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Title on the line in Fanatec GT World Challenge decider
The famous Mount Panorama will offer the perfect setting for the season finale of 2024 Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS season as five teams battling it out for the ultimate glory lead the strong entry list.
Currently sitting at the top of the summit, Chaz Mostert and Liam Talbot will be aiming to complete a dream maiden season for Arise Racing GT at Bathurst where the Ferrari 296 GT3 will make its debut at the legendary circuit.
Although the duo lead the standings by 30 points, with 52 on offer across both races this weekend, another four pairings are in with a shot to win the title.
It’s been a tough few rounds for Shaw & Partners/Kelso Electrical Team MPC’s Brad Schumacher and Will Brown, however with the former being a Bathurst local and the Audi package being very handy around Mount Panorama – this partnership is not to be discounted.
After achieving their first victory at the Phillip Island GT Festival, Jaxon Evans and Elliott Schutte entered title calculations in the sister Arise Racing GT Ferrari 296 GT3, and are four-points behind the Audi, while the Triple Eight Race Engineering duo of Declan Fraser and Peter Hackett in the Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo sit further five-points behind.
Rounding out the handful of contenders is the New Zealand pairing of Tim Miles and Brendon Leitch, who took an impressive win at the opening round.
Planning to crash the party is international entry, Car Collection Motorsport, which will use the event as crucial testing prior to next year’s Bathurst 12 Hour. The German outfit’s Porsche 911 GT3-R (Type 992) will be piloted by Greek-Swiss professional driver Alex Fontana and Hash of the US, who has just completed a season in International GT Open.
Sydney’s Endurance Cup winners Jayden Ojeda and Paul Lucchitti in the Realta/Tigani Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo, fellow Mercedes-AMG drivers Brenton and Stephen Grove, ACM Finance/Team BRM’s Alex Peroni and Mark Rosser, and Renee Gracie and Paul Stokell make up the remaining Pro-Am entries
It’s a fight of two in the Am Cup, with Garth Walden and Mike Sheargold for RAM Motorsport holding a 25-point margin to Supabarn Supermarkets/Tigani Motorsport’s Theo and James Koundouris.
Although a pair of Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evos will fight for the title, there is competition from Audi in the form of Valmont Racing pair Sergio Pires and Marcel Zalloua in their Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II.
A new entry to Am Cup is the #111 Racing Team Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo of Darren Currie and Axel Donaldson, however neither driver is a stranger to the championship having competed previously in the Invitational Class. Currie has completed a part-season alongside Valentino Astuti in the Trophy Class KMB Motorsport Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3.
Completing the AM class field are the returning Melbourne Performance Centre duo of Marc Cini and Ash Samadi and the Black Wolf Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo of Shane Woodman and Ben Schoots.
The KMB Motorsport Aston Martin will again be spearheaded by Valentino Astuti as this time Liam Dunn joins him for the final round, while the Ferrari 458 GT3 of Stephen Coe also returns for the first time since the opening round last year, adding competition in Trophy Class.
The final round of Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS takes place as part of the Bathurst International on November 8-10, with the action streamed through 7plus and internationally via GTWorld.