Australian GT: Stunning 1-2 Audi victory in Sydney race 1 - Mies and Millier ahead of Antunes

Australian GT Press Release

Ryan Millier withstood huge pressure on his maiden Australian GT presented by Pirelli event with the JAMEC PEM Audi team to lead the Skwirk Audi of Nathan Antunes across the line, with Graeme Smyth bringing the TFM Ferrari he shares with Jono Lester home in 3rd; their first Australian GT podium.

As 31 cars took the race start Steve Owen in the Supaloc Ford GT retained the lead followed by the Audi’s of Christopher Mies and Antunes. Morgan Haber in the Erebus SLS got the jump on Jono Lester’s Ferrari, but by lap 3 Lester was through and in pursuit of Antunes.

Owen and Mies pulled a gap on the rest of the field; the Audi looming large in Owen’s mirrors under brakes and through the corners; but the Ford pulling away along the straights. Behind Lester chased Antunes but couldn’t find a way though, the Trass Family Ferrari struggling with understeer this weekend. Behind in 5th Haber pulled a small gap on Aaron Seton in the Scott Taylor Motorsport Porsche and Grant Denyer’s Ferrari.

Further back Matt Campbell was making his way through the field after his qualifying penalty but made contact into turn 1 with Justin McMillan’s Lamborghini. The incident at the fastest part of the track sent McMillan into a frightening spin and retirement. Campbell continued only to retire 10 laps later with mechanic issues crippling the Ginetta after a strong drive through the field.

At the half way point the race changed dramatically with two big incidents. Sam Filmore lost the rear end of the repaired FreeM Lamborghini braking into turn 9 making heavy contact with the wall and Andrew Jones in the #8 Ferrari dramatically crashed at turn 1. The Ferrari touched the grass on the entry to the corner, lost control and made contact with the tyres at high speed. Thankfully both drivers walked away unharmed.

The safety car was immediately dispatched creating a frenzy of pitlane activity as competitors completed their compulsory pit stops and driver changes. The order of the front 4 remained unchanged once the field re-formed behind the safety car with Kevin Weeks now in the Ford GT leading Ryan Millier’s Audi, Nathan Antunes (the only leading contender without a co-driver) and Graeme Smyth in the Ferrari 4th.

After a prolonged safety car period to repair the damaged barriers the race resumed with less than 9 minutes remaining. Immediately the two Audis were on the attack, both Millier and Antunes driving down the inside of Weeks under braking into turn 2.

Behind drivers frantically pushed to try and gain positions, Weeks loosing out to Smyth and Haber’s SLS. Millier resisted sustained attacks from Antunes; the Squirk Audi loomed large in his mirrors but Millier remained unfazed and in his first race for the JAMPEC PEM team managed to bring the Audi home in 1st with Antunes only 0.3 seconds behind.

Smyth brought the Trass Family Motorsport Ferrari home for their first podium of the season and Morgan Haber came in 4th; a much needed result for the Erebus driver. Driving solo this weekend Grant Denyer came home 5th keeping his championship hopes alive and Klark Quinn fought back from a poor qualifying session to bring the Darrell Lea McLaren home 6th.

Kevin Weeks fought valiantly in the Supaloc Ford GT but on the last lap was involved in an incident with 7th placed Max Twigg in the other Erebus SLS. The Ford sustained significant damage and Kevin has been taken to hospital for precautionary checks.

In 8th were Jack LeBrock and Nathan Morcom’s Camaro, a solid result for the M-Motorsport team, 9th James Koundouris’ Porsche GT3-R and 10th Tony Wall in the Objective Racing McLaren 650S. leading home championship leader Tony Quinn who drove a solid race to come home 11th in his McLaren after qualifying 24th.

The Trophy class field were one short before the race started with Ben Foessel and Hayden Cooper’s Ginetta not making the start line after a part shipped down from Queensland overnight failed to arrive in time. With the retirement of the Supaloc Ford GT, Theo Koundouris crossed the line to take class honours in the Supabarn Porsche with Simon Ellinghham and Warren Luff 2nd, the best result for the Fastway Porsche crew to date. Rounding out the top three were championship leaders Greg Taylor and Barton Mawer in the Adina Audi R8.

Challenge class pole sitter Richard Gartner was forced into retirement with mechanical issues leaving Michael O'Donnell to take the class win from Tony Alford.

Australian GT will return to the circuit for Race 2 tomorrow morning at 9:20am for another one-hour race.

Photo credit: Australian GT

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Australian GT: The series moves to Sydney Motorsport Park for round 4

Australian GT Press Release

A full field of 34 spectacular GT cars is set for Round 4 of the Australian GT Championship presented by Pirelli to be run at Sydney Motorsport Park.

Last year saw current championship leader Tony Quinn take the round win with eventual 2014 champion Richard Muscat suffering mechanical issues in the first race, only to emphatically win the action packed second race from the rear of the field.

This year again will feature two one-hour races with a huge number of teams in contention for outright honors.

Second in the championship, only 12 points behind leader Tony Quinn’s Darrell Lea McLaren 650S is Nathan Antunes, the Skwirk Audi driver who has always performed well since his Australian GT debut at Sydney Motorsport Park in 2013. Antunes will undoubtedly be looking to use every bit of home-town knowledge to his favor.

Following the shock retirement from racing of 2006 Australian GT Champion and Phillip Island 101 round winner Greg Crick, superstar team mate Christopher Mies will have a new co-driver in the JAMEC PEM Audi R8, Ryan Millier. Millier impressed in 2014 when co-driving with Jim Manolios in the Trofeo Motorsport Ferrari; but there will be plenty of pressure on him to help Mies improve on his third place in the championship.

