Welcome to the 2025 Shannons SpeedSeries as it opens its season at Phillip Island featuring GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS, Monochrome GT4 Australia, Ferrari Challenge Australasia, Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge and First Focus Radical Cup Australia.
It will be a big weekend of racing at Penguin Paradise for the only national weekend of racing at the scenic venue all year. If unable to attend, the Shannons SpeedSeries will be broadcast live on 7Mate, while international viewers can view the GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS and Monochrome GT4 Australia sessions through GTWorld.
Here is a summary of Friday’s action.
GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS
Audi definitely displayed its early dominance during two practice sessions at the opening round of GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS.
ACM Finance Team BRM’s Alex Peroni and Mark Rosser held the top spot in both sessions after a 1m 25.820s as the four-rings held the first three positions in the opening session. Team MPC stablemates Brendon Leitch partnered by Tim Miles and Broc Feeney joining Brad Schumacher were within 0.6s of the fastest time.
The ACM Finance Team BRM Audi improved upon the earlier time to set a 1m 25.426s, with Feeney setting a time 0.245s off the pace. Jordan Love for Arise Racing GT broke the Audi monopoly at the front in the Ferrari 296 GT3 he’ll share alongside Steve Wyatt in third.
Mercedes-AMG pilots Ben Schoots and Shane Woodman were fastest Am Class contenders in each session for Black Wolf Motorsport.
Qualifying and the opening race of the season follow on Saturday beginning at 11:30am AEDT.
Monochrome GT4 Australia
It was again Audi on top in the two opening sessions of the season for Monochrome GT4 Australia, with debutants Blake Purdie and Daniel Price setting the pace against a crack field.
The duo set a 1m 34.171s to lead the way in the opening session from reigning Silver Cup winner Tom Hayman and his new co-driver Max Geoghegan in the Method Motorsport McLaren Artura GT4. Third was the Miedecke Motorsport/Lubrimaxx Ford Mustang of George Miedecke and Rylan Gray.
Purdie and Price once again set the pace in Pre-Qualifying achieving a 1m 34.268s to again lead the same Method Motorsport McLaren of Hayman/Geoghegan by 0.051s. Jarrod Hughes ended the day third in the JGI Triple Eight Race Engineering Mercedes-AMG to be co-driven by Summer Rintoule.
In Silver-Am, Josh Buchan and Jason Yu led the first session in the Zagame Autosport McLaren, while Aaron Seton set the fastest time in the second driving the Gomersall Motorsport Ford Mustang to be shared by Jason Gomersall.
Am Cup was dominated by reigning class winner Jacob Lawrence in the Randall Racing BMW M4 GT4 G82 by topping both sessions.
Two Qualifying sessions and the opening race occur on Saturday beginning at 11:10am AEDT.
Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Australasia
Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Australasia made a welcome addition to the Shannons SpeedSeries roster by featuring twice on opening day. Antoine Gittany finished fastest in both sessions for MC Corsa, while Cameron Campbell was second in each in his Zagame Autosport Ferrari 296 Challenge.
Enzo Cheng finished the opening session third and was replaced by Jim Pollicina in the second to round out the day.
Qualifying at 9:45am kicks off Saturday’s schedule for Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Australasia.
Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge
Ramu Farrell impressed in the opening Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge session at Phillip Island by setting the pace as an Am.
Farrell was fastest on a 1m 30.822s from Tyler Greenbury and Sonic Motor Racing Services driver Jake Santalucia.
Continuing his form from the opening session, Farrell lowered the benchmark he set in the opening session to a 1m 30.260s in the second leading Santalucia and New Zealander Willie Exton.
Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge will start Saturday with qualifying at 10:25am AEDT.
First Focus Radical Cup Australia
Three sessions made up the opening day of the season for the First Focus Radical Cup Australia and it was long-time frontrunner Peter Paddon scoring a clean-sweep at the top.
Paddon led Cooper Cutts in the opening session after setting a 1m 30.587s, while local Terry Knowles was third.
A 1m 30.909s did the job for Paddon in the second session to defeat Chris Reindler from Cutts. Unable to better his time from the opening session of the day, Paddon maintained the top spot on a 1m 30.749s to lead Cutts and Knowles again.
First Focus Radical Cup Australia begins Saturday’s Shannons SpeedSeries schedule at 9:40am.