The rain may have arrived at Sandown Raceway at points today, but it failed to dampen the racing spirit on the final day of the Shannons SpeedSeries’ GT Festival Sandown.
A touching tribute to Tim Miles was held prior to the second GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS event of the weekend, with the Dayle ITM/Team MPC Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II completing burnouts and revving in a ‘Minute of Noise’.
Close finishes proved the order of Sunday’s action led by the GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS final encounter, while Monochrome GT4 Australia, First Focus Radical Cup Australia, Trico Trans Am and the Battery World Aussie Racing Cars Super Series were worthy support acts.
GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS
Jamie Day and Liam Talbot secured victory behind the wheel of the Volante Rosso Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 in a thrilling finish to the second race of Round 4.
Talbot held off a serious effort from Brad Schumacher on the final lap to score the maiden victory for Volante Rosso Motorsport and its Aston Martin.
Schumacher partnered by Broc Feeney held on to the runner up spot in the Kelso Electrical Team MPC Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II, with the championship leading Arise Racing GT Ferrari 296 GT3 shared by Jaxon Evans and Elliott Schutte rounding out the podium.
Renee Gracie outlasted her rivals in Am Class to score the win in the OnlyFans Team MPC Audi.
Monochrome GT4 Australia
A chaotic ending to the Monochrome GT4 Australia round led to victory for Gomersall Motorsport’s Jake Camilleri in Silver Cup.
Debuting a new Ford Mustang GT4 this weekend, Camilleri took the Silver Cup win from the TekworkX Motorsport Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS CS of Nash Morris and Zoe Woods. Completing the class podium was the Triple Eight Race Engineering Mercedes-AMG GT4 of Jarrod Hughes and Summer Rintoule.
Silver-Am Cup was won by the DA Campbell Transport Ford Mustang GT4 of Cameron Crick and Dean Campbell, with Ryder Quinn sharing the Thunder Buddies Racing BMW M4 GT4 G82 to take second with Steve Jakic. Class leaders in the standings Aaron Seton and Jason Gomersall were third in the second Gomersall Motorsport Ford.
Randall Racing’s Peter Lawrence scored the Am Cup victory in his BMW ahead of Glenn Walker’s previous generation M4 GT4, with Method Motorsport’s Nathan Callaghan and Chris Lillis finishing third in their Method Motorsport Porsche.
First Focus Radical Cup Australia
Category debutant Mason Harvey clean-swept Sunday’s proceedings for First Focus Radical Cup Australia.
Part of the Arise Racing stable, Harvey defeated Peter Paddon in Race 3 of the weekend to kick off Sunday’s schedule. Paddon’s title rival Cooper Cutts was fourth, with the duo split by Ruairidh Avern.
Harvey again greeted the chequered flag in the final race of the round to defeat Bryce Moore and Peter Clare as changeable weather conditions played a factor.
Cutts finished behind Avern in fifth, while Paddon was way down in eighth.
Volante Rosso Motorsport’s Jim Hernandez took the Am Class honours.
Trico Trans Am Series
It was an action-packed race to open the Sunday schedule for Trico Trans Am, with a wet track leading to a pile up at the start.
Elliott Barbour, John Holinger, Nathan Herne, Ben Bargwanna and Cameron Laws were all involved the start incident, with each retiring from the race.
A latter incident for Clay Richards led to limited racing laps being completed, but reigning series winner Todd Hazelwood scored the win from James Golding and Aaron Love.
The 45-minute endurance event concluded proceedings as James Golding led throughout from Hazelwood and Aaron Love after Blake Tracey picked up a puncture in the closing stages from second place.
Battery World Aussie Racing Cars Super Series
Kody Garland started the day in winning form to win the first Battery World Aussie Racing Cars Super Series race of the day, but a mechanical problem ensured he was to retire from the second.
Brendon Madden took second behind Garland, with Ryan Reynolds third ahead of Mason Harvey.
Diesel Thomas took out the Rookie Cup, Shane Mann won the Masters Cup and David Makin secured the Gold Cup.
Garland’s failure to finish the final race of the round allowed Joel Heinrich to win from Rookie Cup victor Caleb Paterson as Madden took third.
Cody Mckay won the Masters Cup and Scott Dornan recovered from a retirement in the previous race to take victory in Gold Cup.
The Shannons SpeedSeries now focuses on Round 5 at Shell V-Power Motorsport Park on 5-7 September.
Categories in attendance will be GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS, Monochrome GT4 Australia, First Focus Radical Cup Australia, Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Australasia and Group S Sports Cars.