Following a record equaling run of three consecutive Pole Positions, the Kiwi Trass Family Motorsport Ferrari 458 pair of Jono Lester and Graeme Smyth will be hoping their undeniable pace will finally yield the solid results that have eluded them so far this year.

Other contenders in the Championship class to watch out for include the super fast pairing of Townsville Round Winner’s Tony D’Alberto and Grant Denyer in the Maranello Motorsport Ferrari 458. After missing the first round the pair are bagging points rapidly and are in the championship hunt. Double Australian GT champion Klark Quinn in the sister Darrell Lea McLaren 650S is always a threat and Michael Hovey’s Ginetta G55 should be quick around Sydney Motorsport Park, Hovey again co-piloted by the rapid Matt Campbell who impressed at the Phillip Island round.

The mighty pair of Erebus Mercedes AMG SLS GT3s will again feature in Sydney along with a trio of Porsche 911 GT3-Rs, bolstered by the new entry of Scott Taylor and Aaron Seton. The 17 year old is the son of former V8 Touring Car champion Glenn and has shown impressive form in other categories.

Tim Miles has taken over the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 campaigned successful by Tony Quinn in 2014 and Justin McMillan has moved back into the Lamborghini Gallardo he campaigned in 2014, alongside Glenn Wood. This leaves 2013 Sydney Motorsport Park round winner Jack Le’Brock in the sole Camaro. He’ll be hoping that alongside Natham Morcom the potential of this crowd thrilling 8.3 litre V8 can finally be unlocked after a problem-plagued season.

In the competitive Trophy Class points leaders Greg Taylor and Barton Mawer will be hoping to increase their lead over past GT4 class champion Mark Griffith, both in Audi R8s. Behind, Theo Koundouris’ Porsche, Townsville Round winner Jan Jinadasa’s Lamborghini and the thundering Ford GT of Kevin Weeks and Steve Owen look set threaten.

Challenge Class leader Tony Alford holds a 20 point lead over Michael O’Donnell’s Porsche; the gap closing substantially in Townsville with Richard Gartner also in a Porsche only a further 14 points behind.

First Practice at Sydney Motorsport Park will commence Friday August 21st at 8:25am. Qualifying 1 will follow at 10:30am with Qualifying 2 at 3:00pm

Race 1 will be held Saturday at 12:45pm and Race 2 Sunday at 9:20am, both an hour in duration.

Photo credit: Australian GT

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Q/A: Interview with Nathan Antunes - Audi driver in Australian GT Championship

By Tarek Ramchani

Nathan Antunes is having a strong 2015 season so far in the Australian GT Championship. The Audi driver won three races this year and is currently second overall the drivers points standing.

We recently had a chat with Nathan Antunes about his performances in the Australian GT Championship and more.

This his your second year with Audi Sport customer racing Australia, tell us more about that.

Well this is my second year racing and Audi, last year Rod Salmon and I won the Australian GT Trophy class in the older 2011 Audi R8 LMS. This year I have stepped up to the current 2015 Audi R8 LMS Ultra and I'm loving every bit of it! I feel very privileged to be part of the Audi Sport Customer Racing Australia family.

Now you are second in the overall championship standing, tell us more about your season so far.

This year has got to a great start. Out of the 6 races so far I have won 3 of them and now at the halfway point of the year I'm looking to continue with the success, be consistent with my performances and be there at the end of the year hopefully at the top of the Australian GT Championship standings.

How competitve is the Australian GT Championship field this year?

This year it is by far the most competitive it has ever been. We are getting Australian V8 Supercars drivers and professional drivers from around the world come and join the Australian GT Championship and it it making for a very exciting and tough year of racing.

You won races this year at Adelaide and Townsville, do you like the street courses more?

I have always liked street circuits, I find them very challenging and that makes me even more focused and determined. I actually see every race track as if its the most challenging track so my approach doesn't change from street circuit to normal circuit. Always very focused and determined.

How different is to compete in Australian GT Championship without a team-mate sharing the Audi R8 LMS ultra with you?

It is quite a bit different. Driving by myself allows me to control a lot more of the race strategy and almost push a little more because I know I can control the tyre wear over the course of the 1 hour race. But this year there are two rounds where we have a 3 hour race and it is compulsory for there to be two drivers in each car so Rod will join me for those races.

What about the idea of competing in prestigious endurance classics like Nurburbring 24 Hours and Spa 24 Hours with Audi?

The reason why I started focusing on GT racing is because it is a dream of mine to be able to compete in the Spa 24 hour and the Nurburgring 24 hour and to do it with Audi which I have so much love and respect for would be the ultimate achievement for myself.

What is your favourite racing circuit?

My favourite race circuit is actually Spa Francorchamps! I raced there in 2006 before they changed the Bus Stop chicane when I was in the Red Bull Junior Team in Formula Renault 2.0 EuroCup. After that I have a lot of love and succsess at Donington Park in the UK and also Zandvoort in the Netherlands.

What are your targets for the near future?

My target for the near future is of course to win the Australian GT Champioship with the ultimate goal of one day being an Audi Sport factory driver in mind. That would be a dream come true and I will be working to make that happen.

Photo credit: Nathan Antunes / Australian GT

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Australian GT: Brilliant victory for Audi's Nathan Antunes in Townsville race 2

By Tarek Ramchani

A brillinat race victory for Audi driver Nathan Antunes in the second and final Australian GT Championship race of the weekend at Townswville.

Behind the wheel of the #6 Audir R8 LMS ultra from Skwirk / Beechwood, Nathan Antunes crossed the finish line victrious at the end of the an action packed 1-hour sprint race. The Audi driver was ahead of a Ferrari 458 GT3 from Maranello Motorsport.

