Australian GT: A podium and more valuable points for the Equity-One team

Equity-One Motorsport Press Release

After the disappointment of Phillip Island, the Equity-One Motorsport team of Dean Koutsoumidis and James Winslow have put their Trophy Class championship assault back on track after three strong results on the streets of Townsville, the first time either driver had seen the popular V8 Supercar venue.

It had been a busy six weeks since the frustrations of Phillip Island where team-boss Koutsoumidis was unceremoniously dumped off the circuit mid-race and hard into an earth embankment necessitating a fairly major front-end rebuild.

“The Melbourne Performance Centre [MPC] team though did a sterling job and had the car ready to go inside a month,” Koutsoumidis explained. “We weren’t able to shake the car down before Townsville, but it was faultless in opening practice.”

Just two weeks after the Phillip Island round, Koutsoumidis joined Winslow at the 24 Hours of Le Mans for his team-mate’s prototype debut in the LMP2 class. Despite a string of challenges including technical and mechanical issues and a crash by his team-mate which limited qualifying time, Winslow drove brilliantly to be one of the fastest LMP2 cars on track during his opening session in the car, but sadly another crash in changeable conditions eliminated the car just after the two hour mark.

Winslow though had done enough to attract the eye of rival teams and the two-time Australian Formula 3 champion was quickly on the radar for a number of top teams as planning begins ahead of the 2015 event.

Whilst clearly pumped to have shown just how quick he is on a big international stage, Winslow’s focus soon returned to Australian GT and on gaining some more valuable points on the teams Trophy class rivals.

“Le Mans was exceptional, and I’m already planning next year, but right now, Dean and I have a championship to win,” he admitted matter-of-factly.

The opening round winners were quick through practice, but the opening session was held on a slippery ‘green’ surface which gave no real indication of their true pace, however by session two they were sixth and leading Trophy class car.

Qualifying saw Koutsoumidis kick off the session on new rubber, before Winslow jumped back behind the wheel at the end of the session, the Englishman shaving almost a full second off his practice best to claim a fourth row start, two spots back from team-mate Nathan Antunes in the Rod Salmon Audi.. it was game on!

“I didn’t get a perfect run in the end,” Winslow admitted afterwards. “There’s a lot of traffic out there - I was up four tenths on Antunes through the first couple of sectors, but then hit traffic. We’re in a good position strategically though having to stop five seconds less than Rod and Nathan during our compulsory pit stop [CPS], so as along as we keep them in sight, we’ll be right there.”

Koutsoumidis started the opening race on Saturday morning, the 2012 Trophy class champion hanging on to Salmon early despite dropping a position to Phillip Island round winner Theo Koundouris.

As the compulsory pit stop window opened, Koutsoumidis pitted to hand over to Winslow, whilst much of the field stayed out, ultimately taking advantage of a Safety Car period for MPC team-mates John Magro and Steve McLaughlan who had made heavy contact with the wall at turn one on lap 18.

By the time the Safety Car had picked up the leader towards the end of the 13-minute interlude, the #71 Equity-One Audi was a lap down on the leader, negating any chance of a battle for position with their Trophy class rivals, Winslow ultimately crossing the line in tenth place.

“That was frustrating, but what can you do,” Koutsoumidis lamented post-race.

Winslow was back behind the wheel in the cool morning air of Sunday morning’s second race, and quickly through onto the tail of Antunes in the Skwirk Audi, pitting from fifth position to hand over to Koutsoumidis who stayed out of trouble to record an eighth placed finish and second in class. Whilst there was no victory, Winslow did set the fastest Trophy class lap, and the sixth fastest lap of the race.

“The pace was good, but Dean got caught up in traffic and played it safe and clean because at the end of the day, the only way to build a championship is to score points regularly, so there was nothing to gain by risking the car and a potential DNF,” Winslow explained.

Koutsoumidis started the final 40-minute race, but he was quickly swamped off the line as some of the outright cars came through the field from the rear after suffering failures during race two. He held on to the tail of the top ten before pitting to hand the car back to Winslow, and whilst he was again one of the fastest cars on the circuit and managed to pull Antunes in ahead of him across the closing laps of the race, the Equity One team was once more forced to settle for second in class and eighth outright.

“We wanted the win, no question,” Koutsoumidis admitted post-event. “But we also needed some solid points to put our championship back on track after the disappointment of Phillip Island, and we achieved just that.

“There’s still a long way to go, and we’re heading to some circuits where we know we’re quick - Eastern Creek and Sandown where we’ve won already - so we’ve just got to keep pushing. James drove brilliantly again, and the car was flawless, so we’ll press on and take the fight to our team-mates and rivals in Sydney!”

The fourth round of the championship will be held at Sydney Motorsport Park on 22-24 August, again alongside the V8 Supercars with two 30-minute races, and one 60-minute race.

Keep up to date with further details from the Equity-One Motorsport race team by visiting; www.facebook.com/EquityOneMotorsport

Rnd#3 - 2014 Australian GT Championship presented by Pirelli

Townsville - Qualifying (4 July)

1. Justin McMillan/Steve Richards (GT - Gallardo FL2 GT3) - 1:12.3325R
2. Klark Quinn (GT - McLaren MP4-12C) - 1:12.7373
3. John Bowe/Tony D’Alberto (GT - Ferrari 458 Italia GT3) - 1:12.8230
4. Richard Muscat (GT - SLS AMG GT3) - 1:13.0737
5. Tony Quinn (GT - Aston Martin Vantage GT3) - 1:13.5273
6. Rod Salmon/Nathan Antunes (GTT - Audi R8 LMS GT3) - 1:14.0535

7. James Koundouris/Steve Owen (GT - Porsche GT3-R) - 1:14.3171
8. Dean Koutsoumidis/James Winslow (GTT - Audi R8 LMS GT3) - 1:14.7653
9. Jan Jinadasa/Daniel Gaunt (GTT - Lamborghini Gallardo LP520) - 1:14.8057

10. Ockert Fourie/John Magro (GTT - Audi R8 LMS GT3) - 1:15.6806

Race#1 - 40-minutes (5 July)

1. Klark Quinn (GT - McLaren MP4-12C) - 25-laps
2. Richard Muscat (GT - SLS AMG GT3)
3. Tony Quinn (GT - Aston Martin Vantage GT3)
4. James Koundouris (GT - Porsche GT3-R)
5. Justin McMillan/Steve Richards (GT - Gallardo FL2 GT3)
6. Rod Salmon/Nathan Antunes (GTT - Audi R8 LMS GT3)

7. Michael Hovey (GTT - Porsche Type 997 GT3 Cup)
8. Theo Koundouris (GTT - Porsche 997 Cup-S)
9. Ross Lilley (GT - Gallardo FL2 GT3)

10. Dean Koutsoumidis/James Winslow (GTT - Audi R8 LMS GT3) - 24-laps


Race#2 - 40-minutes (6 July)

