The Shannons SpeedSeries is back after the midseason break, with the iconic Sandown International Raceway to host the hugely anticipated GT Festival Sandown.
Featuring on the Victorian event’s bill are a mix of regular categories and new appearances, with GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS, Monochrome GT4 Australia and First Focus Radical Cup Australia entering their fourth rounds of the season.
Joining the trio of popular categories are the Trico Trans Am Series and the Battery World Aussie Racing Car Super Series, which makes its first appearance on the Shannons SpeedSeries since 2019.
While there will be more than 18 hours of on-track action for fans to enjoy, there are plenty of other activations around the circuit, including multiple car displays and two Grid Walks on Sunday ahead of Monochrome GT4 Australia and GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS.
See the full GT Festival Sandown schedule here.
Following GT World Challenge Australia’s Grid Walk on Sunday, a special one-minute of noise will take place on the grid, honouring the late Tim Miles, while a special tribute will also feature as part of the Seven Network’s broadcast.
Fans wanting to catch the action can attend Friday’s schedule for free, while single-day tickets across the weekend start at $35 and a weekend pass from $60.
Purchase tickets for GT Festival Sandown via speedseries.com.au/tickets
GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS
The headline act of the Shannons SpeedSeries will once again see the best GT drivers in the country doing battle at the famous Sandown International Raceway – it’s first run at the circuit for a few years.
The strong 14-car grid remains largely unchanged from Queensland Raceway, with series veteran Marc Cini rejoining the grid alongside series debutant Lee Holdsworth, while Black Wolf Motorsport’s Shane Woodman and Ben Schoots make their return after missing the EVENTelec GT Festival Queensland, as does Jordan Love in the Arise Racing GT Ferrari 296 GT3.
Headlining the field will be Love’s teammates Jaxon Evans and Elliott Schutte, who lead the Pro-Am standings after what has been a fairly dominant start to the year from the Ferrari pair.
Renee Gracie leads the four-car Am class as she looks to continue on her near-perfect first half that has seen her pick up five out of six wins, while the Trophy class sees Matt Stoupas combine with Paul Stokell for the first time this year in the KFC / Melbourne Performance Centre Audi.
The series has two one-hour races during the event, one on both Saturday and Sunday.
Get more information on the series here.
Friday 25 July
Practice 1: 10:00 – 11:00
Practice 2: 13:05 – 14:05
Pre-Qualifying: 16:25 – 17:25
Saturday 26 July
Qualifying 1: 11:15 – 11:30
Qualifying 2: 11:40 – 11:55
Race 1: 15:05 – 16:05
Sunday 27 July
Grid Walk: 13:20 – 13:40
Race 2: 14:05 – 15:05
Monochrome GT4 Australia
Monochrome GT4 Australia roars back into action this weekend with seven manufacturers represented across another massive 28-car field in what is its fourth round of the 2025 season.
The Silver class is the biggest testament to the competitiveness of the manufacturers, with six different marques representing the top six standings, which is headlined by class leaders Tom Hayman and Max Geoghegan, and sees Jake Camilleri make the switch to a Ford Mustang.
Silver-Am boasts a 10-car field, with the most notable entries being the debut of Jay Murray in the McElrea Racing BMW M4 GT4 G82 EVO, the return of former series race winner Matthew McCutcheon, who reunites with Tony Quinn in a GR Supra GT4 EVO 2, and the Multispares Racing Ford Mustang duo of Aaron Cameron and Ryan Hansford, which has made it to the grid following a spectacular crash in Queensland.
The Am class also fields 10 cars, with the return of John Nikolovski the most notable entry, however all eyes will be on the battle for top honours as Jacob Lawrence and Shane Smollen continue to go head-to-head once again.
The stage is set for two action-packed one-hour races, with Sunday’s race to include a Grid Walk for the first time since Sydney, while all races will be broadcast on the Seven Network.
Get more information on the series here.
Friday 25 July
Practice 1: 11:30 – 12:10
Pre-Qualifying: 14:45 – 15:25
Saturday 26 July
Qualifying 1: 09:50 – 10:05
Qualifying 2: 10:15 – 10:30
Race 1: 13:20 – 14:20
Sunday 27 July
Grid Walk: 11:00 – 11:20
Race 2: 11:30 – 12:30
First Focus Radical Cup Australia
The First Focus Radical Cup Australia has been a mainstay on the Shannons SpeedSeries in 2025, having run all three of its rounds so far with the racing platform. Like GT World Challenge Australia, the series makes a long-awaited return to Sandown International Raceway, only this weekend is its first time there since 2018.
