Triple Eight Race Engineering’s Jamie Whincup has ended the opening day of the 2023 Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS season fastest at Bathurst.
Improved conditions allowed quicker times compared to this morning as Whincup set a 2m 05.690s in the Mercedes-AMG GT3 he will share alongside Prince Abu Bakar.
Liam Talbot in the Shannons Insurance Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II was 0.613s behind Whincup’s time to be second in the session, this weekend partnered by Max Hofer.
Third in the session was Bathurst local Brad Schumacher in the lead Am Class contender driving his upgraded Audi, while Prince Jefri Ibrahim and Broc Feeney followed in the second Triple Eight Race Engineering Mercedes-AMG GT3 was fourth ahead of Geoff Taunton’s MARC II.
In his first GT3 run, Sam Brabham was sixth in the Harrolds Volante Rosso Motorsport Mercedes to be shared with Ross Pourlakis ahead of the similar entry of Michael Sheargold and Garth Walden for RAM Motorsport.
JAMEC Racing returns this weekend to GT racing as Geoff Emery and German Christer Joens guided the Audi to eighth from Brett Hobson in the GWR Australia Mercedes-AMG to be shared by Mike Bailey, while Matt Stoupas in the KFC Audi rounded out the top 10.
Dual title winner Yasser Shahin was 11th on the debut of the EMA Motorsport/The Bend Motorsport Park Porsche 991 GT3R heading GT Trophy leader Marcos Flack in the Sonic Motor Racing Services 911 GT3 Cup Car.
Second in Invitational behind Taunton was Darren Currie in his Mazda 3-shaped MARC I and runner up in GT Trophy was Stephen Coe in 18th driving the Ferrari 458 GT3.
The Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS is complete for the day as teams prepare for qualifying at 10:25am AEDT tomorrow.