Nathan Antunes proving again that he is one of the strongest drivers in a highly competitive Austrialian GT field.

Best of  the JAMEC PEM Racing Audis was the #75 R8 LMS ultra driven by Steve McLaughlan in sixth place overall.

Unluky race again for the sister #74 Audi R8 LMS ultra despite setting the fastest time in todays event. The car started from the front row in the hands of of Christopher Mies and Greg Crick and finished the race in eighth place. Christopher Mies was given a drive through penalty after a contact with a McLaren. That ended any chance of victory or podium spot for the quick #74 JAMEC Audi.

The next round of the Australian GT Championship will be at Sydney Motorsport Park in late August.

Photo credit: Australian GT Championship

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Australian GT: Top 5 result for Nathan Antunes in Townsville race 1

By Tarek Ramchai

The Audi teams and drivers performed well in the first of two Australian GT Championship races at Townsville today. A total of three Audi R8 LMS ultras were inside the top-ten overall.

The best ranked car was the #6 R8 LMS ultra from Skwirk / Beechwood driven by Nathan Antunes. The Audi driver was among the fastest in the race and finished the 46-lap event in fifth place. However, following the race, the winning Porsche of Andrew MacPherson and Bradley Shiels by the officials. That promoted Nathan Antunes up to fourth place.

Series points leaders Christopher Mies and Greg Crick were eighth with the #74 Audi R8 LMS ultra from JAMEC PEM Racing. Christopher Mies had an impressive pace in his stint and set the fastest lap of the race. Steve McLaughlan with the second JAMEC PEM Racing entry was ninth, he was behind the wheel of the #75 Audi R8 LMS ultra.

Peter Fitzgerald (#2 Audi R8 LMS ultra / Eva Racing) was twelfth. Mark Griffith (#19 Audi R8 LMS / Hogs Breath Cafe) was eighteenth. Greg Taylor and Barton Mawer (#38 Audi R8 LMS /  Adina Apartments) were twentieth.

Townsville Race 1 Results

The second 1-hour race is set for Sunday. Christopher Mies and Greg Crick will start from the front row of the grid in second place. Nathan Antunes will start from position three.

Photo credit: Australian GT Championship

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Australian GT: JAMEC-PEM Racing Audi wins Philip Island 101 endurance race

By Tarek Ramchani

A great race win for Audi today at Philip Island, round two of the 2015 Australian GT Championship. The Audi R8 LMS ultra took a third race win in the series this year.

Victory went to JAMEC-PEM Racing Audi with drivers Christopher Mies and  Greg Crick. The two drivers shared the #74 Audi R8 LMS ultra run by Melbourne Performance Centre (MPC). They started the 101-lap race from the front row.

Christopher Mies was running third overall with an impressive pace when saftey car was deployed. The Audi GT factory driver took full advantage of that and passed both of the second placed Mercedes-Benz SLS and the leading Ferrari 458 GT3.

Once in the lead Christopher Mies was able control and give the JAMEC-PEM Racing a first victory in Australian GT Championship. Second place went to the # 7 McLaren 650S GT3. The #27 Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 was third.

More to come.

Photo credit: Australian GT Championship

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Australian GT‏: Great start to the year for Audi in Australian GT‏

Melbourne Performance Centre Press Release

The Audi Sport Customer Racing team turned up in force in Adelaide for the opening round of the Australian GT Championship presented by Pirelli, with six cars - four Audi R8 GT3 ultras, and two Trophy Class specification Audi R8 LMS GT3s - in which to do battle for outright and Trophy Class honours.

From the outset it was the clear the Championship class Audis were going to be outright contenders, with the Jamec Pem Racing team of Audi factory driver Christopher Mies and former V8 Supercar driver Steven Johnson dominating opening practice, whilst Clipsal debutante Nathan Antunes was also right in the fight in Rod Salmon’s Skwirk/Beechwood R8 ultra.

In Trophy class, new Audi recruits Mark Griffith (two-time Australian GT Sports champion) and Greg Taylor were right in the hunt too, carrying over the dominant performance that gave Audi a 1-2 result in the 2014 championship.

By qualifying it was clear that the Audi R8 was one of the perfect weapons of choice for the demanding street circuit, with three cars in the top five, whilst Greg Taylor’s co-driver Barton Mawer - a former front-running open wheel pilot - qualified their LMS GT3 in position eight, not a bad result in a field of almost 20 current FIA-specification GT3 cars..

Off the start of race one, Mies’ co-driver Greg Crick was forced wide off his front row starting position and back to fifth as Antunes followed the Aston Martin through to be third behind it and the pole-sitting Ferrari. By lap two though the field was brought under Safety Car conditions after new Mercedes recruit Morgan Haber came to grief at the notorious turn eight. That started a sequence of Safety Car laps that ultimately saw the field drive into pit lane for their compulsory pit stops [CPS], Antunes the big winner after engineer Rik Kemp called him in just seconds after the window opened - the leading Ferrari forced to go around again..

Off the restart Barton Mawer was holding down P2 in the Greg Taylor Audi R8 LMS, the Sydney-based driver quickly forced back to third as Marcus Marshall pushed his way through to second behind the #36 Mercedes, and then the lead. Behind the leading trio though Antunes and Crick were charging, Antunes catching the leading Porsche three laps from home, then taking the former V8 Supercar driver on the run down to turn eight with two to go.