Holding a crucial series lead of 39 points is Cooper Cutts of Arise Racing thanks to a strong performance at Queensland Raceway, while reigning champion Peter Paddon will need to recover from a challenging weekend in the sunshine if he is going to take the battle to the final round.
With the likes of Chris Reindler and Bryce Moore fighting it out with Masters contenders Brad Russell and Terry Knowles for those crucial outright top five positions, the inclusion of series debutant Mason Harvey will add plenty of fireworks to the important round as he is a proven race winner at state level.
In what is the category’s penultimate round of the 2025 season, the title fight enters a pivotal stage with four 25-minute races making up its track activity for the weekend.
Get more information on the series here.
Friday 25 July
Practice 1: 09:35 – 09:55
Practice 2: 12:40 – 13:00
Practice 3: 15:30 – 15:50
Saturday 26 July
Qualifying: 9:10 – 9:40
Race 1: 12:40 – 13:05
Race 2: 16:25 – 16:50
Sunday 27 July
Race 3: 10:35 – 11:00
Race 4: 15:25 – 15:50
Trico Trans Am Series
The Trico Trans Am Series enters its fourth round of the 2025 season in what is its first appearance in the Shannons SpeedSeries for 2025 – its last being at last year’s Bathurst International.
Following three rounds, Todd Hazelwood has strengthened his lead on the Trico Trans Am Series standings after a dramatic weekend in Darwin, with Nathan Herne and James Moffat rounding out the top three in the standings.
Garry Rogers Motorsport is making a major statement by fielding six cars, including the return of James Golding, who replaces Lochie Elliot after missing out on the third round due to Supercars commitments.
Notable entries for the category include rising star Elliott Cleary, who will race a brand-new Ford Mustang generously donated for the weekend by car owner and LMCT+ founder Adrian Portelli, and the debut of Clay Richards, who’s piloting the ex-Mark Crutcher Ford Mustang.
Get more information on the series here.
Friday 25 July
Practice 1: 09:10- 09:30
Practice 2: 12:15 – 12:35
Qualifying: 16:00 – 16:20
Saturday 26 July
Race 1: 12:10 – 12:30
Sunday 27 July
Race 2: 09:20 – 09:45
Race 3: 16:05 – 16:50
Battery World Aussie Racing Cars Super Series
Like the Trico Trans Am Series, the Battery World Aussie Racing Cars Super Series makes its first appearance in the Shannons SpeedSeries for 2025. However, it’s been quite some time since the category was last on the bill – the most recent appearance being back in 2019.
A lot has changed in the category since that point, however there will be some familiar faces during this weekend’s visit to Sandown for the category, which will have a stacked grid of 23 cars with drivers from five Australian states.
In the battle for the title, it’s Joel Heinrich who holds the lead on 150 points, with Kody Garland and Mason Harvey both within 10 points of the talented South Australian. With the return of Reece Chapman and Ryan Reynolds though, anything can happen this weekend.
Like its outright field, Aussie Racing Cars has strong class competitions, with Scott Dornan leading the Gold Cup and Cody McKay sitting just ahead of Shane Mann and Brett Osborn in the Masters Cup.
The series also has a fair share of rookies entered, with Caleb Peterson flying the flag for the young guns, which also welcomes series debutants Oscar Pederson and Hayden Nissen as debuts.
Get more information on the series here.
Friday 25 July
Practice 1: 11:05 – 11:25
Qualifying: 14:15 – 14:35
Saturday 26 July
Race 1: 10:40 – 11:00
Race 2: 14:35 – 14:55
Sunday 27 July
Race 3: 10:00 – 10:20
Race 4: 12:50 – 13:10
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Fans unable to attend Sandown Raceway can tune into the Shannons SpeedSeries live and free via Seven at the following times:
SATURDAY
7plus: 09:00 – 17:00 AEST
7mate: 14:30 – 17:00 AEST
SUNDAY
7plus: 09:00 – 17:00 AEST
7mate: 14:00 – 17:00 AEST
Create a free 7plus account and watch the Shannons SpeedSeries live and free.
View the full schedule here.
Fans can also view live updates and highlights via the Shannons SpeedSeries’ Facebook and Instagram pages throughout the weekend.
Purchase tickets for GT Festival Sandown
GT Festival Sandown serves as the fourth round of the 2025 Shannons SpeedSeries season and takes place at Sandown International Raceway on 25 – 27 July.