Feeney, Schumacher Open Title Defense With Victory

Broc Feeney and Brad Schumacher got their GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS title defense off to an ideal start with victory in Saturday’s Phillip Island opener.

The occupants of the No. 1 Melbourne Performance Centre Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II put in a faultless performance to win the curtain-raiser from pole, although Feeney was pushed hard by Oscar Targett’s Tigani Motorsport Mercedes-AMG in the closing stages.

Schumacher took the start from pole and maintained the lead before handing over to Feeney at the mandatory pit stops, with a fast out lap from the Australian Supercars star giving him a lead of almost four seconds over the No. 56 Tigani Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo that Shane Smollen had handed over to series newcomer Targett.

Belying his lack of experience, Targett closed down Feeney but had to settle for second by a margin of just over seven tenths of a second at the finish.

Completing the podium was the Castrol-liveried Team BRM Audi of Thomas Randle, standing in for an injured Alex Peroni, and Mark Rosser.

Jaxon Evans had finished fourth on the road in the Arise Racing GT Ferrari 296 GT3, but was demoted to fifth due to a 15-second time penalty incurred by co-driver Elliott Schutte earlier in the race for contact with Rosser’s Audi.

That meant Brendon Leitch and Sergio Pires were promoted to fourth in their Tigani Mercedes-AMG.

Their stablemates Jayden Ojeda and Paul Lucchitti didn’t make it beyond the opening corner after Lucchitti was tagged by the Wolfbrook Motorsport Audi of Steve Brooks, who in turn was trying to pass Renee Gracie’s OnlyFans Racing Ferrari.

But Ojeda and Lucchitti’s fortunes would turn around on Sunday in the second race with a victory from pole aboard the No. 66 Tigani Mercedes-AMG.

Ojeda settled into the lead ahead of Evans and Leitch after an early safety car, and had built a five-second margin over his pursuers by the mandatory stops.

A second caution period would follow later as Schumacher made contact with Smollen, leaving the latter in the gravel, wiping out Lucchitti’s lead, with Pires having emerged from the pit stop phase with second ahead of Schutte.

As Lucchitti made good his escape, Schutte regained second as a result of a botched passing attempt by Rosser on Pires that left the Tigani car with terminal damage.

That also allowed Schumacher to finish third on the road, but a 15-second penalty for the earlier contact with Smollen demoted he and Feeney to ninth.

It meant the BRM-run Wolfbrook Audi of Ryan Wood and Brooks finished third ahead of the No. 2 MPC Audi of Valentino Astuti and Darren Currie and the Zagame Autosport Ferrari of Josh Buchan and Cameron Campbell.

Trophy class honors were shared between the Tigani Porsche 911 GT3 R of Nathan Halstead and Luke Youlden, who won on Saturday, and the Volante Rosso Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage GT3 of Sunday winners Alex Gardner and Lee Stibbs.

Despite their penalty, Feeney and Schumacher come away from Phillip Island with the Pro-Am championship lead on 30 points, two points clear of Evans and Schutte and four ahead of Sunday winners Ojeda and Lucchitti.

The field was reduced to 15 cars from the originally-announced 17 as the Tigani Mercedes-AMG piloted by the Koundouris Brothers was withdrawn due to damage from a testing crash, while the second Arise Racing GT Ferrari was a no-show.

GTWC Australia will continue its season at The Bend Motorsport Park on May 8-10.