A personal best for Mark Rosser during a test day has led the South Australian and Alex Peroni to Sydney where they aim to continue their recent hot form under lights in Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS.
The pairing came of age at Phillip Island and announced themselves as contenders after a maiden win at Queensland Raceway the previous round.
During a test day at The Bend, Rosser bet if he lowered his lap time the team was going to Sydney and the result is the ACM Finance/Team BRM Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II will contest the endurance race.
“Our last test day was really good and it’s really the reason we’re doing Sydney,” Rosser admitted.
“We came off a high at Phillip Island and Sydney wasn’t really on the cards. We did a test day and I said to Alex ‘if I can crack a 1m 42s lap time we’ll go to Sydney, which sure enough I did.
“In fact I was over a second faster than my previous best at The Bend, so we committed.”
Rosser returned to racing four years ago and has raced a variety of disciplines including the now recessed S5000.
“I feel I made a big step forward driving the S5000,” he stated.
“I’m not that experienced, I mean it’s my fourth year of racing, so I guess I’ve always been learning. The S5000 was the biggest challenge physically as well as getting the most out of the car.”
Having linked up with FIA Formula 3 podium winner Alex Peroni, Rosser has got to grips with the Audi as the pair target further success before the season is out.
“The first round this year came around very quickly and I didn’t really get to spend a lot of time in the car,” Rosser reflected.
“My pace was pretty good and the race stints were better.”
“It’s good to have a Pro driver to compare data with and find where you are losing the time because it’s not always obvious, so it’s good to check what Alex is doing.”
Rosser concluded with an ominous prediction for his rivals.
“I’m confident Alex’s doing well, but I think there’s still more to come from him.”
The opening practice sessions take place at Sydney Motorsport Park today, with 7plus providing coverage tomorrow featuring qualifying, Superpole and the three hour encounter into the night.