Week Wrap – Fanatec GT World Challenge Aus Rd 4
Excitement levels were high as we headed to Mount Panorama for the final round of the Fanatec GT World Challenge powered by AWS. Being our GT debut and first race meeting for the Mercedes AMG GT3 our goal was to learn as much about the car as possible in preparation for an anticipated full campaign in 2022.
We hit the ground running in free practice with Garth topping the AM class timesheets in both sessions and Mike setting a PB as he gained experience in the new machinery. In the first qualifying session Mike found more time setting another PB which set us up to start 4th in AM class and 12th outright. The car was handed over to Garth to Qualify for the second race and we missed out on the class pole by 1 hundredth of a second, however his time still good enough for 5th outright.
Race 1
Mike started Race 1 and was able to hold his own and maintain position, in what was his first experience racing a GT3 car. There was some misfortune for 2 other competitors who got tangled up into the chase which allowed Mike to hand the car over to Garth in 10th position as the mandatory pit stop window opened. Garth charged forward, climbing to 6th overall and was just a few seconds shy of the AM class win when the chequered flag flew.
Race 2
Garth was up first for Race 2, the period before the mandatory pit stops was punctuated by two safety cars, both for incidents at McPhillamy Park. With the pro drivers starting the race this meant Walden could not make use of his speed to build a gap over the competition.
The entire field pitted under the second safety car as the pit window opened, with AM drivers hopping in for those entries with multiple drivers. Mike re-joined the race in ninth and despite being passed by a few faster cars he held his own in the AM class battle further down the order, crafting a few passes of his own and setting his fastest time again to hold 9th outright and secure a further 2nd place AM class finish.
The consecutive 2nd place AM class finishes were good enough to secure a 3rd place in class overall for the round surpassing the goals set for the week.
“It was great to race with some of the experienced guys and tussle with them, when pushed to maintain 2nd in class I did a personal best in the last race and we came away with a trophy so we couldn’t have asked for a better hit out,” said Sheargold.
“We’ve done some test days and this round has helped us gain an understanding of how the car behaves over a race meet. It’s a really stable car and we both felt that. The setup to accommodate both our driving styles worked well; it was a bit of a dress rehearsal for next year so to come away with a trophy is a good week,” concluded Walden.