The Shannons SpeedSeries returns to action this weekend with Shell V-Power Motorsport Park to host the GT Festival The Bend as the fifth round of the 2025 season.
For the first time this year, there will be six categories featuring on the Shannons SpeedSeries bill with GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS, Monochrome GT4 Australia and First Focus Radical Cup Australia running their fifth rounds of the season – the latter of which hosts its final round.
The South Australian event also welcomes the return of Ferrari Trofeo Pirelli Challenge Australasia for its last outing of the year and Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia, while the popular Group S Racing joins the Shannons SpeedSeries for the first time this year.
This weekend also serves as one of the busiest on the calendar with the bumper schedule being made up of more than 21 hours of track action, while fans will be treated to two Grid Walks on Sunday ahead of Monochrome GT4 Australia and GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS.
See the full GT Festival The Bend schedule here.
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 The Bend via speedseries.com.au/tickets
Australian fans will also be able to watch Saturday and Sunday’s live and free via 7plus, while all Monochrome GT4 Australia and GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS sessions will be shown on the GT World YouTube page for international viewers.
GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS
The best GT drivers in the country return to The Bend after a special visit to Melbourne in July to continue what has been an entertaining season-long battle across the Pro-Am and Am classes.
The strong 14-car grid remains largely unchanged from Sandown Raceway, with the fan favourite Lamborghini Huracan Evo2 of Tony D’Alberto and Adrian Deitz back after missing the Victorian round, while Tigani Motorsport’s Sergio Pires has been replaced with Marcel Zalloua due to a knee injury in the team’s Geyer Valmont Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO.
Both titles are still on the line, with Jaxon Evans and Elliott Schutte leading the way in the Pro-Am standings after adding another victory to their impressive tally in July, while Renee Gracie has a chance of securing the Am Class title as early as Saturday should she outscore the Black Wolf Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO2 of Ben Schoots and Shane Woodman by seven points.
The series has two one-hour races during the event, one on both Saturday and Sunday, with a free Grid Walk preceding Sunday’s race.
Get more information on the series here.
Friday 5 September
Practice 1: 9:30 – 10:30
Practice 2: 13:10 – 14:10
Pre-Qualifying: 16:25 – 17:25
Saturday 6 September
Qualifying 1: 8:40 – 8:55
Qualifying 2: 9:05 – 9:20
Race 1: 13:25– 14:25
Sunday 7 September
Grid Walk: 13:45– 14:05
Race 2: 14:10– 15:10
Monochrome GT4 Australia
Monochrome GT4 Australia is back in action in style this weekend with a massive field of 29 cars spread across eight manufacturers making up its biggest entry list since Sydney back in May.
There has been plenty of movement in the category’s entry list ahead of the weekend, with American Ford Junior driver Jenson Altzman and Australian Prototype Series champion JP Drake making their debuts in the series.
Altzman joins Jack Wallis behind the wheel of the Wallis Motorsport Ford Mustang for the eight-car Silver class, which once again has an impressive diversity of cars in action and saw Jake Camilleri pick up his first win of the year at Sandown Raceway.
Drake and his co-driver Lochie Hennock will take on the ever-competitive Silver-Am class in their Method Motorsport McLaren Artura GT4. Boasting a massive field of 11 cars, the class welcomes back the Ginetta G56 GT4 of Lachlan Mineeff and Rob Rubis to the fold having missed Sandown.
The Am class once again fields 10 cars, and the only significant change from Sandown is with Sandown race winner Peter Lawrence, who will welcome back former co-driver Jamie Augustine after running a solo drive. Lawrence’s son Jacob remains in the box seat for the Am Class title, but will have to fend off the ever-talented Shane Smollen.
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 Sandown, while all races will be broadcast on the Seven Network.
Get more information on the series here.
Friday 5 September
Practice 1: 8:45 – 9:25
Practice 2: 13:10 – 14:10
Pre-Qualifying: 16:25 – 17:25
Saturday 6 September
Qualifying 1: 8:40 – 8:55
Qualifying 2: 9:05 – 9:20
Race 1: 13:25– 14:25
Sunday 7 September
Grid Walk: 13:45– 14:05
Race 2: 14:10– 15:10
First Focus Radical Cup Australia
The First Focus Radical Cup Australia will be one of the first national categories to decide a champion in 2025, if not the first. Having been at every Shannons SpeedSeries round of the season, the category reaches its climax this weekend with two endurance races making the schedule.
All eyes will be on the battle for top honours, which is currently swinging in the favour of Cooper Cutts and his comfortable 42-point lead over Peter Paddon. Both drivers have had their fair share of success in 2025, but there can only be one winner by Sunday afternoon and it’s Cutts who holds the advantage.
Meanwhile, a four-way fight for the master’s class will be staged with 100 points covering leader Brad Russell, Terry Knowles, Jim Hernandez and Peter Clare heading into the Grand Final this week.