By chequered flag time Antunes was two seconds clear, with Peter Fitzgerald doing a sterling job across the closing laps to move into fourth, a position which was upgraded to third after a ten second penalty was applied to Mawer for contact with the Klark Quinn McLaren at turn nine mid-race. Despite that, Mawer’s sixth place made him the leading Trophy Class driver, one position ahead of Crick in the #74 Jamec Pem entry.

Eleventh on his Australian GT Audi debut was reigning GT Sports champion Mark Griffith, the laconic Queenslander beaming from ear-to-ear, the result giving him second in the Trophy Class points race.

Saturday afternoon’s second 60-minute race was always going to be about strategy, with some teams putting their amateur driver in first, whilst others elected for the Pro..

Both Jamec Pem entries opted for the latter with Mies and Johnson in the thick of the action with race one winner Antunes from the outset. Mies moved into second on lap four behind Antunes (Skwirk Audi), whilst Johnson moved through the field to be inside the top ten after the opening lap, and third behind Mies by lap nine.

Mies pushed Antunes hard and grabbed the lead at one point, Antunes taking it back shortly after as Johnson closed in to make it a three-way Audi battle at the front.

Johnson’s third became second on lap 17 after Mies became the sandwich between Antunes and the lapped car of Kevin Weeks on the exit of turn nine, the contact sending Mies to the pits for an early stop, the team electing to put Crick behind the wheel as they checked the car for damage.

Johnson meanwhile continued to press Antunes until he made his CPS on lap 22 handing the car over to McLaughlan. By that stage the bulk of the field were forced to complete their CPS, which handed McLaughlan second, the Jamec Pem Racing team-boss soon through to the lead after Antunes made a late scheduled stop on lap 34.

By this stage Crick was pushing hard, the former Touring Car and Sports Sedan star moving inside the top ten, whilst McLaughlan continued to lead. Unfortunately, despite holding the lead for five laps during his maiden race on the streets of Adelaide, McLaughlan spun at turn four as Antunes closed in from behind. A slow recovery on a blind section of the circuit ultimately dropping the #75 Audi back to eighth at the flag, immediately behind team-mate Crick.

Fitzgerald starred once again, claiming a moral victory for the ‘old guys’ by taking fifth place, with Mark Griffith eleventh once again (and third in Trophy Class), and the #38 Taylor/Mawer Trophy Class car home in P17 after suffering on their debut with the increased grip levels after the two V8 Supercar races, a late spin by Taylor also dropping them a lap down.

The final 30-minute race provided the two Jamec Pem Racing Audi drivers a chance to battle with MPC team-mate Antunes at the front of the field, or so they thought. Sadly, the notorious Adelaide street circuit bit, and it bit hard, with the front-running Ferrari making heavy contact with the barriers on the run through the first chicane on lap one, the car bouncing back across the circuit in front of the closely following pack.

Johnson was an immediate casualty, as was the equally innocent Fitzgerald, whilst Mies was able to negotiate his way through the debris unscathed.

Behind them the field was able to work its way through the carnage, although with six cars stopped on the race line, the Safety Car brought the field under control as officials removed the stricken cars. Sadly Johnson and Fitzgerald became instant casualties, but from adversity comes opportunity, and as the field once more dived to pit lane under Safety Car conditions, some of the amateur drivers were able to move forwards including the #38 Adina Apartments Trophy Class Audi of Greg Taylor who was third with two laps to go.

Taylor ultimately held onto fourth outright, which gave he and Mawer the Trophy Class race and round victories, whilst Antunes charged over the final two laps to move from 11th to third, and with it, claim the outright Championship points lead, an impressive 46 points clear of former champion Klark Quinn.

Mies crossed the line in P7, with Griffith 16th, the new Audi recruit ruing what was an almost certain round win after being caught up in the first corner accident.

For the Audi Sport Customer Racing team, the focus is now on repairing the #75 Audi of Steve McLaughlan and the #2 car of Peter Fitzgerald, both cars suffering significant damage as a result of the race three accident, although with 11 weeks until round two, all six cars will be back at their pristine best at Phillip Island.

The Audi teams will now go into test mode at Phillip Island ahead of round two, the only endurance race in the 2015 Australian GT Championship, the 101-lap race at ‘the Island’ on 22-24 May.

Driver quotes:

Nathan Antunes (#6 Skwirk/Beechwood) - 1st Championship Class
“It’s done, I almost can’t believe it.. two wins and a third position puts us clear in the championship lead, and I really couldn’t have asked for anything more. The whole team has done an excellent job. Rod Salmon, the owner of the car has backed me 100% and I’m really grateful, and excited to get to the next round.”

Christopher Mies (#74 Jamec Pem Racing) - 4th Championship Class
“It was rough. I managed to avoid the cars at turn one without any damage and move into third, so hit the pits for the CPS third but came out third last, and with just a couple of laps without a Safety Car, I managed to move up to seventh place. We had a good chance to win this event, but that’s how racing is..”

Greg Crick (#74 Jamec Pem Racing) - 4th Championship Class
“It’s always frustrating when you can’t realise your full potential and run with the leaders because of incidents and Safety Cars, but I think we showed what we’re truly capable of. Chris is a great young talent, and I think you’ll see him become a real contender this year. As for me, I just do what I’m told, but I’m enjoying being back in the thick of the action again, these Audis are just fantastic to drive.”

Peter Fitzgerald (#2 EVA Racing/Evolve Technik) - 7th Championship Class
“We were having an almost perfect weekend up to that last race – I was keeping out of trouble, not holding the fast guys up, and in fact, going into Sunday’s final race we were third on points. Sadly, accidents are a big part of Clipsal, so I suppose it was inevitable. We’ll go away and fix the damage and be ready for Phillip Island, but I’m very happy with our pace and the car in general.”