1. John Bowe/Tony D’Alberto (GT - Ferrari 458 Italia GT3) - 29-laps
2. Tony Quinn (GT - Aston Martin Vantage GT3)
3. Richard Muscat (GT - SLS AMG GT3)
4. Justin McMillan/Steve Richards (GT - Gallardo FL2 GT3)
5. Rod Salmon/Nathan Antunes (GTT - Audi R8 LMS GT3)

6. Ross Lilley (GT - Gallardo FL2 GT3)

7. Andrew MacPherson (GT - Porsche 997 GT3-R)

8. Dean Koutsoumidis/James Winslow (GTT - Audi R8 LMS GT3) - 28-laps
9. Michael Hovey (GTT - Porsche Type 997 GT3 Cup)
10. Jan Jinadasa/Daniel Gaunt (GTT - Lamborghini Gallardo LP520)

Race#3 - 40-minutes (6 July)

1. Richard Muscat (GT - SLS AMG GT3) - 30-laps
2. John Bowe/Tony D’Alberto (GT - Ferrari 458 Italia GT3)
3. Tony Quinn (GT - Aston Martin Vantage GT3)
4. Klark Quinn (GT - McLaren MP4-12C)
5. Justin McMillan/Steve Richards (GT - Gallardo FL2 GT3)
6. James Koundouris (GT - Porsche GT3-R)
7. Rod Salmon/Nathan Antunes (GTT - Audi R8 LMS GT3)

8. Dean Koutsoumidis/James Winslow (GTT - Audi R8 LMS GT3) - 29-laps
9. Andrew MacPherson (GT - Porsche 997 GT3-R)

10. Theo Koundouris (GTT - Porsche 997 Cup-S)

2014 Australian GT Championship presented by Pirelli

GT Trophy points (after round three of six)
1. Rod Salmon (278 points), 2. Dean Koutsoumidis/James Winslow (216), 3. Nathan Antunes (210), 4. Theo Koundouris (201), 5. Michael Hovey (172), 6. Jan Jinadasa/Daniel Gaunt (155), 7. Steve McLaughlan (97), 8. Simon Ellingham (95), 9. Indiran Padayachee (70), 9. Dale Paterson (70), 10. Liam Talbot (68), 11. Ben Eggleston (56), 12. Sam Power (52), 13. Andrew MacPherson (44), 15. Keith Kassulke (33), 16. Matt Campbell (33), 17. Ockert Fourie/John Magro (31), 18. Jono Lester (29), 19. Peter Conroy/Dean Grant (18), 20. Duvashen Padayachee (16), 21. Warren Luff (10)


2014 Australian GT Championship presented by Pirelli

Rnd#1 - 28-30 March, Sandown, Melbourne, Victoria
(2x 60-minute races - The Nationals)

Rnd#2 - 23-25 May, Phillip Island, Victoria
(101-lap race - The Nationals)

Rnd#3 - 4-6 July, Townsville, Queensland
(3x 40-minute races - V8 Supercars)

Rnd#4 - 22-24 August, Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW
(2x 30-minute, 1x 60-minute races - V8 Supercars)

Rnd#5 - 12-14 September, Sandown, Melbourne, Victoria
(3x 40-minute races - V8 Supercars)

Rnd#6 - 7-9 November, Highlands Motorsport Park, Cromwell, NZ

(2x 40-min races + 101-lap non-championship feature race)

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Photo credit: Equity-One Motorsport

Australian GT: Equity-One Motorsport testing Audi R8 LMS at Phillip Island

By Johan Laubscher

Equity-One Motorsport were out testing at Phillip Island on Wednesday.

The #71 Equity-One R8 LMS, run by Melbourne Performance Centre, is currently leading the Australian GT Champion GT Trophy class points standings with drivers Dean Koutsoumidis and James Winslow.

Both drivers were present for the testing with very good pace on Wednesday.

Round two of the Australian GT will be heading to Phillip Island, May 24-25.

Photo credit: Equity-One Motorsport

PHOTOS: Audi teams in Australian GT round 1 at Sandown

Photos featuring the Audi teams in Australian GT round 1 at Sandown

Photo credit: Australian GT

Australian GT: Overall 1-2-3 MPC Audi R8 LMS results at Sandown

By Johan Laubscher

Sandown Raceway hosted the opening round of the 2014 Australian GT Championship. Three Audi R8 LMS cars were entered in the GT Trophy class and scored very good results this weekend.

The three Audi R8 LMS cars were entered in the GT Trophy class this weekend, all of them run by Melbourne Performance Centre.

The first Audi was that of reigning GT Trophy champion, Steve McLaughlan, who was driving the #75 JAMEC PEM Audi R8 LMS. Dean Koutsoumidis and James Winslow were sharing the #71 Equity-One Motorsport Audi R8 LMS. The third Audi was the #6 Skwirk.com.au Audi R8 LMS of Rod Salmon, who was driving this R8 LMS whilst his primary Audi R8 LMS ultra is being repaired, following the qualifying crash at Bathurst. He is leasing the R8 LMS from Peter Conroy. Salmon was sharing the #6 R8 LMS with Liam Talbot.

Equity-One Motorsport took the GT Trophy class pole position with their #71 R8 LMS and backed that up by finishing third in class during race one. Steve McLaughlan finished second in class with his #75 R8 LMS and the #6 R8 LMS was fourth.

The second one-hour race was held on Sunday. Equity-One Motorsport emerged in second position within the GT Trophy class, with Dean Koutsoumidis and James Winslow in the #71 Audi R8 LMS. The #75 Audi R8 LMS was third in class and the #6 R8 LMS in fourth.

The weekend’s results were enough to ensure that the three MPC run Audi R8 LMS cars are currently occupying the top three positions in the GT Trophy Championship points standings. Dean Koutsoumidis and James Winslow are jointly leading the championship alongside Steve McLaughlan, all on 77 points. Rod Salmon and Liam Talbot are lying third with 60 points.

The next round of the Australian GT Championship will be held at Phillip Island from 23-25 May.

Photo credit: 

Equity-One Motorsport

Melbourne Performance Centre

Australian GT: Winslow set for Le Mans and Australian GT!‏

Equity-One Motorsport Press Release

Winslow set for Le Mans and Australian GT!

Equity-One Motorsport Audi R8 LMS GT3
2014 Porsche Carrera Cup Australia

Dual Australian Formula 3 champion James Winslow looks all but set to realise a dream and make his 2014 Le Mans debut this June, the Australian-based British driver in the final stages of a negotiation that will also see him complete the full Australian GT Championship presented by Pirelli season and quite possibly select rounds of the emerging Asian Le Mans Series.

Courtesy of his success in Asian Le Mans in 2013, Winslow was in the box seat heading into the final round of the championship at Sepang [Malaysia], but fell two agonising points short of the LMP2 crown with Hong Kong-based KCMG and a guaranteed start in the 2014 24 Hours of Le Mans. Sadly broken rear suspension in the dying stages of the race meant that reigning Le Mans champions Oak Racing took the victory.

