Jayden Ojeda, Paul Lucchitti and Tigani Motorsport have out-strategised the field to win a dramatic Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS endurance race at Sydney Motorsport Park this evening.
Ojeda and Lucchitti proved fast all weekend, but would start the race outside of the top 10 after a mixed qualifying effort.
Come race time, the Tigani Motorsport made a decisive move during the Safety Car-ridden opening hour that would net them an advantage of nearly a minute, ultimately seeing the #66 Mercedes AMG take a clear win over Ferrari drivers Liam Talbot and Chaz Mostert.
Mostert and Talbot came home in second place, and thanks to the strong result, earned Talbot the 2024 GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS endurance title.
Following Talbot’s podium result at the first round of the endurance championship at the Bathurst 12 Hour earlier this year, second place was enough to lock away the 2024 enduro crown.
The #1 Ferrari seemed to be the car to beat in the opening hour, despite a hard charging Brendan Leitch in his MPC Audi that, at one stage, barrelled its way past Mostert and into the lead.
A series of Safety Car interventions saw a variety of strategies play out.
Leitch and team-mate Tim Miles eventually claimed third place ahead of Jaxon Evans and Elliott Schutte in the second Ferrari.
Fifth place went to Renee Gracie and Paul Stokell who played a major role at the front of the field for the majority of the race. In fact, Stokell led many laps and held what looked like a potential podium during the chaotic first half of the race.
Sixth place outright and first of the Am class was Mike Sheargold and Garth Walden who secured the class victory, passing fellow Mercedes AMG duo Ben Schoots and Shane Woodman in the final 25 minutes of the race.
Sheargold started the race from pole position after Walden’s Superpole heroics, but were delayed with a flat tyre early in the race. The issue dropped them down the order, but a solid fightback saw them get on top of their Mercedes rival for the win, despite Walden reporting a late vibration inside the cabin of his Mercedes.
It was a fine comeback that demoted Schoots and Woodman to second place, while Sergio Pires and Marcel Zalloua finished eighth overall and third in class.
Alex Peroni and Mark Rosser dragged their Audi to ninth overall, hampered by a lap one spin at Turn 4, plus a wild off track moment at Turn 1 during the fading sun light.
Declan Fraser and Peter Hackett finished in 10 place, coming back from a flat tyre on the first lap and surviving to the end despite a steering issue.
On a positive note, the Triple Eight-prepared Mercedes AMG finished the race with the fastest lap in what was a blinding late stint from Fraser.
The next time that the Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS hits the track will be for the final round of the sprint championship at Mount Panorama, Bathurst, where Talbot and Mostert will be aiming to keep their rivals at bay in what will be a fascinating final round.