Steven McLaughlan (#75 Jamec Pem Racing) - 11th Championship Class
“Unfortunately with that last much shorter race we didn’t get a chance to see how good Chris [Mies] really is, because they only raced for a couple of laps, and unfortunately for Steven Johnson, he was an innocent party in a rather major crash at turn one. I think as a team we’re in a good position, it’s just unfortunate when things like that happen, but we’ll go away and repair the #75 car and be ready to go for Phillip Island.”

Steven Johnson (#75 Jamec Pem Racing) - 11th Championship Class
“Steve [McLaughlan] did a brilliant job to be honest. He’s a gentleman driver and hasn’t done a lot of racing as such, but to lead a number of laps [race two] towards the end was fantastic, but he just made a little mistake and spun. I don’t blame him at all for that, he set a new PB and went well under the lap time he was aiming for, so he did a good job. I had a great time. It’s a pity about what happened in the final race, but we’ll be back, and I think we’re looking pretty good for Phillip Island.”
Greg Taylor (#38 Adina Apartment Hotels) - 1st Trophy Class
“We all learnt a lot this weekend about the car and how it reacts to certain things, but Wall Racing are a great team and a lot of credit for the success we had on the weekend goes to the way they prepared the car.

Barton Mawer (#38 Adina Apartment Hotels) - 1st Trophy Class
“That was the first real time I’d driven an Audi, and I have to say, I was very impressed. I had high expectations, but the car really delivered. I still have some things to learn about the car, including the braking which caught me out at turn nine when I clipped Klark Quinn, but wow, what a car. I’d also never really had much to do with MPC before either, but despite us being a customer team, they did everything they could to accommodate us, and as a result, we’re now leading the points. A great weekend all up!”

Mark Griffith (#19 Hog’s Breath/Griffith Corporation) - 2nd Trophy Class
“How good was that.. I had an absolute blast all weekend. Sadly we got caught out in the lap one accident - no contact, I just got sandwiched in with cars that couldn’t move, and that meant the whole field went past me before I could reverse out and continue. Heading into the last race we were comfortably leading the Trophy Class points, but we ended up third as a result. Despite that, I’m pretty happy the car is straight and we were quick!”

Team quotes:

Rod Salmon (#6 Skwirk/Beechwood) - 1st Championship Class
“From the outset we were pretty confident Nathan would perform here - despite the fact that it was his first race in Adelaide - and he’s done a fantastic job. We backed him, he’s delivered in spades and overall the team are very, very happy. In the first session he was third fastest after three laps, and considering many of these drivers have been here before, it just shows the quality of the guy. I think the season’s looking really good, I think now that we’re in front in the series, it’s just a matter of staying there and thinking smart all the way through. As his co-driver for Phillip Island, I’ve really got to perform and and keep him on top of the championship, that’s my job now, but I’ll be coming back from a 24 Hour race at the Nurburgring, so I’ll have plenty of car time under me..”

Troy Russell (Audi Sport Customer Racing Australia)
“That’s been a fantastic start to the season, apart from the final race incident in which Steve Johnson and Peter Fitzgerald were caught up. Aside from that it has been an almost perfect opening round. Nathan Antunes did everything that was asked of him, and whilst I know that Christopher Mies is disappointed not to have figured in the result, he showed just how good a driver he is, and just what we can expect from him later in the year. It was also pleasing for us to see the new Wall Racing team come in and be quick in Trophy Class, and for Mark Griffith to run so strongly in his first AGT race with Audi. The damaged cars will be repaired ahead of Phillip Island - we’ve checked the damage and fortunately it has been mostly superficial, so we’ll have a full compliment of cars ready for testing, hopefully as soon as April.”

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Rnd#1 Australian GT Championship presented by Pirelli
Adelaide Parklands Circuit, South Australia
26 February - 1 March

Qualifying (20-minutes) - Friday, 27 February
1. Jono Lester (Ferrari 458 GT3) - 1:21.4855
2. Christopher Mies (Jamec Pem Racing Audi R8 GT3 ultra) - 1:21.5330
3. Dean Canto (Aston Martin Vantage GT3) - 1:21.6473
4. Nathan Antunes (Skwirk/Beechwood Audi R8 GT3 ultra) - 1:22.3473
5. Steven Johnson (Jamec Pem Racing Audi R8 GT3 ultra) - 1:23.1414
6. Klark Quinn (McLaren 650S GT3) - 1:23.3630
7. Marcus Marshall (Porsche GT3-R) - 1:23.6398
8. Barton Mawer ([GTT] Adina Apartments Audi R8 LMS GT3) - 1:24.3558
11. Peter Fitzgerald (EVA Racing Audi R8 GT3 ultra) - 1:25.1426
18. Mark Griffith ([GTT] Hog’s Breath Audi R8 LMS GT3) - 1:28.3127

Race #1 (30-minutes) - Saturday, 28 February
1. Nathan Antunes (Skwirk/Beechwood Audi R8 GT3 ultra) - 18-laps
2. Marcus Marshall (Porsche GT3-R)
3. Peter Fitzgerald (EVA Racing Audi R8 GT3 ultra)
4. Jono Lester (Ferrari 458 GT3)
5. Tony Walls (McLaren 650S GT3)
6. Barton Mawer ([GTT] Adina Apartments Audi R8 LMS GT3)
7. Greg Crick (Jamec Pem Racing Audi R8 GT3 ultra)
11. Mark Griffith ([GTT] Hog’s Breath Audi R8 LMS GT3)
16. Steve McLaughlan (Jamec Pem Racing Audi R8 GT3 ultra)

