GT World Challenge Australia: Evans and Schutte Win Sandown Race 1 for Ferrari

Ferrari emerged victorious in a nail-biting finish to Race 1 of GT World Challenge Australia’s fourth round at Sandown, as Jaxon Evans and Elliott Schutte (#26 Ferrari 296 GT3) held off a fast-charging Audi duo to take the chequered flag by less than three-tenths of a second.

The Am class also delivered fierce competition, with Bart Schoots and Shane Woodman (#16 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO) coming out on top. Full qualifying and race reports follow below.

Saturday Qualifying Results – Sandown Round 4

Qualifying 2 on Saturday set the grid for Race 1, with Jaxon Evans and Elliott Schutte (#26 Ferrari 296 GT3) claiming outright pole for Arise Racing GT thanks to a 1:09.1703 lap.

They edged out Brock Feeney and Brad Schumacher (#888 Audi R8 LMS EVO II) of Kelso Electrical / Team MPC, and Jamie Day and Liam Talbot (#1 Aston Martin AMR GT3), rounding out a tightly matched Pro-Am top three.

In the Am class, Darren Currie and Grant Donaldson (#111 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO) took class pole, ahead of Renee Gracie (#181 Audi R8 LMS EVO II) and the Koundouris brothers (#47 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO).

The sole Trophy Class entry, Paul Stokell and Matthew Stoupas (#24 Audi R8 LMS), qualified 12th outright.

Race 1 Report – GT World Challenge Australia, Sandown

Opening Lap Drama

Brad Schumacher (#888 Audi) ran wide at the start of the race into Turn 1 but managed to rejoin while retaining the lead. Following close behind, Liam Talbot (#1 Aston Martin) and Elliott Schutte (#26 Ferrari) ran side by side, bumping panels through Turns 2, 3, and 4, with Talbot coming out on top to settle into second place.

Early Movers and Safety Car

Renee Gracie (#181 Audi, Am) was the standout in the mid-pack at the start, making her way from 8th to 6th and leading the Am class.

Behind her, a close battle developed between Grant Donaldson (#111 Mercedes, Am) and Mark Rosser (#268 Audi R8 LMS EVO II), lasting until Lap 5 when Rosser, who was running 6th, lost control and became beached at Turn 4.

This triggered a Safety Car period while his car was recovered. He was eventually able to continue, albeit at the rear of the field in 14th.

Restart and Penalties

Positions for the restart were Schumacher (#888 Audi), Talbot (#1 Aston Martin), Steve Brooks (#88 Audi R8 LMS EVO II), and Elliott Schutte (#26 Ferrari).

Due to leaving the track and retaining the lead at Turn 1 on Lap 1, Schumacher was given a 5-second penalty for exceeding track limits.

After the restart on Lap 9, Talbot made contact with the rear of Schumacher’s Audi, causing minor damage to both his front spoiler and Schumacher’s rear diffuser. As a result, Talbot was shown a bad sportsmanship flag as a warning.

Am Class Strategy and Early Pit Stops

Gracie (#181 Audi, Am) continued to lead the Am class with a 1.5-second advantage over Donaldson (#111 Mercedes, Am) until the Am and Trophy Cup (T) pit window opened on Lap 14.

Donaldson, Shane Woodman (#16 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO, Am), Matthew Stoupas (#24 Audi, T), Koundouris (#47 Mercedes, Am) and Gracie were among the first to pit.

Tight Battles Before the Pro-Am Pit Window

By the end of Lap 17, the battle in Pro-Am between Brooks (#88 Audi) and Talbot was intense, with the gap down to just over 0.1 seconds. Brooks considered a move into Turn 1, pulling to the inside on the front straight, but Talbot quickly closed the door.

At the end of Lap 18, the majority of the Pro-Am cars entered the pits during their window. Schumacher (#888 Audi R8) served his 5-second penalty, effectively ending his dominant position at the front of the field.

Driver Changes and Lead Swaps

Following the driver changes, Jamie Day (#1 Aston Martin) became the new race leader.
Lap 20 saw Jaxon Evans (#26 Ferrari) make an overtake at Turn 1 on George King (#55 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO) for second position.

On Lap 22, Darren Currie (#111 Mercedes, Am) lost control at Dandenong Road, with the car left facing the inside wall. He lost a significant amount of time waiting for a safe gap to reverse the car and continue.

Aston Martin Falls Back

In the battle for the lead on Lap 24, Day (#1 Aston Martin) ran wide at Dandenong Road, allowing Evans to take the lead. A few corners later, at Turn 1, Ryan Wood (#88 Audi) also made a move on Day for second place, sending him to third.

The trend continued on Lap 26 as Brock Feeney (#888 Audi) also got past, dropping Day from first to fourth in just three laps. Two laps later, on Lap 28, Day spun, falling further down the order to seventh.

Final Ten Minutes – Tight at the Front

With 10 minutes remaining on Lap 32, the top five were Evans (#26 Ferrari), Wood (#88 Audi), Feeney (#888 Audi), King (#55 Mercedes) and Jordan Love (#77 Ferrari 296 GT3). In the Am class, the leaders were Bart Schoots (#16 Mercedes, Am), Gracie (#181 Audi, Am), Koundouris (#47 Mercedes, Am) and Currie (#111 Mercedes, Am).