For 2014 KCMG have confirmed entries in both the FIA World Endurance Championship and Le Mans, and whilst not confirming its complete driver lineup, Winslow’s name has been mentioned as part of the program, although the popular Englishman has confirmed he has more than one option.

“It’s hard work keeping your name in front of the people that make the decisions, but obviously what I’ve done here in Australia and coming so close to winning Asian Le Mans last year in my first season in a prototype hasn’t gone without notice, so I’m getting plenty of return phone calls about Le Mans, which is nice,” he admitted.

“I’d say I’m 99% confirmed to be in a seat, it’s just a matter of which one, but I can’t wait to be honest. I’ve been lucky enough to drive at some amazing events over my career including at F1 and the Indy 500, but Le Mans is a dream I’ve had since the start of my career.”

And Winslow isn’t the only one that will get to realise a long held dream…

“Dean Koutsoumidis is a fantastic supporter of mine and has been for a while now, and he was almost as devastated as I was when I missed out on the guaranteed Le Mans start this year. He’d said from the start that his goal was to be there right alongside me at Le Mans as part of a team - not to drive, but to be a part of the atmosphere. It’s fantastic having someone like Dean support me. For him - like me - motorsport is a passion, so to have him so heavily involved is fantastic because the association is about so much more than just the result.

“I felt too that without the confirmation of a Le Mans drive earlier in the year that the best thing I could do to thank him for all his support was to offer some assistance with his Australian GT and Carrera Cup commitments this year, and before I knew it, I was drafted into the team to join him for the six round Australian GT season.”

 “Two years ago Andrew McInnes and I won the Australian GT Trophy Class in the Equity-One Lamborghini Gallardo,” Koutsoumidis reflected. “We bought the Audi R8 at the end of that season to have an attack on the outright championship last year and we did pretty well - we were holding down third heading into New Zealand’s season final. The option was there to upgrade [the car] for this year, but we thought we’d leave the car as it was in 2011 LMS-spec and go after the Trophy class title again this year, but all of a sudden there’s a group of guys dropping back to try and steal our thunder. 

“That prompted me into action and I knew I needed a ‘Pro’ driver, so given James and I have been working together to support his career over the last six months or so, I thought I’d talk to him and hey presto, we’re ready to go.

“In the interim the Le Mans thing has come back on-line too, and I’ve decided to ‘dabble’ in Carrera Cup and James is going to assist me as a driver coach in that too so that I can enjoy that snap last-minute decision I made.”

Koutsoumidis decided at the eleventh hour to purchase one of the new Type 991 Carrera Cup cars, the Victorian making his debut at the recent Clipsal 500.

“That was an initiation of fire I can tell you,” Koutsoumidis laughed.

“It’s a very different car to drive than the Audi, so I got caught a couple of times getting on the gas too early and spinning. It was frustrating because I had the pace to be with some of the other ‘Elite’ drivers, and actually raced in amongst them, but I’m a little frustrated that I couldn’t compete head-to-head with them across the whole race weekend. In reality it’s very different to AGT and it was my first real effort and I wasn’t far off, so I had a pretty good time, but I’ll be looking to step things up for the Grand Prix next week so look out!”

For Winslow his season is starting to take shape and it may even see a return to the Asian Le Mans Series, for which he is keen to make amends for falling just short last year.

“Having spent a large part of the last eight years in Asia, I have a good contact base over there, so not only have I been working on driver training programs in Asia, but I’ve also been talking to a variety of teams about joining the Asian Le Mans Series again, which is really gaining momentum,” he explained.

“In the end it could be a very busy year. I’m itching to get to Le Mans, and I’m really looking forward to helping Dean claim the GT Trophy title again, so whatever happens, I’ll have plenty on my plate!”

2014 Australian GT Championship presented by Pirelli
Rnd#1 - March 28-30, Sandown, Victoria (Nationals) - 2x 60-minute
Rnd#2 - May 23-25, Phillip Island, Victoria (Nationals) - 101-laps
Rnd#3 - 4-6 July, Townsville, Queensland (V8 Supercars) - 3x 40-minute
Rnd#4 - August 22-24, Sydney Motorsport Park (V8 Supercars) - 2x 30-min, 1x 60-min
Rnd#5 - September 12-14, Sandown 500, Victoria (V8 Supercars) - 3x 40-minute
Rnd#6 - November 7-9, Highlands Motorsport Park (NZ) - 101-laps

James Winslow

Nationality: British
DOB: 16 April, 1983

2004 - British Formula 3 Champion (National Class)
2006 - Asian Formula 3 Champion
2007 - Formula V6 Asia Champion
2008 - Australian Formula 3 Champion
2009 - A1 Grand Prix (Team Great Britain)
2010 - Firestone Indy Lights (Sam Schmidt Motorsports)
2011 - Indy Lights (Andretti Autosport)
2012 - Australian Formula 3 Champion
2013 - Asian Le Mans Series (KCMG - LMP2)

-------------------------------------------------------------

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Photo credit: Melbourne Performance Centre

Bathurst 12 Hour: Tough day at the office for the Equity-One team at Bathurst‏

Equity-One Motorsport Press Release

Tough day at the office for the Equity-One team at Bathurst

2014 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12-Hour
Mount Panorama, Bathurst, NSW (February 7-9)

After one of the most incredible races in Australian motorsport history, the Equity-One Motorsport Class B Audi R8 has emerged from the madness to claim a sixth-placed finish in class and fourteenth outright on a day where they were forced to run well below par after an early performance issue drained them of significant horsepower.

“What can you do,” team-boss Dean Koutsoumidis shrugged post-race. “I had to make a decision whether to park the car or do the best with what we had. We tried a couple of things but we couldn’t fix the problem. I decided we would keep going despite being down on power and not able to fight for the category B podium. It was disappointing but better than the car being on the trailer before the end of the day.”

The day had started perfectly, former V8 Supercar regular Dean Fiore starting the car in the dawn light at 6:15am, the West Australian forging through the field to be on the tail of the top five before his first stop.

Dean Koutsoumidis was next in, and he continued to punch out laps in the 12s and 13s, some five seconds a lap faster than he had been in 2013. “I think the time I spent driving the Radical around here this weekend really helped [Koutsoumidis also entered the Radical support category to earn more valuable miles around Mount Panorama]. It’s funny, they say that the faster you go in these aero cars, the slower everything feels, and I think I finally reached that mark. After the car lost power, it was just so busy, but when you really make the aero and the grip work, it’s so easy..”

“Dean Grant was next in, but part way through his opening stint the experienced sportscar campaigner noticed that something wasn’t right. “He felt the car was losing power, so to his credit he bought it straight in,” Equity-One’s Andrew McInnes explained.

“They couldn’t find anything initially, so he went out again, but came back in and the team did some diagnostics, where the data showed a problem with cylinder five which appeared to be an electrical coil. We replaced it, but it didn’t seem to help, so we had to make a call about whether we continued on, or pull the car out. In the end it made the finish, but after that it wasn’t pretty.”

