Following a four-month off-season, the Shannons SpeedSeries started its 2026 season featuring five categories at Phillip Island.
Highlights of Friday’s schedule included the maiden sessions for Motorcraft Mustang Cup Australia, the return of McLaren to the GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS ranks and Monochrome GT4 Australia’s large field.
The weather stayed clear of rain and enabled drivers to push hard ahead of the weekend’s race action.
Grab your tickets to watch Australia’s top drivers battle it out in the leading exotic makes here.
Or watch the action on Fox Sports and Kayo starting from 9:00am AEDT.
GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS
Ryan Wood and Steve Brooks got their new association with Team BRM off to the perfect start to sit atop both GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS practice sessions.
The Wolfbrook Motorsport Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II set a 1m 26.154s in the opening session, before improving to a 1m 26.069s later in the day.
In the opening session, the Move My Wheels by Tigani Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo of Jayden Ojeda and Paul Lucchitti was second to the tune of 0.393s, while Thomas Randle placed the second Team BRM Audi third, much to the delight of co-driver Mark Rosser.
Bathurst 1000 winner Luke Youlden led the way in Trophy Class, sharing the AED Consulting by Tigani Porsche 911 GT3R with Nathan Halstead.
Practice 2 ended in an Audi 1-2 as Wolfbrook Motorsport led from the Kelso Electrical MPC entry of Broc Feeney and Brad Schumacher.
Ojeda/Lucchitti again featured near the top in third from Randle/Rosser and the leading Arise Racing GT Ferrari 296 GT3 shared by Jaxon Evans and Elliott Schutte.
Youlden continued to lead the way in Trophy Class, driving the sole Porsche in the field.
Qualifying is set to commence at 11:15am AEDT tomorrow.
Monochrome GT4 Australia
A stacked Monochrome GT4 Australia field took to Phillip Island for two practice sessions, and the Ford Mustang GT4 reigned supreme.
The top five in the opening session were Mustang GT4s, which sent an ominous message to the opposing makes.
It was the Multispares Racing Ford Mustang GT4 of Lochie Dalton and Aaron Cameron leading the way in Silver Cup following the opening 40-minute session.
Cameron Crick and Dean Campbell set the second-fastest time in the Method Motorsport-run Mustang to lead Blake Tracey and George Miedecke for Miedecke Motorsport/Lubrimaxx.
Last year’s Silver-Am winners, Aaron Seton and Jason Gomersall, ran fourth, as Ford Racing Driver Development Team member Cam McLeod completed the top five in the RM Racing Cars entry to be shared by Mason Harvey.
The Crick/Campbell pairing led the way in Silver-Am Cup from Seton/Gomersall, while debutants Lachlan Evennett and Andrew Torti were third in the class sharing the Camm Quarries/Concrete Racing Toyota Supra Evo 2.
Glenn Walker continued the dominance in his newly acquired Gomersall Motorsport-prepared Ford Mustang GT4. The Mercedes-AMG GT4 shared by Bailey and Rob Love was second, from the Porsche 718 Cayman RS CS of Method Motorsport pairing Nathan Callaghan and Chris Lillis.
The Dalton/Cameron pairing again set the pace in the second practice session, with Mustang GT4s continuing to set the pace as McLeod/Harvey and Tracey/Miedecke rounded out the top three in Silver Cup, while Seton/Gomersall took the honours in Silver-Am Cup and teammate Walker continued to lead the way in Am Cup from Callaghan/Lillis and Love/Love.
Qualifying will begin Saturday’s action at 9:10am AEDT.
Motorcraft Mustang Cup Australia
Supercars star Aaron Cameron will start the inaugural race for Motorcraft Mustang Cup Australia on pole after setting the fastest time in qualifying.
Cameron collected the $1000 Ford Insure Pole Position Award after setting a 1m 36.057s lap to pip his Blanchard Racing Team Supercars teammate James Golding by 0.156s.
Early pacesetter Cam McLeod was third from James Moffat, Jack Perkins, Tyler Everingham, Josh Anderson, Joe Fawcett, Josh Trappett and Brock Giblin.
The opening Motorcraft Mustang Cup Australia race is scheduled for 12:00pm AEDT.
Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia
New Zealander Hunter Robb and Lincoln Taylor split the honours after the opening two practice sessions for Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia.
The opening practice session provided a hint of how close the season will be, with the top five split by just half a second.
Jones Motorsport’s Robb led Taylor, Daniel Quimby, Kamal Mrad and Xavier Avramides, as just 0.476s split the quintet.
Anthony Gilbertson from McElrea Racing led the Am Class from Tim Farrell and Eric Constantinidis.
Taylor flipped the script to top the second session from debutant Kobi Williams and Mrad to round out the top three.
Quimby was ahead of Robb in fourth, while Malaysian Hayden Haikel was an impressive sixth.
Gilbertson continued to hold the ascendancy in Am Class from Lachie Harburg and Constantinidis.
Qualifying for Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia is due to begin at 10:35am AEDT Saturday.
Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Australia
An Austrian and New Zealander showed the Australian contenders up in the opening two sessions of the season for Ferrari Challenge Australia.
Ernst Kirchmayr was the driver to beat in the opening session from Rick Armstrong, Enzo Cheng and Antoine Gittany in Trofeo Pirelli.
Coppa Shell was headed by Aemel Nordin, David Trewern and Masahiro Taguchi.
Ross Tomain was quickest in Trofeo Pirelli 488 ahead of Jason Yu and Rob Steele.
New Zealander Armstrong set the pace in the second session to lead Cheng, Jim Pollicina, Kirchmayr and Gittany.
Trewern led the way in Coppa Shell from Nordin and Taguchi.
Tomain was on top in Trofeo Pirelli 488 from Yu and Steele.
Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Australasia will host its qualifying session at 9:55am AEDT.