Shannons Audi pilot Liam Talbot and Harrold’s Racing Mercedes driver Jayden Ojeda have split the pole positions in qualifying for the Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS at Phillip Island.
In the first session for Am drivers, Talbot set what was at that point the fastest time of the weekend with a 1m 28.4163s, besting Yasser Shahin’s Porsche 911 GT3R by over half a second.
Audi locked out the second row for this afternoon’s race, with Geoff Emery’s Jamec Racing R8 LMS Evo 2 qualifying third in front of GT3 Am pole sitter Brad Schumacher in fourth.
Top Mercedes honours went to Ross Poulakis in the Harrold’s Racing AMG GT3 in fifth position, one spot ahead of the MMotorsport example of Justin McMillan.
The top ten was rounded out by the Audis of Matt Stoupas, Marcel Zalloua, Andrew Fawcet, and Ash Samadi.
The pace heated up in the second session for Pro drivers as the top four cars broke into the 1m 27s bracket for the first time this weekend.
They were headed by Bathurst 6 Hour winner Ojeda, who set a 1m 27.4549s to beat Garnett Patterson, who ensured that the EMA Motorsport Porsche will start on the front row both today and tomorrow.
It will be another Audi second row lockout tomorrow, with Myland’s Dylan O’Keeffe edging out Maximilian Hofer of Jamec Racing.
The MMotorsport Mercedes of Glen Wood qualified in fifth, ahead of Fraser Ross in the Shannons Audi that will start this afternoon’s race from pole.
The top ten was rounded out by GT3 Am pole winner Garth Walden (Mercedes), David Wall (Lamborghini Huracan), Sam Brabham (Mercedes), and Brad Schumacher (Audi).
Whilst the EMA Motorsport Porsche will start both races from the front row, the Grove Racing Porsche will start from the rear of the field, as gearbox dramas prevented Stephen and Brenton Grove from participating in their respective sessions.
Darren Currie swept qualifying for the Invitational Class and will start from eleventh and fifteenth respectively in his MARC II Mustang.
And it was a similar story in GT3 Trophy, Renee Gracie qualifying her Audi R8 LMS Ultra in thirteenth and seventeenth in the two sessions this morning.
The opening race for Round 3 of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS starts at 12:55 this afternoon.
The race will be broadcast live, ad-break free and on demand on Stan Sport.