Sadly it was ‘fait-accompli’ from that point, but all four drivers pressed on, ultimately claiming fourteenth at the close of the 12-Hour endure, with 271-laps credited to the team.

Dean Fiore, Dean Grant and Michael Loccisano all shared the driving duties with the boss and were consistent all day producing an impressive performance from a car that was giving away a lot of horsepower to its rivals. 

“I think all the boys have done good job and despite the disappointment we had a good day,” Koutsoumidis shrugged. “There’s always next year!”

Race [12-Hours] (Mount Panorama, Bathurst - 9 February)      

01. 88. Edwards/Bowe/Lowndes/Salo (Ferrari 458 Italia GT3) - 296-laps

02. 84.  Jaeger/Primat/Buhk (Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3) - 296-laps

03. 63. Davison/Le Brocq/Crick (Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3) - 296-laps

04. 37. Quinn/Quinn/Kirkaldy/Van Gisbergen (McLaren MP4-12C) - 296-laps

05. 3.  Frey/Rast/Vanthoor (Audi R8 LMS ultra) - 296-laps

06. 25. Patterson/Lux/Winkelhock (Audi R8 LMS ultra) - 294-laps

07. 1.  Schneider/Engel/Bastian (Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3) - 291-laps

08. 4.  Grove/Bamber/Barker (Porsche 997 GT3 Cup - B) - 286-laps

09. 12. Calvert-Jones/Davison/Long (Porsche 997 GT3 Cup - B) - 284-laps

10. 9.  Cini/Eddy/Mies (Audi R8 LMS ultra) - 278-laps

14. 71. Koutsoumidis/Grant/Fiore/Loccisano (Audi R8 LMS - B) - 271-laps 

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Bathurst 12 Hour: Solid top ten results for the Audi teams

By Johan Laubscher

The 2014 Bathurst 12 Hour proved to be another very exciting race and concluded with three Audi R8 LMS ultra cars within the overall top ten.

Six Audis were entered in the event. Four of the six Audis were entered in Class A GT3 Outright, a class for the newer GT3 machinery. The two remaining Audis were in Class B GT3, for older GT3 cars.

Four Audi R8 LMS ultra cars were taking part in Class A. Phoenix Racing fielded the only 2013 specification Audi R8 LMS ultra in the race. Three 2012 specification cars were fielded by United Autosports (x1) and Melbourne Performance Centre (x2). MPC fielded the cars for their customers: Rod Salmon and Mark Eddy / Marc Cini.

Phoenix Racing entrusted their #3 R8 LMS ultra to Rahel Frey, René Rast and Laurens Vanthoor. United Autosports had Markus Winkelhock, Mark Patterson and Eric Lux behind the wheel of their #25 R8 LMS ultra. Melbourne Performance Centre’s two Audi R8 LMS ultra cars saw Mark Eddy, Marc Cini and Christopher Mies in the #9 Audi, and Rod Salmon, Warren Luff, Jason Bright and Liam Talbot in the #5 Audi.

Class B saw the participation of two older 2011 specification Audi R8 LMS cars. Rotek Racing (Peter Conroy Motorsport) ran with a R8 LMS for the first time and they were joined by Equity-One Motorsport (MPC) and their R8 LMS. Rotek Racing’s driver line-up included Oliver Gavin, Rob Huff, Richard Meins and Kevin Gleason, and Equity-One Motorsport with Dean Koutsoumidis, Dean Fiore, Dean Grant and Michael Loccisano.

Proceedings kicked off with four practice sessions on Thursday and three qualifying sessions on Friday. The first qualifying session was overshadowed by two red flag periods, one of which was caused by the #5 MPC Audi R8 LMS ultra. Jason Bright suffered a heavy crash and the car was withdrawn from the weekend. Fortunately Jason Bright was unharmed and has been cleared from the hospital. He stated via his official Facebook page: “Gutted for the rest of the Sqwirk team. @WazzaLuff , Rod Salmon, Liam Talbot and the guys at Melbourne Performance Centre.” The #5 Audi R8 LMS ultra of Rod Salmon, Warren Luff, Jason Bright and Liam Talbot did not take part in the race due to the sustained damage of the car, despite qualifying thirty-first with their lap time before the crash during the session.

The final combined qualifying results were highlighted by an Audi one-two in Class B. Rotek Racing (Peter Conroy Motorsport) took pole position and fourteenth overall with the #14 R8 LMS. Equity-One Motorsport took second position in Class B and fifteenth overall with the #71 R8 LMS.

The remaining three Audi R8 LMS ultra cars (Class A) all placed within the overall top ten, in positions seven through nine. The leading Audi on the grid was the #9 MPC Audi, ahead of the #3 Phoenix Racing R8 LMS ultra and the #25 United Autosports R8 LMS ultra in ninth.

An early morning 06:15 start greeted the teams on for a very exciting race on Sunday morning. The five Audi R8 LMS and ultra cars ran well and began moving forward through the field. A number of issues then began dropping the Audi runners back during the long twelve hour race. Phoenix Racing emerged as the highest Audi runner, running in the top half of the top ten, followed by the Audi R8 LMS ultra cars from MPC and United Autosports in the lower half.

Both of the front running Class B Audis suffered technical issues. Rotek Racing retired and Equity-One Motorsport were forced to slow their pace and nurse the car home, finishing sixth in class and fourteenth overall.

The Class A Audis soldiered on to the end and all three finished within the top ten. Phoenix Racing finished fifth after a safety car period during the closing stages. They finished ahead of United Autosports in sixth and Melbourne Performance Centre (#9) in tenth.

The race was won by the #88 Maranello Motorsport Ferrari 458 Italia GT3, ahead of the #84 HTP Motorsport Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 and the #63 Erebus Motorsport Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3.

Photo credit: Jarryd98 on twitter [Jarryd Bermingham]

Bathurst 12 Hour: Class B 1-2 pole position and top ten places in Class A for the Audi teams

By Johan Laubscher

The Bathurst 12 Hour weekend is well underway. Four practice sessions kicked off proceedings yesterday and three qualifying sessions today determined the grid for tomorrow’s twelve hour endurance race at Mount Panorama.

The first qualifying session was overshadowed by two red flag periods, one of which was caused by the #5 MPC Audi R8 LMS ultra. Jason Bright suffered a heavy crash and the car has been withdrawn from the weekend. Fortunately Jason Bright is unharmed and has been cleared from the hospital. He stated via his official Facebook page: “Gutted for the rest of the Sqwirk team. @WazzaLuff , Rod Salmon, Liam Talbot and the guys at Melbourne Performance Centre.” The #5 Audi R8 LMS ultra of Rod Salmon, Warren Luff, Jason Bright and Liam Talbot will not be taking part in the race due to the sustained damage of the car, despite qualifying thirty-first with their lap time before the crash during the session.

The final combined qualifying results were highlighted by an Audi one-two in Class B. Rotek Racing (Peter Conroy Motorsport) took pole position and fourteenth overall with the #14 R8 LMS of Oliver Gavin, Rob Huff, Richard Meins and Kevin Gleason. Equity-One Motorsport took second position in Class B and fifteenth overall with the #71 R8 LMS of Dean Koutsoumidis, Dean Fiore, Dean Grant and Michael Loccisano.