Race #2 (60-minutes) - Saturday, 28 February
1. Nathan Antunes (Skwirk/Beechwood Audi R8 GT3 ultra) - 42-laps
2. Klark Quinn/Tony Quinn (McLaren 650S GT3)
3. Jono Lester/Paul Kelly (Ferrari 458 GT3)
4. Tony Walls (McLaren 650S GT3)
5. Peter Fitzgerald (EVA Racing Audi R8 GT3 ultra)
7. McLaughlan/Johnson (Jamec Pem Racing Audi R8 GT3 ultra)
8. Crick/Mies (Jamec Pem Racing Audi R8 GT3 ultra)
11. Mark Griffith ([GTT] Hog’s Breath Audi R8 LMS GT3)
17. Greg Taylor/Barton Mawer ([GTT] Adina Apartments Audi R8 LMS GT3)

Race #3 (30-minutes) - Sunday, 1 March
1. Tony Quinn (McLaren 650S GT3) - 9-laps
2. Theo Koundouris (Porsche GT3 Cup-S)
3. Nathan Antunes (Skwirk/Beechwood Audi R8 GT3 ultra)
4. Greg Taylor ([GTT] Adina Apartments Audi R8 LMS GT3)
5. Jan Jinadasa (Lamborghini Gallardo LP560)
7. Christopher Mies (Jamec Pem Racing Audi R8 GT3 ultra)
16. Mark Griffith ([GTT] Hog’s Breath Audi R8 LMS GT3)
DNF. Peter Fitzgerald (EVA Racing Audi R8 GT3 ultra)
DNF. Steven Johnson (Jamec Pem Racing Audi R8 GT3 ultra)

Every qualifying session and every race of the 2015 Australian GT Championship held in conjunction with the V8 Supercars will be broadcast live in Australia on the Foxtel network. Check guides for details and replays.

To watch a video interview with Nathan Antunes, visit; http://goo.gl/tdw1jf
To watch a video interview with Christopher Mies, visit; http://goo.gl/RWXZDe
Keep up to date with further announcements from the Audi Sports Customer Racing team in Australia by visiting; www.facebook.com/MelbournePerformance

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2015 Australian GT Championship presented by Pirelli
Rnd#1 - 26 February-1 March, Clipsal 500, Adelaide, SA*
Rnd#2 - 22-24 May, Phillip Island, Victoria**
Rnd#3 - 10-12 July, Townsville, Queensland*
Rnd#4 - 21-23 August, Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW*
Rnd#5 - 11-13 September, Sandown 500, Melbourne, Victoria*
Rnd#6 - 13-15 November, Highlands Motorsport Park, Cromwell, NZ
(* with V8 Supercars, ** with the Shannons Nationals)

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Melbourne Performance Centre is proud to be the Audi Sport Customer Racing representative for Australia and New Zealand.

For more information on the Audi Sport Customer Racing team in Australia, please contact Sean Henshelwood at Signature Series Group [SSG] via sean@signatureseries.com.au

www.facebook.com/MelbournePerformance
www.melbourneperformance.com

Photo credit: Melbourne Performance Centre

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Australian GT: Podiums and carnage for the Audi teams in Adelaide race 3

By Johan Laubscher

The opening round of the Australian GT Championship concluded on Sunday at the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide. The third and final race of the weekend saw success and misfortune for the Audi Sport customer racing teams.

Saturday was a day to remember for Nathan Antunes and Melbourne Performance Centre. He piloted the #6 Skwirk/Beechwood Homes Audi R8 LMS ultra to victory in both races one and two. Further Audi success came from the Greg Taylor Racing (Wall Racing) team and the #38 Audi R8 LMS driven by Greg Taylor and Barton Mawer, who won the Trophy class in the first race.

Nathan Antunes started from pole position for the final Australian GT Championship race of the weekend on Sunday and led the field towards the first corner. Antunes took a wide entry into the first corner and maintained the lead whilst chaos broke out behind him.

Paul Kelly was lying third and lost control of the #27 Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 on the exit of the chicane and speared off into the wall and subsequently bounced back into the path of the oncoming field. Christopher Mies was very lucky in the #74 JAMEC-PEM Racing (MPC) Audi R8 LMS ultra, as he avoided contact during the high-speed incident, but a number of drivers were not so lucky, including two of the Audi R8 LMS ultra entries. Two Audis got caught up in the accident. Steven Johnson had nowhere to go and headed into the wall with the #75 JAMEC-PEM Racing (MPC) Audi R8 LMS ultra. Behind him Peter Fitzgerald in the #2 EVA Racing Audi R8 LMS ultra was a victim of the concertina effect and sustained frontal damage to his blue and white Audi, limping away from the incident, only to retire a short distance later.

The majority of the race was held under safety car conditions, including the pitstop phase of the race. All the competitors had one compulsory pitstop and the safety car conditions meant that Antunes lost the lead due to his additional minimum pitstop time penalty. He re-joined the field well outside of the top ten and began a spirited drive through the field during the remaining laps. He made it all the way up to third place overall, taking second place in the Championship class. His exploits of two race wins and a runner-up spot has ensured that he has a commanding lead in the championship points, a total of 152 points, 47 points clear of the rest of the field.

Greg Taylor also performed well during the final race of the weekend and finished fourth overall, second position in the Trophy class in the #38 Audi R8 LMS. He also now leads the Throphy class standings. Mies also fell back during the pitstops and eventually finished seventh overall in the #74 Audi R8 LMS ultra. Mark Griffith finished sixteenth with the #19 Griffith Corporation Motorsport (MPC) Audi R8 LMS.

It was a very strong weekend for the Audi Sport customer racing teams in Adelaide. The Australian GT Championship will now be heading to Phillip Island for round two from 22-23 May.