In what is the category’s final round of the 2025 season, its healthy field of 15 cars battle it out over two 50-minute races across the weekend.
Get more information on the series here.
Friday 5 September
Practice 1: 07:30– 07:50
Practice 2: 11:25 – 11:45
Practice 3: 15:05 – 15:25
Saturday 6 September
Qualifying 1: 10:10 – 10:40
Race 1: 15:40 – 16:30
Sunday 7 September
Race 2: 09:40 – 10:30
Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia
After missing Sandown Raceway, the popular one-make series is back on the Shannons SpeedSeries calendar for its penultimate round of the 2025 season.
Its quickfire visit to The Bend is highlighted by a rare Friday evening race before its two races on Saturday have it wrapped for the weekend by 1:30pm ACST as series leader Jake Santalucia looks to build on his lead after a challenging previous round.
Just 50 points separate the top four contenders heading into the final two rounds of the season, with Santalucia’s biggest threat being Lockie Bloxom BLOXOM after a strong weekend in Townsville saw the McElrea Racing gun move to within 16 points, while Ryan Casha and Tom Bewley also remain heavily in contention.
In the Pro-Am class, Ramu Farrell remains in control with a handy 131-point lead over Andrew Georgiadis and, while Jacque Jarjo is just a further 12 points behind – the 181 points up for grabs keeping plenty of people in the hunt ahead of the season finale later this year.
Get more information on the series here.
Friday 5 September
Practice 1: 07:55 – 08:40
Qualifying: 11:50 – 12:20
Race 1: 15:40 – 16:10
Saturday 6 September
Race 2: 08:00 – 08:30
Race 3: 12:20 – 13:05
Ferrari Trofeo Pirelli Challenge Australia
Like the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia, the exciting one-make Ferrari Series is back on the Shannons SpeedSeries bill as it holds the final round of its inaugural season.
It’s all square at the top of the Trofeo Pirelli standings between Ferrari Sydney teammates Antoine Gittany and Jim Pollicina after the former failed to score any points at the category’s previous round.
Although another Ferrari Sydney driver in Mark Hudders has a mathematical chance of snatching the title, he will likely have his attention on defending third place from Ferrari Richmond’s Cameron Campbell.
It’s far more open in the series’ remaining two classes with Enzo Cheng in the box seat to claim top honours for the Coppa Shell class with the Ferrari Sydney driver needing to outscore his closest rival in David Trewern of Ferrari Gold Coast by three points.
In the Trofeo Pirelli 488 class, Ferrari Sydney’s Michel Stephan has effectively claimed the title due to the absence of his fellow title contender in Jarrod Ferrari of Ferrari Barbagallo, while the class will welcome debutant Paul Brockbank.
Get more information on the series here.
Friday 5 September
Practice 1: 10:35 – 11.20
Practice 2: 14:15 – 15:00
Saturday 6 September
Qualifying 1: 09:30 – 10:00
Grid Walk: 14:30- 14:45 (private)
Race 1: 14:50 – 15:20
Sunday 7 September
Qualifying 2: 10:50 – 11:20
Grid Walk: 15:15 – 15:35 (private)
Race 2: 15:40 – 16:10
Group S
For the first time in 2025, the impressive Group S Racing will join the Shannons SpeedSeries and boasts an event-high field of 33 cars.
Dedicated to production-based sports cars manufactured between 1941 and 1977, the category features an array of classic marques such as Porsche, Shelby, MG, Lotus, Alfa Romeo, Triumph, Datsun and Corvette.
Comprising of three state competitions and one national, all of which are at the halfway point of their respective seasons, with each cup rewarding consistent, safe, and competitive driving.
The category itself is split into three class Group Sa (1941–1960), Group Sb (1961–1969), and Group Sc (1970–1977) – all of which are represented this weekend at GT Festival The Bend.
Headlining the entry list is 2023 Presidents Cup (National) champion Terry Lawlor in the 1966 Shelby GT350 (1966) – with that, he’s a clear outright front runner. His consistent pace and powerful car make him a serious contender for podium finishes, while Geoff Morgan in the 1975 Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7 is likely to be leading the charge and one of the favourites for an outright win.
Get more information on the series here.
Friday 5 September
Practice 1: 17:30 – 17:50
Saturday 6 September
Qualifying 1: 07:30 – 07:50
Race 1: 11:45 – 12:05
Sunday 7 September
Race 2: 09:00 – 9:20
Race 3: 13:05 – 13:40
Fans unable to attend Shell V-Power Motorsport Park can tune into the Shannons SpeedSeries live and free via 7plus at the following times:
SATURDAY
7plus: 08:30 – 18:00 ACST
SUNDAY
7plus: 08:45 – 16:30 ACST
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 The Bend
GT Festival The Bend serves as the fifth round of the 2025 Shannons SpeedSeries season and takes place at Shell V-Power Motorsport Park on 5 – 7 September.