The remaining three Audi R8 LMS ultra cars (Class A) all placed within the overall top ten, in positions seven through nine. The leading Audi on the grid was the #9 MPC Audi R8 LMS ultra of Mark Eddy, Marc Cini and Christopher Mies in seventh. In eighth was the #3 Phoenix Racing R8 LMS ultra of Rahel Frey, René Rast and Laurens Vanthoor. Rounding out the Class A Audis was the #25 United Autosports R8 LMS ultra in ninth, the car driven by Markus Winkelhock, Mark Patterson and Eric Lux.

The five Audi R8 LMS and ultra cars will be lining up for the start of the 2014 Bathurst 12 Hour at 06:15 local time tomorrow morning. Thankfully Jason Bright has been cleared from hospital following his heavy crash today. We wish the best of luck to the Audi participants for the big race tomorrow.   

Photo credit: Audi Communications - Motorsport

Bathurst 12 Hour: Audis placed well during practice on day one

By Johan Laubscher

The 2014 Bathurst 12 Hour track action got underway with four practice sessions on Thursday. Six Audi R8 LMS and ultra cars, fielded by four different teams, will be tackling Mount Panoramathis weekend.

Four of the six Audis are entered in Class A GT3 Outright, a class for the newer GT3 machinery. The two remaining Audis are in Class B GT3, for older GT3 cars.

Four Audi R8 LMS ultra cars are taking part in Class A. Phoenix Racing is fielding the only 2013 specification Audi R8 LMS ultra in the race. Three 2012 specification cars are being fielded by United Autosports (x1) and Melbourne Performance Centre (x2). MPC is fielding the cars for their customers: Rod Salmon and Mark Eddy / Marc Cini.

Phoenix Racing is entrusting their #3 R8 LMS ultra to Rahel Frey, René Rast and Laurens Vanthoor. United Autosports has Markus Winkelhock, Mark Patterson and Eric Lux behind the wheel of their #25 R8 LMS ultra. Melbourne Performance Centre’s two Audi R8 LMS ultra cars will see Mark Eddy, Marc Cini and Christopher Mies in the #9 Audi, and Rod Salmon, Warren Luff, Jason Bright and Liam Talbot in the #5 Audi.

Class B will see the participation of two older 2011 specification Audi R8 LMS cars. Rotek Racing (Peter Conroy Motorsport) will be running with a R8 LMS for the first time and they will be joined by Equity-One Motorsport (MPC) and their R8 LMS. Rotek Racing’s driver line-up includes Oliver Gavin, Rob Huff, Richard Meins and Kevin Gleason, and Equity-One Motorsport with Dean Koutsoumidis, Dean Fiore, Dean Grant and Michael Loccisano.

The first practice session was for Classes C, D, F and I. The GT3 cars from Classes A and B hit the track during the second session. Two Audis made it into the top ten during that session, the #9 MPC car in fifth and the #3 Phoenix Racing car in tenth. Rotek Racing were twelfth fastest overall, second in Class B. The #5 MPC Audi was thirteenth, United Autosports #25 sixteenth and Equity-One Motorsport #71 in twenty-fifth.

The third session saw the Audis moving even closer to the front. Phoenix Racing #3 was second fastest, ahead of the MPC #9 in fourth. United Autosports #25 was seventh and MPC #5 in ninth, rounding out four Audis within the overall top ten. Rotek Racing #14 was thirteenth and fastest in Class B. Equity-One Motorsport #71 was nineteenth.

The fourth and final practice session of the day concluded with two Audis inside of the overall top ten. Phoenix Racing #3 was sixth fastest, followed by United Autosports #25 in ninth. MPC’s two Audi R8 LMS ultra cars finished together in fourteenth and fifteenth, the #5 ahead of #9. The two Class B Audis placed just outside of the overall top twenty, with Equity-One Motorsport #71 twenty-first fastest and Rotek Racing #14 twenty-second fastest. 

Three qualifying sessions will be taking place tomorrow and the race itself will kick off early on Sunday morning. 

Photo credit: Audi Communications - Motorsport

Bathurst 12 Hour: Three ‘old stagers’ and a bloke who’s driven a V8.. - Equity-One Motorsport

Equity-One Motorsport Press Release

Three ‘old stagers’ and a bloke who’s driven a V8..
Equity-One Motorsport Audi R8 LMS GT3
2014 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12-Hour
Mount Panorama, Bathurst (7-9 February)

At least that’s the way Dean Koutsoumidis, Dean Grant and Michael Loccisano are looking at the forthcoming Bathurst 12-Hour, all three admitting they’re just going to circulate and keep out of trouble, and leave the podium assault to ‘new’ recruit, V8 Supercar regular  Dean Fiore..

“I don’t know about that,” Fiore admitted.. “All these guys are pretty handy in their own right, and all of them have done miles around Bathurst, so I don’t think I’ll be doing all the hard work, but that said, I think we can be super-competitive, not just in Class B, but potentially outright..!”

He has a point too, the #71 Equity-One Audi R8 LMS GT3 ran strongly during the 2013 Bathurst 12-Hour with car-owner Koutsoumidis and his regular Australian GT partner Andrew McInnes joined by dual Bathurst 12-Hour champion Darryl O’Young, and GT part-timer Simon Middleton.

Classified fifth after the first hour, the quartet finished the 12-Hour race inside the top ten, a position which could have been higher had they not been caught wrong-footed with the Safety Car and by the late race inclement weather.

“We know the car is good, so that’s a no brainer, but what we don’t know is just how competitive our opposition in Class B will be,” Koutsoumidis admitted. “There’s some good names entering the class, drivers with global GT experience, so it’s going to be a tough battle, perhaps just as tough as the fight for outright positions.”

For 2014 Koutsoumidis elected to stay with a local team, and with Grant left without a position in the Eddy/Cini/Mies Audi he campaigned in 2013, and Loccisano keen to take it to his long-time rival Marc Cini, the logical choice was for the trio to team up, but when it came time to fine a ‘hired gun’, Koutsoumidis’ new co-drivers had just one name in mind..

“I’d actually never had much to do with Dean Fiore before,” he admitted, “but when the boys suggested they’d like to bring him on board - knowing his credentials - I thought why not.

“We all tested at Winton and got along famously. Sadly Dean Fiore had a virus that day so got little time in the car, but a driver of his caliber won’t take long to get up to speed. The rest of us were within tenths of each other, so I think we’ll make a formidable team.”

“I’m rapt to have been invited to join the team,” Fiore admitted. “I’m a racing driver, so I like to race good cars on good circuits, and I can tell you after the brief session I did in the Audi at Winton, it’s a good car, and Bathurst, well, what can you say..?

