With the third round of the Shannons SpeedSeries in the books, Phillip Island provided an endless amount of entertainment across the six categories.
With a massive 17,271 fans in attendance at the track, along with plenty of viewers watching on Stan and the Nine Network at home – there was plenty to enjoy.
Not only did it provide brilliant racing, it also fuelled a number of on and off-track rivalries, some old and some new.
Owen Kelly and Edan Thornburrow
The National Trans Am Series delivered three highly entertaining races at the Island, and when teammates come together on track, it’s never going to be pretty back in the garage.
Owen Kelly was competing for podium places in race two on Sunday morning, when the young and upcoming Edan Thornburrow tagged the veteran on lap eight, sending him into the tyre wall and ultimately ending his race early as a result.
Thornburrow later received a penalty, dropping him outside of the top ten.
OWEN KELLY IS TURNED AROUND! #SpeedSeriesAU #TransAmAUS #PhillipIsland #StanSportAU #Shannons pic.twitter.com/q41H678Lsx
— Shannons SpeedSeries (@SpeedSeriesAU) May 14, 2023
“Pretty disappointing when your own teammate just sends you, and didn’t lift… I’ll talk to him…” – Owen Kelly#SpeedSeriesAU #TransAmAUS #PhillipIsland #StanSportAU #Shannons pic.twitter.com/pkLOisC2eh
— Shannons SpeedSeries (@SpeedSeriesAU) May 14, 2023
Nash Morris and James Moffat
After a stellar performance from both drivers in race two, Nash Morris and James Moffat found themselves battling at the front of the pack for the majority of the final race of the weekend.
Morris held the lead throughout, with Moffat making a move on the second-place Ben Grice after the All-American Driveline entry wasn’t able to execute a move for the race lead – surrendering the position as a result.
The leaders then battled it out for the remainder of the race, with Morris picking up the win by a mere 0.047 seconds to make it two from two on his 20th birthday.
A birthday to remember for Nash Morris!#SpeedSeriesAU #TransAmAUS #PhillipIsland #StanSportAU #Shannons pic.twitter.com/bFLvbCSUtL
— Shannons SpeedSeries (@SpeedSeriesAU) May 14, 2023
It’s one of the more calmer post-race yaks after Trans Am this weekend! But what a mega weekend we’ve had.#SpeedSeriesAU #TransAmAUS #PhillipIsland #StanSportAU #Shannons pic.twitter.com/i9PfHvX1gj
— Shannons SpeedSeries (@SpeedSeriesAU) May 14, 2023
Liam Talbot and Yasser Shahin
Some intense battles on track between Liam Talbot and Yasser Shahin created some tension post-race, with the Talbot unhappy with a couple of moves during the final race of the weekend for the series.
It was an enjoyable weekend throughout the Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia, powered by AWS – with the rivalries clearly likely to continue throughout 2023.
Some heated words after @GTWorldChAUS Race 2 #SpeedSeriesAU #GTWorldChAUS #PhillipIsland #StanSportAU #Shannons @GTWorldChAUS pic.twitter.com/lIWpOLOLTd
— Shannons SpeedSeries (@SpeedSeriesAU) May 14, 2023
Inspired by Jayden Ojeda’s move on himself, Yasser Shahin pushes even harder on his pass on Liam Talbot!#SpeedSeriesAU #GTWorldChAUS #PhillipIsland #StanSportAU #Shannons @GTWorldChAUS pic.twitter.com/6QxAfZ48ye
— Shannons SpeedSeries (@SpeedSeriesAU) May 14, 2023