the professional driver session and broke his own Oulton Park British GT qualifying record with a 1:31.713 flyer.

The CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa winner beat BMW factory driver Dan Harper by just under three-tenths of a second, with Raffaele Marciello in fourth for RAM Racing.

Jack Brown and Charles Clark swept the GT4 qualifying sessions in their Optimum Motorsport McLaren Artura GT4.

The first British GT race at Oulton Park starts at 10:55 a.m. BST (5:55 a.m. EST) followed by the second race at 3:50 p.m. (10:50 a.m. EST). View the action live here.

RESULTS: Qualifying 1 / Qualifying 2

News & Notes

***Haupt Racing Team will make its ADAC GT Masters debut this year with a Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo for Alain Valente and recently-confirmed factory Junior driver Ralf Aron. HRT, which has primarily raced in the DTM, GTWC Europe and NLS since its 2020 foundation, views its new program as a way to “promote youth” talent.

***Explaining the decision to join GT Masters, HRT’s CEO Ulrich Fritz said: “With the new driver concept in the ADAC GT Masters, it was a logical step for us to expand our portfolio to incorporate this racing series. Above all, we also see potential synergies with the DTM. The ADAC GT Masters starts at the same race tracks and on the same tires as the DTM. This allows the young drivers to test themselves against colleagues from the DTM – indirectly, at least.”

***Imperiale Racing has established its driver pairings for the upcoming Italian GT Championship Sprint season. Hungarian-American driver Philippe Denes and Dmitry Gvazava will share the No. 54 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2, while Giuseppe Fascicolo and Massimo Ciglia are teaming up in the No. 16.

***In addition to its recently-announced Porsche effort, Absolute Racing will campaign a pair of Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo IIs in Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia powered by AWS. Reigning China GT champion Cheng Congfu will be joined by Sun Jingzu, reprising a driver lineup that raced in GTWC Asia four years ago.

***A new pedestrian bridge at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca was put in position last Friday, as part of a series of improvement works for the circuit. The 161-foot, 71-ton structure will connect the parking and hospitality areas with the paddock. “The new bridge at Laguna Seca is a long overdue investment,” said Luis Alejo, Chair of the Monterey County Board of Supervisors. “This shows a true commitment by the Board of Supervisors to properly maintain our world-renowned race track so that we continue to attract premier racing events and tourism to Monterey County and our entire region.”

***Like British GT, the FFSA French GT series is also in action today for its annual Easter event at Nogaro. Reigning champion Sainteloc Racing made a strong start to the season by taking pole for both Monday races. Gregory Guilvert led the opening qualifying session with a time of 1:31.128, which was backed up by his co-driver Christoph Hamon who delivered a 1:31.247 in the same Audi R8 LMS GT4. Quali 1 / Quali 2

On this weekend: FIA World Endurance Championship (Portimao), IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (Long Beach), Super GT (Okayama), NLS (Round 3)