“Obviously I love Mount Panorama, and it’s also a circuit I’ve enjoyed a fair bit of success at over the years in a GT-style car.. the last time I was there in Carrera Cup [2008] I won all three races over the weekend. Okay, so we may not have the pace to battle the outright cars, but this is an endurance race, and the important thing is to stay out of trouble and be there in the end.

“For one, I can’t wait!”

And whilst they haven’t raced together previously, Grant and Loccisano have locked horns with Koutsoumidis in the past, in either Australian GT, or in the various Porsche categories, so it was almost pre-determined that the three ‘veteran’ Victorians would line up alongside one-another for the 12-Hour.

“There’s plenty at stake,” Michael Loccisano admitted. “I’ve got a few bets to settle with Carrera Cup team-mate and rival Marc Cini..  They’re in the outright class, and are already grizzling about their performance disadvantages.. I think we have them worried..”

Dean Grant who formed a part of the same Melbourne Performance Centre run Cini/Eddy/Mies team in 2013 admitted too that he enjoyed his time in the Audi, but wasn’t finished with the Audi or with Bathurst. “I’m enjoying this whole arrive and drive thing,” he laughed referring to his long years as a car-owner and competitor in GT. “I had a great time last year, but the boys (Cini/Eddy) wanted to do more laps themselves this year, so only wanted the three drivers. I was busy with work so wasn’t sure if I could commit, but I’m good to go now, and happy to be back in a car I really enjoyed last year.

“We may not be outright performers, but we’ll be going after the Class B podium, and from there, we’ll just see where we are in the final hour. That might be when we send Dean Fiore out with a mission and just sit back and watch..!

“So it’s the Triple D’s and a bloke called Mike, that’s us for 2014, just a bunch of guys out to have a good time!”

2014 Bathurst Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12-Hour
Timetable;

Friday, February 7
Practice #1 (Class A-B): 8:55am (1-Hour)
Practice #2 (All Classes): 1:05pm (1-Hour)
Practice #3 (All Classes): 4:15pm (1-Hour)

Saturday, February 8
Qualifying #1 (All Classes): 9:00am (1-Hour)
Qualifying #2 (All Classes): 1:30pm (40-minutes)
Qualifying #3 (Class A): 2:20pm (15-minutes)

Sunday, February 9
Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12-Hour: 6:15am (12-Hours)

Event coverage;
Details of the live-streaming and event television coverage will be released once they come to hand, but will include;

• live webcast of the event (including commentary from Radio Le Mans)
• FM coverage at the event (87.8FM)
• post-produced coverage of the event on SBS with replays on SPEED TV (Foxtel)

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Equity-One Motorsport is proudly supported by Equity-One Mortgage Fund, Hallmark, VodkoO and Melbourne Performance Centre.

www.equity-one-motorsport.com
www.facebook.com/EquityOneMotorsport

Photo credit: Melbourne Performance Centre

Australian GT: Success for MPC in New Zealand‏

Melbourne Performance Centre Press Release

Success for MPC in New Zealand
Rnd#6 2013 Australian GT Championship presented by Pirelli
Highlands Motorsport Park, Cromwell, NZ
8-10 November, 2013

Heading into the final round of the 2013 Australian GT Championship presented by Pirelli at the impressive new Highlands Motorsport Park circuit in New Zealand, the Melbourne Performance Centre team had a dilemma on their hands. Both of their Audi teams were in a position to claim the final step of the championship podium, although despite proving to be the stronger outfit during the early rounds of the season, Rod Salmon had lost his points lead to Dean Koutsoumidis last time out in Queensland and both teams had arrived ready for action.

For Salmon, he was once again joined by rising star Liam Talbot, whilst for Koutsoumidis he was back with long-time co-driver Andrew McInnes, and both teams were hungry for a result. 

After struggling to find consistency during the year, Salmon surprised everyone with his practice pace to be quicker than his ‘rookie’ team-mate, although he did give Talbot the keys for qualifying. Over in the Equity-One camp, Dean Koutsoumidis who had initially entered to drive a production car in the South Island Endurance Series season final, withdrew from the co-driver’s seat in that event admitting that the cars were just too different.

“I thought that extra miles on the circuit would be an advantage,” he admitted. “But with the big speed differential it wasn’t helping so I’ve elected to just concentrate on the Audi.”

That paid off handsomely in the end, the two Equity-One drivers separated by mere tenths during practice and qualifying, with McInness setting a time that was good enough for row four, right behind Talbot and right beside fellow MPC stable-mate Steve McLaughlan.

Koutsoumidis was scheduled to start the #71 Audi, whilst Talbot charged off the line in race one to trail Baird, Quinn, Bowe and Greg Murphy, the young Audi recruit never more than a car length from the established stars all the way to the scheduled stop.

Despite an 18 second lead as he hits the pits, Baird handed the reigns to the #1 Porsche to Klark Quinn and emerged from the pits just metres ahead of Salmon.

With a target to follow over the closing stages of the race, Salmon locked into a comfortable pace and kept Quinn within sight before the field was grouped once more behind the Safety Car. On the restart Salmon continued to attack, and amazingly, stole the lead from Quinn whose pace had dropped significantly.

Behind him V8 Supercar star Fabian Coulthard closed in in Tony Quinn’s Aston Martin, but despite throwing everything he could at Salmon, he was unable to close the gap before the flag, Salmon crossing the line to take an historic first victory in the Highlands venue’s very first race, and with it, his maiden victory in Australian GT against one of the most competitive fields in GT history.

“That’s fantastic,” Rod Salmon beamed afterwards. “That has to be one of the best wins of my career. I could see Coulthard coming, but I just focused on getting every apex right and making the most out of the Audi’s speed through the tight section of the circuit. 

“Liam had really set the foundations for that win, it couldn’t have played out any better.”

For team-mate Liam Talbot, he admitted that the enormity of the result still hadn’t hit him.

“Afterwards they told me it was the former Bathurst 1000 winner Greg Murphy behind the wheel of the McLaren, but I didn’t believe it,” Talbot admitted. “He was holding me up, and as we came towards the compulsory pit stop, I thought about making a move, but in the end just followed the pack down pit lane to hand over to Rod.”

Whilst there was jubilation in the #6 camp, there was frustration down in the #75 camp of Steve McLaughlan and Greg Crick after the mighty Viper rolled to a stop on lap eight.

“There was a bang, and something let go in the driveline, we’re not sure what it is yet, but hopefully we have the parts with us to fix it,” McLaughlan explained post-race.

The #71 team too were in high spirits after a strong run, McInnes crossing the line seventh to keep them in the race for the championship podium, although after a big points haul for race victor Rod Salmon, Dean Koutsoumidis knew that he’d have his work cut out for him in race two.

“Full credit to Rod and Liam, that’s a fantastic result. Look in all honesty, to be coming into the final round third in points is testament to the teams that have supported us this year and kept the car running consistently. Realistically with a three year old car we’re not outright contenders, but we’re always there, and seventh is a pretty good result for us against such a high quality field.”