Photo credit: Australian GT Championship

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Australian GT: Double victory for Audi with Nathan Antunes in Adelaide

By Tarek Ramchani

A day to remember for Audi driver Nathan Antunes and the whole Audi Sport customer racing squad in Adelaide. Double victory for the #6 Audi R8 LMS ultra in the opening two Australian GT Championship races at the Cliplsal 500. All of the other Audi teams were fast and performed well in a demanding field with strong rivals representing various brands.

In Race 1 a total of four Audi cars made it into the Top 6. Nathan Antunes took a great victory with his Melbourne Performance-run Skwirk/Beechwood Homes Audi R8 LMS ultra. Nathan Antunes crossed the checkered flag victorious ahead of the second placed Porsche 997 GT3 R.

Another Audi entry also did very well, the R8 LMS from Greg Taylor Racing. The car in the hands of Greg Taylor and Barton Mawer took a sensational third place and the Trophy class win.

Fourth place overall went to the #2 Audi R8 LMS ultra from Eva Racing/Evolve Technik. Peter Fitzgerald took a third place within the Championship class.

The best of the two JAMEC-PEM Racing Audis was sixth overall. The #74 R8 LMS ultra shared by Audi works driver Christopher Mies and Greg Crick.

The #19 Audi R8 LMS of team Griffith Corporation Motorsport narrowly missed the Top 10. Mark Griffith finished the 30-minute sprint race in eleventh place overall and in a strong second within the Trophy class.

The second JAMEC-PEM Racing Audi entry was sixteenth. The #75 Audi R8 LMS ultra was driven by Steven McLaughlan and Steven Johnson.

Nathan Antunes was victorious in Race 2 as well. The #6 Skwirk/Beechwood Homes Audi R8 LMS ultra looked unstoppable in Adelaide today.

The #2 Audi R8 LMS ultra from Eva Racing/Evolve Technik took strong fifth place overall with driver Peter Fitzgerald.

The #75 Audi from JAMEC-PEM Racing led the 60-minute race, but had a spin in the closing stages with Steven Johnson behind the wheel. He recovered and ended in seventh place overall sharing the car with Steven McLaughlan.

Their team-mates at JAMEC-PEM Racing, Christopher Mies and Greg Crick, were eighth with the #74 Audi R8 LMS ultra

Mark Griffith took third place within the Trophy class driving the #19 Griffith Corporation Motorsport Audi R8 LMS. As was the case in Race 1, Mark Griffith finished Race 2 in eleventh overall.

Greg Taylor Racing drivers Greg Taylor and Barton Mawer were sixteenth overall with their #38 Audi R8 LMS.

The third and final race of the weekend is set for Sunday in Adelaide. We wish the best of luck to all of the Audi teams and drivers.

Photo credit: Australian GT

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Australian GT: Impressive qualifying and Trophy class pole position for Audi teams at Adelaide

By Tarek Ramchani

The 2015 Australian GT Championship has started at Adelaide, the opening round supporting the prestigious V8 Supercars. Six Audi R8 LMS and ultra cars are taking part in the event showing great performances and strong pace.

The Audi Sport customer racing and Melbourne Performance Centre squad performed very well in all of the free practice sessions and was able to do the same in the official qualifying session. A total of three Audi R8 LMS ultra cars made it into the Top 5 in qualifying.

Audi factory GT driver, Christopher Mies, took a very strong second place after a thrilling qualifying session. The #74 Audi R8 LMS ultra from JAMEC-PEM Racing set a best time of 1:21.53, only 0.0465s behind the pole setting Ferrari 458 GT3. Christopher Mies is sharing his Audi with Greg Crick.

Another Audi performing well was the #6 R8 LMS ultra from Skwirk/Beechwood Homes. Nathan Antunes took a very strong fourth place overall.

Steven McLaughlan and Steven Johnson, with the second entry from JAMEC-PEM Racing, were fifth fastest driving the #75 Audi R8 LMS ultra.

A very strong performance from Greg Taylor and Barton Mawer, they took the Trophy class pole position and a fine eighth place overall. The two drivers are sharing the #38 Audi R8 LMS from Greg Taylor Racing.

The remaining two Audis were outside the Top 10. Peter Fitzgerald driving the #2 Audi R8 LMS ultra Eva Racing/Evolve Technik was eleventh. Mark Griffith behind the wheel of the #19 Audi R8 LMS of Griffith Corporation Motorsport was eighteenth.

Photo credit: Christopher Mies / Australian GT

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Australian GT: Mark Griffith and Daniel Gaunt set for Audi R8 LMS campaign in GT Trophy

By Johan Laubscher

Another new-look Audi Sport customer racing pairing is set to join the GT Trophy ranks of the Australian GT Championship this year. On Thursday it was announced that Mark Griffith and Daniel Gaunt will be driving an Audi R8 LMS run by Melbourne Performance Centre.

The duo will be driving a leased Audi R8 LMS owned by Ockert Fourie, who raced the OLOF Motorsport liveried car during 2013 and 2014.

Mark Griffith is the two-time reigning GT Sports class champion, a title that he won both times in his Ginetta G50 GT4. Griffith originally had other plans for his 2014 season. He had planned to run a GT3 specification Ferrari 430 race car in the Challenge class, but he changed his mind after he had the chance to sample an Audi R8 LMS towards the end of last year.

That led to the deal being signed which will see Mark Griffith and Daniel Gaunt driving the #19 Griffith Corporation Motorsport Audi R8 LMS in the GT Trophy class of the Australian GT Championship. The pairing will be aiming to fight for the class title this year.

