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Shannons SpeedSeries to light up Sunshine State

The Shannons SpeedSeries is back in action this weekend as the series heads north Queensland Raceway for the fifth round of the 2023 season.

Six national categories will make the trip to Ipswich for the jam-packed weekend, including the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series and National Trans Am Series.

Joining the popular two categories will be the Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS, Kumho V8 Touring Car Series, the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge and the combined Mobil 1 Australian Production Cars and Monochrome GT4 Australia Series.

Tickets for the event can be purchased at motorsporttickets.com.au

In what is shaping up to be one of the key attractions of the weekend, the lights will shine bright for the 10th annual Fight in the Night race on Saturday night, which will see GT4 join the Production Cars in the popular race for the very first time.

A weekend-high 37 competitors are gearing up to take to the track in the category, with Beric Lynton and Tim Leahey looking to continue their dominance under the lights – but unlike last year, will have to do so individually after entering in separate BMW M3’s.

TCR regular Lachlan Mineeff and Trans Am star Nash Morris will join the star-studded field across the weekend, which will also see both GT4 and APC battle it out for round honours across their three scheduled races, in addition to FITN bragging rights.

While most categories will the traditional two practice, one qualifying and three race formats across the weekend, Queensland Raceway will see the National Trans Am Series take part in four races for the first time this season.

View the full schedule here.

The extra race will be a welcome addition to the schedule after the category’s brilliant display of racing so far in 2023, with the all-important title race heating up between James Moffat and teammate Lochie Dalton as only nine points separate the Garry Rogers Motorsport duo.

The fourth round of the season will also see the return of James Simpson, who will feature for the first time since his crash at AWC Race Tasmania and will be one of three Dodge additions to shake up the grid.

Also partaking in an unfamiliar format will be GT World Challenge, as an all-new Top 10 Shootout will see the category’s 10 fastest amateur drivers from qualifying battle it out for starting positions in the categories second one-hour race.

The visit to Queensland Raceway will prove the most critical of the season as the title race heats up, with the addition of five-time Bathurst 1000 winner, Garth Tander to add extra firepower to an already stacked field.

TCR Australia will see all its regular stars return to the grid from Hi-Tec Oils Race Winton, with the exception of race winner Tom Oliphant, who will be replaced by Tim Slade in the Lynk & Co.

2019 Champion, Will Brown will also return to the field after missing last round and will look to feature on the podium for the first time in 2023, while series leader Bailey Sweeny will be eager to extend his lead at the top of the standings after a brilliant first half of the year.

View the full schedule here.

There will be further title implications across the weekend in both the Kumho V8 Touring Cars and Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge, with Jude Bargwanna looking to continue his early V8TC dominance and edge closer to his first title, while Kiwi Marco Giltrap will be looking to do the same in the exciting one-make Porsche category.

While fans will be treated to more than 28 hours of on-track action, there will be plenty of off-track activations and entertainment throughout the weekend.

For the first time this year, Matt Mingay and the Hot Wheels Stunt Team will wow spectators with an incredible display of hair raising stunts on four separate occasions on Saturday and Sunday.

The stunt team will first appear at 10:55am AEST on Saturday, before leaving the track for the final time before the final National Trans Am Series race on Sunday afternoon.

Fans will also have a rare opportunity to get up close and personal with two of Australia’s best and most popular drivers in Jamie Whincup and Broc Feeney, both of whom are racing in the GT World Challenge this weekend.

The Triple Eight Race Engineering duo will be available for an autograph signing session from 12:00pm AEST on Saturday 12 August for a short period of time and can be found by the podium, located in the designated fan zone.

The popular grid walk will also return on Saturday and Sunday, with the first to take place at 3:55pm AEST on Saturday before race one of TCR, while the second takes place at 4:00pm AEST before race three.

Those planning on attending the event can still purchase tickets, with single day and weekend passes available, while kids under the age of 15 can enter for free.

Avoid the queues by purchasing tickets at motorsporttickets.com.au – with no extra online charges.

Stan Sport and the Nine Network will be the best places to catch all the action from the fifth round of the Shannons SpeedSeries 2023 season.

Fans will be treated to 12 hours of live, ad-break free and on-demand coverage across two days of jam-packed action at Queensland Raceway.

Sign up for a 7-day free trial now.

Live and free-to-air coverage will be also available on 9GO! on Saturday from 2:00pm-5:00pm AEST – interested viewers are encouraged to check your local guides for more information.

The fifth round of the 2023 Shannons SpeedSeries season will take place at Queensland Raceway on 11-13 August.