Courtesy of his race one win, Salmon led the field away for the final race of the 2013 season, the dual Bathurst 12-Hour champion though was quickly overtaken by Fabian Coulthard in the Aston Martin, but despite falling a lap later to champion-elect Klark Quinn, he held on to third place ahead of a charging Andrew McInnes.

McInnes had monstered the cars in front of him off the start, and after forcing Peter Edwards in the Ferrari into a spin on the exit of the Karussel, he had inherited fourth place, and maintained the gap to Salmon in front of him up until the compulsory mid-race pit stop.

As the leaders dived to the pits McInnes put the #71 Audi in the box seat after punching out a succession of quick laps. With Baird catching him for second, he was pushing hard but 13 laps in he made a passing move on Michael Hovey’s Ginetta on the run into the final corner, and skated off on the exit, bogging the R8 in the kitty litter on the outside of the tight right-hander.

Many expected a Safety Car to be called, but race control elected for double yellow flags, allowing officials to recover the car, in the process losing valuable laps, the team retiring the car shortly after.

“I knew I shouldn’t have been on the slippery part of the circuit, but I thought I could pull it up in time,” a somber McInnes admitted. “It was my fault, I just didn’t have any grip. I’m more disappointed for Dean [Koutsoumidis] and the team because we were well in contention.”

Sadly for McInnes he was right. At the time he came off he was the closing on the race leader, and just a couple of laps from completing his stop, a stop that under CPS rules (adjusted relative to driver grading and starting position) would have seen them gain some 26 seconds in the pits over the leading pack.

“That’s the first time in two years that we’ve had a DNF, and I’m pretty annoyed about it to be honest.”

Whilst the challenge for the final step of the championship podium was over, Liam Talbot still needed to finish the race and hang on to his position inside the top three. He did that with ease, handing the Skwirk.com.au team not just a second podium, but second overall for the round behind race two winners Tony Quinn and Fabian Coulthard.

“That’s brilliant,” an elated Rod Salmon beamed. “It has been such a mixed year, but we’ve come good at the right time, and to finish the season in third place is full credit to the Melbourne Performance Centre team, and all our guys. It’s also great credit to the versatility of the Audi. This is a new circuit that nobody has ever competed on before, and against some of the best GT cars in the world, we’ve come through with a victory and a second podium, I couldn’t be happier. Bring on the 101!!”

After the disappointment of race one, Steve McLaughlan and Greg Crick recovered in race two to take ninth place and third in the GT Trophy class, but the result in the Championship had been all but decided prior to the final round, giving the #75 team the title for 2013.

“We were fortunate that the damage in race one was only the crown wheel (differential) and we had a spare ready to slot in,’ McLaughlan explained.

“The car ran faultlessly all the way to the flag, but starting rear of field gave our opposition a bit of an advantage. Cricky got the car well up the order before the stop, but afterwards the class leaders had the advantage so we just hung on to the end.

“I’m happy to have taken the title this year, and am really looking forward to defending it next year in the Audi because it sounds like we’ll have plenty of competition.”

Whilst that wrapped up the 2013 Australian GT Championship presented by Pirelli, the assembled GT regulars still had the ‘Highlands 101’ ahead of them, an invitational race over 101-laps that included all the series regulars against the top qualifying NZ South Island Endurance Series [SIES] regulars.

A field of 33 cars lined up for qualifying, which was scheduled just three hours ahead of the big race with the starting positions set by the fastest times set by each driver in the car combined.

For the #6 team, that meant someone would have to sit out and watch, as for the ‘101’ Salmon and Talbot had been joined by V8 Supercar star and 2014 Bathurst 12-Hour recruit Jason Bright.

Despite just six laps in the car, Bright was back in the pits suggesting modifications to the car to improve its pace. “It’s fantastic to drive, but it’s a little skaty under brakes at the rear end, so we made some adjustments and it’s much better. The track is fantastic, but pretty busy, so we’ll see how it plays out tomorrow. The big trick will be being there at the end.”

By the close of qualifying the #6 Audi was classified in P5, just a tenth off a second row start. The #71 entry qualified ninth behind a number of SIES regulars in their ‘hot-rod’ Porsches (SIES runs unlimited rules, so cars are open to engine and tyre modifcations), whilst the #75 Dodge would start from P13.

The start for the ‘101’ was a change from the norm for the GT regulars too, with a Le Mans style foot race to the cars by the co-drivers, but this was no cross circuit stroll, but instead a 250 metre sprint. In many cases that decided the starting order for the field - with Salmon taking the start in the Skwirk Audi, Koutsoumidis in the Equity-One Audi and McLaughlan in the Viper - leaving the second driver with the position of having to gain as much ground as he could off the start.

Talbot proved a handy sprinter, helping Salmon to move up a few spots immediately, whilst further back Koutsoumidis and McLaughlan held down positions mid-field.

The faster GT cars were soon through to the lead, with Salmon holding position as he had done during the two 40-minute GT races to be within striking distance of the leaders should anything go wrong.

The team played the strategy game early to pit Salmon who handed the reigns to Talbot as Koutsoumidis continued to punch out consistent laps and move up the order as the leaders started to pit and play the strategy game themselves.

A series of Safety Car periods to reclaim stranded cars mixed up the order, in the process dropping the #71 car down a lap.

Sadly for the McLaughlan/Crick Viper, it was out early after an electrical issue with the fuel pump robbed it of supply, the big Dodge rolling to a stop within metres of where it had finished the opening GT race.

“Up till then it was going like a train,” McLaughlan shrugged. “It’s one of those things that happens. The car’s fine, I’m sure it’s just a connection or a switch, but that’s it for us. Now it’s on to the Audi for next year - I’m really looking forward to that!”

As the race wore on, Jason Bright jumped behind the wheel of the Skwirk.com.au Audi and immediately gave notice that he’d be the man to watch. He quickly began to work his way through the field, at one stage frightening one of the SIES regulars by over taking him AND Greg Murphy on the Pirelli bridge - a two lane piece of circuit.

In the end he was unable to catch race leader Fabian Coulthard, but second for the Salmon/Talbot/Bright combination was good enough.

“I think I’m going to move here,” Rod Salmon laughed post-race. “How good is this track, how good is this venue. I know I’m biased after our win on Friday, but quite honestly this is one spectacular venue and the racing has been fantastic.

“I can’t thank our Melbourne Performance Centre team enough, and what a great couple of stints by Brighty and Liam to help cement the result. For us it has been a faultless weekend, and a win, a third and a second is more than we could have dreamt for coming in.

“Now it’s on to the Bathurst 12-Hour where we’ll be joined again by Warren Luff. I think we showed this weekend that we can be as competitive as the best of them, and with a few possible modifications to the car to bring it up to 2013 spec, we should be looking pretty good to kick the new year off with a high!”