The beginning of this project goes back to November 2014 when the Australian GT Championship held its finale at Highlands Motorsport Park in New Zealand, run alongside the Highlands 101 endurance race.

Rod Salmon had begun the 2014 season with his Audi R8 LMS ultra which was entered for the 2014 Bathurst 12 hour. An unfortunate crash suffered by Jason Bright during qualifying caused severe damage to Salmon’s Audi and as a result it was sent back to Germany for chassis repairs. The damaged car looked to put an end to Salmon’s 2014 Australian GT efforts, but a deal with Peter Conroy saw Salmon leasing Conroy’s older Audi R8 LMS during 2014. He competed in the GT Trophy class for older GT3 machines and claimed the class championship title at the final round in New Zealand.

Salmon’s Audi R8 LMS ultra had arrived back in Australia and was prepared in time for the journey to New Zealand, thus both of Salmon’s cars made the trip to Highlands Motorsport Park (pictured above). Salmon raced the Conroy leased R8 LMS to the Australian GT Trophy title on the Saturday and then competed in the Highlands 101 with his Audi R8 LMS ultra on Sunday. This meant that the leased Audi R8 LMS was available for the Highlands 101. Mark Griffith was invited by Melbourne Performance Centre with an offer to race the car in the endurance event. He shared the #6 Audi R8 LMS with Dale Paterson and they achieved a seventeenth overall place finish.

The opening round of the Australian GT Championship will be taking place at Adelaide from 26 February to 1 March. It is certainly very exciting news to hear about more Audi Sport customer racing entries joining the grid.

Photo credit: 
Official Audi Sport on twitter
Highlands Motorsport Park

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Bathurst 12 Hour: Oliver Gavin’s bid for Mount Panorama podium return comes to early end

Oliver Gavin Press Release

Oliver Gavin’s love affair with Australian motorsport remains undiminished after a stout bid for glory in the 2015 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour on the legendary Mount Panorama Circuit ended prematurely in the wall (6-8 February).

The Briton’s jaunt in the 2014 Australian V8 Supercars Pirtek Endurance Cup yielded a podium finish in the Bathurst 1000 race, making Gavin the first international driver to scale the V8 podium in more than 25 years.

This remarkable feat was the catalyst for Gavin’s return to ‘The Mountain’, where he would attempt to emulate his V8 Supercars success and scale the winners’ rostrum in the world-renowned Bathurst 12 Hour GT race, this time with a state-of-the-art Skwirk.com.au Audi R8 LMS Ultra MPC, owned and co-driven by capable amateur racer, Rod Salmon, and Australian ace, Nathan Antunes.

Gavin contested the once-around-the-clock enduro for the second time, having led last year’s race in a Class B Audi R8, and fully expected to have all the ingredients necessary to mount a serious challenge for a podium finish, or even victory.

The Skwirk-liveried Audi was a top-ten stalwart during free practice, mixing it with the manufacturer-supported efforts of Bentley, Nissan and Aston Martin, as well as other top marques like Ferrari and Lamborghini.

Sadly, the wrong tyre, traffic and successive red flags all added up to a very frustrating qualifying session for Gavin and teammates, who were unable to better 23rd on the grid.

However, Gavin felt he had some unfinished business ‘down under’ after retiring from last year’s Bathurst 12 Hour and, well aware that the race was never going to be won in qualifying, the Briton remained confident of challenging for victory in the once-around-the-clock enduro.

The cars took the start as the sun rose over New South Wales and it was a spectacular sight as, headlights ablaze, the bumper field of GT cars clambered over ‘The Mountain’ for the first time in the dim early morning light.

Gavin pushed on and drove in a committed fashion to drag the #5 machine into the top ten by the completion of his first double stint.

After an early caution period, Gavin locked horns with fellow Briton and former Le Mans 24 Hours winner, Guy Smith, in an all-new Bentley Continental GT. The pair remained engaged in a tense tussle for fourth overall as the sun rose along with the temperatures before pitting for the first round of driver changes.

Following a superb effort and with the disappointment of qualifying well and truly behind him, Gavin handed the reins to team owner and competitive amateur driver, Salmon – himself a former Bathurst winner.

The order continued shifting as the 12 hours ticked on and the Swkwirk Racing team remained in contention until the fourth hour when Bathurst debutant and former single-seater Champion, Antunes, began his opening stint.

After a protracted Safety Car period – one of 20 that would blight the race – Antunes set after the leaders in a bid to improve track position. However, unfortunate contact with the unforgiving concrete wall at The Cutting resulted in terminal damage to the Skwirk-backed Audi R8 LMS Ultra’s axle, chassis and gearbox.

Gavin was philosophical in the aftermath of the incident, which forced his team into retirement after approximately 4h30m had elapsed, saying: “I love coming to Bathurst, as it’s a unique and unbelievable racetrack and the experience of working with Rod (Salmon) and the professional Skwirk Racing team has really made the journey worthwhile. After the disappointment of qualifying, we had to pick ourselves up again and demonstrate what the Skwirk.com.au-backed Audi could deliver and I think we did that admirably as a team and, with good fortune, I believe we could have got a strong result.

“Nathan is devastated that the race ended in the way it did, but Mount Panorama is unforgiving and the quality of the field makes it a 12-hour sprint. As a result, you can’t afford to drive too far within yourself if you’re genuinely looking to win. I have to thank Rod for the opportunity and his great hospitality in Australia and I hope we can have a go at putting this result right in 2016.”

For more information on Oliver Gavin and his racing activities, please visit the official www.olivergavin.com website, ‘like’ his Facebook page or follow @olivergavin on Twitter.

Photo credit: Bathurst 12 Hour

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