Reigning CAMS Australian Endurance Champion Max Twigg has announced his desire to compete in the next round of the CAMS Australian GT Championship, despite earlier plans to onlyย compete in the 2019 endurance rounds.
The decision comes after a brilliant opening round at the Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix 2019 where Twigg claimed one race victory and three-runner up finishes to win the round outright.
Now holding a comfortable lead in the Championship, Twigg will head to Barbagallo Raceway in Perth with alongside Scott Taylor Motorsport again as he tries and extend his lead at the top.
โI was initially committed elsewhere the Barbagallo weekend, so wasnโt planning to be in the west,” Twigg admitted.
โBut after such a solid run at Albert Park and some internal discussion at STM, Iโm back in the saddle and looking to gain as many points as possible towards the title.
โIโve had a mixed relationship with Barbagallo over the years. Iโve won there a few times in Carrera Cup, but havenโt quite nailed it with AGT, but this year could be the charm.โ
Despite Twigg heading into the second round full of confidence after his round one heroics, he will be looking for inspiration from the teamโs leader in Scott Taylor, who has had good fortune in previous outings at the West Australian circuit.
Alongside expat New Zealander Craig Baird, Taylor took out a win atย Barbagalloย during the 2016 GT season, before guiding his Mercedes-AMG to a runner-up finish the following year.
Behind the wheel of a Type 997 Porsche GT3 R and sitting fifth in the 2019 AGT Trophy Series after a mixed round at Albert Park, Taylor will be hoping for a big round in Perth to boost his season back on track.
โIโve enjoyed my past experiences at Barbagallo, so Iโm not disappointed to be going back,โ Taylor said.
โThis year though will be different in the Porsche, but the circuit is the same, and so is my approach – enjoy myself, and do what I can to mix it at the front of the pack, although this time it will be the Trophy Series pack.
โThings were looking good in Melbourne, but I got caught up in an early race incident and that put paid to a podium for the weekend, but I really enjoyed being back in the Porsche.
โIโm really keen to see what it can do around Barbagallo, especially as the Type 991 was quick enough to take a win there in 2017, so it clearly suits the nimble nature of the Porsche.โ
The categoryโs second round will form part of the Virgin Australia Supercars Championshipโs exciting support line up during the Pirtek Perth SuperNight.
On top of the obvious bonus of competing on one of the biggest stages around the country, the championship will have the unique experience of driving under lights for two races.
โThat, Iโm looking forward to,โ Twigg added.
โIโve done a bit of night racing in the past, and have really enjoyed it, so that should be a great spectacle for the fans, and will also be more comfortable for us as drivers without the hot West Australian sun bearing down on us – it should be a fantastic event.โ
The CAMS Australian GT Championship will be on track for two qualifying sessions on Thursday before enjoying one race on Friday night and two races on Saturday.
The Pirtek Perth SuperNight takes place at Barbagallo Raceway in Western Australian on 2-4 May.