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2013 Australian GT Championship presented by Pirelli
Qualifying [8 November] Highlands Motorsport Park, Cromwell, NZ

01. 1. Craig Baird - Porsche GT3-R [CHAMP] - 1:34.214
02. 7. Fabian Coulthard - Aston Martin Vantage GT3 [CHAMP] - 1:34.471
03. 88. John Bowe - Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 [CHAMP] - 1:36.325
04. 101. Greg Murphy - McLaren MP4-12C GT3 [CHAMP] - 1:37.079
05. 6. Liam Talbot - Audi R8 LMS GT3 ultra [CHAMP] - 1:37.843
06. 007. Andrew Waite - Aston Martin DBRS9 [TROPHY] - 1:37.942
07. 71. Andrew McInnes - Audi R8 LMS GT3 [CHAMP] - 1:39.885
08. 75. Steve McLaughlan - Dodge Viper Competition Coupé [TROPHY] - 1:41.149
09. Andrew McPherson - Porsche 997 Cup-S [TROPHY] - 1:41.456
10. 2. Andrew Taplin - Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 [CHAMP] - 1:41.532

2013 Australian GT Championship presented by Pirelli
Race#1 - 40-minutes [8 November] Highlands Motorsport Park, Cromwell, NZ
01. 6. Rod Salmon/Liam Talbot - Audi R8 LMS GT3 ultra [CHAMP] - 22-laps
02. 7. Tony Quinn/Fabian Coulthard - Aston Martin Vantage GT3 [CHAMP]
03. 101. Greg Murphy/Neil Crompton - McLaren MP4-12C GT3 [CHAMP]
04. 1. Klark Quinn/Craig Baird - Porsche GT3-R [CHAMP]
05. 88. Peter Edwards/John Bowe - Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 [CHAMP]
06. 007. Andrew Waite/Simon Evans - Aston Martin DBRS9 [TROPHY]
07. 71. Koutsoumidis/McInnes - Audi R8 LMS GT3 [CHAMP]
08. Andrew McPherson/Ben Porter - Porsche 997 Cup-S [TROPHY] - 21-laps
09. 77. Jan Jinadasa - Lamborghini Gallardo LP520 [TROPHY]
10. 4. Ben Foessel/Michael Almond - Porsche 997 GT3 Cup [CHALLENGE]

DNF. 75. McLaughlan/Crick - Dodge Viper [TROPHY] - 8-laps

2013 Australian GT Championship presented by Pirelli
Race#2 - 40-minutes [9 November] Highlands Motorsport Park, Cromwell, NZ
01. 7. Tony Quinn/Fabian Coulthard - Aston Martin Vantage GT3 [CHAMP] - 24-laps
02. 1. Klark Quinn/Craig Baird - Porsche GT3-R [CHAMP]
03. 6. Rod Salmon/Liam Talbot - Audi R8 LMS GT3 ultra [CHAMP]
04. 101. Greg Murphy/Neil Crompton - McLaren MP4-12C GT3 [CHAMP]
05. 88. Peter Edwards/John Bowe - Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 [CHAMP]
06. 007. Andrew Waite/Simon Evans - Aston Martin DBRS9 [TROPHY]
07. 2. Andrew Taplin - Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 [CHAMP] - 23-laps
08. Andrew McPherson/Ben Porter - Porsche 997 Cup-S [TROPHY]
09. 75. McLaughlan/Crick - Competition Coupé [TROPHY]
10. 77. Jan Jinadasa - Lamborghini Gallardo LP520 [TROPHY]

DNF. 71. Koutsoumidis/McInnes - Audi R8 LMS [CHAMP] - 13-laps

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2013 Highlands 101
Qualifying [10 November] Highlands Motorsport Park, Cromwell, NZ
01. 1. Klark Quinn/Craig Baird - Porsche GT3-R [AGT] - 1:35.291
02. 101. Murphy/Crompton - McLaren MP4-12C GT3 [AGT] - 1:36.051
03. 7. Tony Quinn/Coulthard - Aston Martin Vantage GT3 [AGT] - 1:36.217
04. 88. Peter Edwards/John Bowe - Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 [AGT] - 1:37.129
05. 6. Talbot/Bright - Audi R8 LMS GT3 ultra [AGT] - 1:37.299
06. 2. Andrew Taplin/Dean Canto - Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 [AGT] - 1:37.918
07. 007. Andrew Waite/Simon Evans - Aston Martin DBRS9 [AGT] - 1:38.078
08. 99. Armstrong/Hamilton - Porsche GT3 Cup [SIERC] - 1:39.853
09. 71. Koutsoumidis/McInnes - Audi R8 LMS GT3 [AGT] - 1:40.028
10. 82. Bagnall/Pederson - Porsche GT3 Cup [SIERC] - 1:40.078
13. 75. McLaughlan/Crick - Competition Coupé [AGT] - 1:41.533

2013 Highlands 101
Race -101-laps [10 November] Highlands Motorsport Park, Cromwell, NZ
01. 7. Tony Quinn/Coulthard - Aston Martin Vantage GT3 [AGT] - 101-laps
02. 6. Salmon/Talbot/Bright - Audi R8 LMS GT3 ultra [AGT] +34.1-secs
03. 88. Peter Edwards/John Bowe - Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 [AGT] +81-secs
04. 2. Andrew Taplin/Dean Canto - Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 [AGT] - 100-laps
05. 101. Greg Murphy/Neil Crompton - McLaren MP4-12C GT3 [AGT]
06. 007. Andrew Waite/Simon Evans - Aston Martin DBRS9 [AGT]
07. 99. Armstrong/Hamilton - Porsche GT3 Cup [SIERC] - 99-laps
08. 70. McFarlane/Bushell - Porsche GT3-R [SIERC] - 98-laps
09. 71. Koutsoumidis/McInnes - Audi R8 LMS GT3 [AGT] - 97-laps
10. 9. Ellingham/McIntyre - Porsche GT3 Cup [SIERC]

DNF. 75. Steve McLaughlan/Greg Crick - Competition Coupé [AGT] - 21-laps

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2013 Australian GT Championship presented by Pirelli
Championship points (after six rounds of six)

GT Championship
1. Klark Quinn (627 points), 2. Tony Quinn (523), 3. Rod Salmon (352), 4. John Bowe (334), 5. Dean Koutsoumidis (305), 6. Greg Murphy (301), 7. Peter Edwards (252), 8. Roger Lago (234), 9. Liam Talbot (224), 10. Craig Baird/Jack Le Brocq (220), 11. Justin McMillan (195), 12. Andrew McInnes(183)

GT Trophy
1. Steve McLaughlan (308 points), 2. Jan Jinadasa (220), 3. Graham Lusty (134), 4. Andrew Waite/Simon Evans (110), 5. Jordan Ormsby (102)

Keep track of the Australian GT  Championship presented by Pirelli via the AGT website - www.australiangt.com.au and via Facebook; AustralianGT

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Melbourne Performance Centre is proudly supported by Skwirk.com.au, One World Bar, Equity-One, Primus Australia, Companion Brands, The Audi Race Experience, PH Motorsport Trailers - supplier of the new Audi Sports Customer racing transporter, BluFi Wireless Australia, Questek Australia, Top Gun Restorations and Wrap my Ride.

Photo credit: Melbourne Performance Centre