With the countdown reaching seven minutes, Wood and Feeney in the Audis were rapidly closing on Evans in the lead, with just over one second covering the top two, and Feeney only 0.7 seconds behind.

By Lap 38, with two minutes and 30 seconds left on the clock, the gap had narrowed to just 0.6 seconds, with Wood on a charge. By Lap 40, it had closed even further to 0.45 seconds, with a pass looking increasingly likely thanks to the slipstream.

Final Lap and Close Finish

As the countdown expired, only 0.19 seconds separated the top two. Wood (#88 Audi) pushed hard, trying to find a way past Evans (#26 Ferrari) heading toward Dandenong Road and onto the final lap.

The last lap saw the pair almost nose to tail down the main straight. Wood attempted a move at Turn 4, but it didn’t work out and left him vulnerable to his teammate Feeney (#888 Audi) heading down the back straight. Wood managed to hold on through the final corners.

The race ended in an extremely close finish, with Jaxon Evans and Elliott Schutte (#26 Ferrari 296 GT3) taking the win, followed just 0.2865 seconds behind by Ryan Wood and Steve Brooks (#88 Audi R8 LMS EVO II), and Brock Feeney and Brad Schumacher (#888 Audi R8 LMS EVO II) rounding out the podium. The top three crossed the line separated by only 0.6967 seconds.

In the Am class, Bart Schoots and Shane Woodman (#16 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO) claimed victory with a ninth-place outright finish, ahead of Renee Gracie (#181 Audi R8 LMS EVO II) in tenth, and James and Theo Koundouris (#47 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO) in eleventh, who completed the class podium.

The full Qualifying & Race Results are provided below.

Saturday Qualifying 2 Results.

Pos	Driver(s) Vehicle Competitor/Team	Class	Laps	Fastest Lap
1	J.Evans/E.Schutte #26 Ferrari 296 GT3 Arise Racing GT	PA	9	1:09.1703*
2	B.Feeney/B.Schumacher #888 Audi R8 LMS EVO ll Kelso Electrical /Team MPC	PA	8	1:09.2852
3	J.Day/L.Talbot #1 Aston Martin AMR GT3 Shannons Volante Rosso M’Sport	PA	9	1:09.4185
4	R.Wood/S.Brooks #88 Audi R8 LMS EVO 11 Wolfbrook /Team MPC	PA	10	1:09.5888
5	G.King/S.Pires #55 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO Geyer Valmont Racing /Tigani	PA	10	1:09.6925
6	D.Currie/G.Donaldson #111 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO 111 Racing Pty Ltd	AM	8	1:09.9096
7	J.Ojeda/P.Lucchitti #66 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO Realta /Tigani Motorsport	PA	10	1:09.9527
8	Renee Gracie (AUS) #181 Audi R8 LMS EVO ll OnlyFans /Team MPC	AM	9	1:10.1150
9	T.Koundouris/J.Koundouris #47 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO Supabarn Supermarkets /Tigani	AM	10	1:10.3349
10	B.Schoots/S.Woodman #16 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO Black Wolf Motorsport	AM	9	1:10.7622
11	L.Holdsworth/M.Cini #9 Audi R8 LMS EVO ll Hallmarc /Team MPC	PA	10	1:10.8903
12	P.Stokell/M.Stoupas #24 Audi R8 LMS KFC /Team MPC	T	9	1:10.9883
13	Stephen Wyatt (AUS) #77 Ferrari 296 GT3 Arise Racing GT	PA	7	1:11.6232

Race 1 (Saturday) Results.

Pos	Driver(s) Vehicle Competitor/Team	Class	Laps	Race Time
1	J.Evans/E.Schutte #26 Ferrari 296 GT3 Arise Racing GT	PA	43	59:37.5
2	R.Wood/S.Brooks #88 Audi R8 LMS EVO 11 Wolfbrook /Team MPC	PA	43	59:37.8
3	B.Feeney/B.Schumacher #888 Audi R8 LMS EVO ll Kelso Electrical /Team MPC	PA	43	59:38.2
4	J.Ojeda/P.Lucchitti #66 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO Realta /Tigani Motorsport	PA	43	59:56.2
5	G.King/S.Pires #55 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO Geyer Valmont Racing /Tigani	PA	43	59:59.7
6	J.Love/S.Wyatt #77 Ferrari 296 GT3 Arise Racing GT	PA	43	1:00:04.2
7	L.Holdsworth/M.Cini #9 Audi R8 LMS EVO ll Hallmarc /Team MPC	PA	43	1:00:09.8
8	J.Day/L.Talbot #1 Aston Martin AMR GT3 Shannons Volante Rosso M’Sport	PA	43	1:00:18.4
9	B.Schoots/S.Woodman #16 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO Black Wolf Motorsport	AM	43	1:00:21.9
10	Renee Gracie (AUS) #181 Audi R8 LMS EVO ll OnlyFans /Team MPC	AM	43	1:00:27.8
11	T.Koundouris/J.Koundouris #47 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO Supabarn Supermarkets /Tigani	AM	43	1:00:39.7
12	P.Stokell/M.Stoupas #24 Audi R8 LMS KFC /Team MPC	T	42	1:00:07.7
13	A.Peroni/M.Rosser #268 Audi R8 LMS EVO ll Team BRM /ACM Finance	PA	42	1:00:15.7
14	D.Currie/G.Donaldson #111 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO 111 Racing Pty Ltd	AM	41	1:00:04.7