Australian GT: Equity-One prepare to regain ground in Sydney‏

Melbourne Performance Centre Press Release

Equity-One prepare to regain ground in Sydney

Equity-One Motorsport Audi R8 LMS GT3
Rnd#4, Australian GT Championship presented by Pirelli 
Phillip Island, Victoria (24-26 May)

Equity-One Motorsport’s Dean Koutsoumidis and Andrew McInnes continue to maintain a position just shy of the top five in the Australian GT series despite campaigning one of the oldest Championship cars in the field, and they continue to punch above their weight at almost every outing. For the fourth round of the 2013 Australian GT Championship presented by Pirelli, they come into Sydney Motorsport Park perhaps better prepared than in any previous round having competed recently in a State Series round at the venue, claiming a podium finish for their efforts. Or rather.. “For HIS efforts..” a frustrated Andrew McInnes added.

“I’m riding to Sydney in the car inside the transporter, that way I get the first practice session,” he laughed with a trace of truth to his jibe at team-mate Koutsoumidis who competed at SMP alone in the short heat races.

“There’s no way I’m buying dinner on Saturday night!” he explained in reference to the penalty that the slowest of the two drivers receives post-qualifying. “I’m over it..!”

During a recent round of the NSW State Series, Koutsoumidis joined fellow Audi pilot Rod Salmon at SMP for some valuable miles ahead of the fourth round of the national championship, running a close second overall to the former owner of the #71 Audi R8 LMS, and beating him in one race in the wet conditions.

“Unfortunately it was wet for the bulk of the weekend, so if it rains, we’re a shoe-in,” Koutsoumidis laughed. “Honestly any miles are valuable, and given that we hadn’t raced at Eastern Creek in the Audi, it was valuable extra miles for me, and to come away with second overall behind Rod was fantastic.”

The weekend also gave the Equity-One crew the first chance to work closely with the Melbourne Performance Centre team who from Eastern Creek forwards will run the team’s Audi R8 in the remainder of the Australian Championship.

“We’ve had a fantastic run with Minda Motorsport over the last few seasons,” Dean Koutsoumidis explained, “and I will be continuing to run with them in various Formula Ford events to keep sharp, but in the end, logistically it was better for all of us to join the MPC team and take advantage of the fact that they’re only running one Audi this season.

“As the Audi Customer Racing representatives in Australia, all our spares and technical support come through them anyway, and with Minda’s burgeoning Formula Ford and V8 Supercar Development Series commitments, it worked for everyone.

“For me I wouldn’t have been competing in GT like this if it wasn’t for all the support that Bruin [Beasley] and the Minda team gave me, so I can’t thank them enough.

“For now though it’s back to Sydney, and I have to say I’m excited. Andrew and I have had some pretty consistent runs this years as other drivers have fallen off around us. With the extra miles I had last month I’d expect to be quicker more consistently, and with no driver seeding penalties for either of us, we might just surprise a few people this weekend..

“That win I had over Rod in the rain too has made me hungry.. I quite liked the taste of victory. Roll on Friday!”

Opening practice begins on Friday, July 12 at 10:25am followed by a second session at 1:40pm and a third at 2:55pm. Qualifying kicks off at 11:25am on Saturday (July 13), with the opening one-hour race scheduled for 1:55pm. Sunday’s second one-hour race will begin at 12:15pm.

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

GT Championship
1. Klark Quinn (195 points), 2. Tony Quinn (141), 3. Roger Lago (135), 4. Craig Baird (133), 5. Edwards/Bowe (118), 6.Koutsoumidis/McInnes (115), 7. Justin McMillan (111), 8. Jack Le Brocq (110), 9. Jim Manolios (70), 10. Christian Klien (70), 11. Rod Salmon (65), 12. Andrew Taplin (59), 13. Van Gisbergen/Kingsley (54), 14. Simonsen/Salo (50), 15. James Winslow (42), 16. Murphy/Capelli (37), 17. Middleton/O’Young (30), 18. Richards/Lilley (28), 19. Slade/Holdsworth/Hackett (26), 20. Mok Weng Sun/Griffin (25), 21. Lowndes/Luff (21), 22. Roloff/Schneider/Jaeger (19), 23. Russell/Kox (16)

Live streaming will be available by; www.thenationals.com.au (Sunday, from 9:00am)

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

The fourth round of the Australian GT Championship presented by Pirelli will be televised on SBS Speedweek on Sunday, August 4 from 2:00pm AEST (check local guides for confirmation).

2013 Australian GT Championship presented by Pirelli - calendar
Rnd#1, 8-10 February - Bathurst 12-Hour, NSW
Rnd#2, 28 Feb - 3 March - Clipsal, Adelaide, SA
Rnd#3, 24-26 May - Phillip Island, Victoria
Rnd#4, 12-14 July - Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW
Rnd#5, 2-4 August - Queensland Raceway, Ipswich, QLD
Rnd#6, 8-10 November - Highland Motorsport Park, NZ

Photo credit: Melbourne Performance Centre

Video: Australian GT Round 3 at Phillip Island with Audis from MPC and Minda

By Johan Laubscher 

The third round of the Australian GT Championship took place at Phillip Island last weekend. The two Audis from Melbourne Performance Centre and Minda Motorsport performed very well.

Two sets of top ten finishes were achieved by the Audi R8 LMS and ultra teams. Other Side Productions has produced another Australian GT highlights video for the series. The highlights package featuring round three at Phillip Island has been embedded below: 

Photo credit: Melbourne Performance Centre

Australian GT: Consistency the key at Phillip Island for Minda Audi

Minda Motorsport Press Release 

Minda Motorsport Audi R8 LMS GT3


Rnd#3, Australian GT Championship presented by Pirelli
Phillip Island, Victoria (24-26 May)

Three rounds into the 2013 Australian GT Championship presented by Pirelli, Minda Motorsport’s reigning Trophy Class champions continue to punch above their weight in the Equity-One Audi R8 LMS. Team-mates Dean Koutsoumidis and Andrew McInnes continue to improve with every outing to be right in the championship fight amongst an array of much newer 2013-specification cars.

“We weren’t sure what to expect from the ‘upgrade’ from the Lamborghini we ran last season to the newer specification 2011 Audi R8 LMS, especially given the large number of new and upgraded cars we are competing against this year,” Dean Koutsoumidis explained. “But so far, we’ve been able to mix it with some of the newer cars and be right in the thick of the action, and here we are at the mid-point of the season, and we’re doing very nicely thank you very much!”

Despite almost three months since the Adelaide round with the V8 Supercars, the team had been able to turn some practice laps during test sessions at Phillip Island, with both drivers ‘in the groove’ ahead of the Phillip Island round, although by race day, Andrew McInnes was lamenting a lack of time in the car..

“Our arrangement is that whoever is the slower driver after qualifying buys dinner for the team that night,” McInnes explained. “Dean drove in two of the three practice sessions, the sponsor ride session and qualifying, and now he’s faster, so it’s my shout.. #&*%!”

Despite the unpredictable nature of the Phillip Island venue at this time of year, race one provided cool but dry conditions, although with a 3:55pm start under cloud cover, the fading light was always going to provide an added level of intensity.

Off the fourth row, alongside F3 star James Winslow in the 2012-spec Audi R8 ultra of Rod Salmon (the former car owner of the #71 R8 LMS), Dean made a great start to be in the thick of the battle over fourth position, although far enough back not to be caught up in Justin McMillan’s wild spin on the exit of the final corner on lap two.

From there he sat comfortably, not too far off the battle for fourth, to be sixth by the time he was due in for his compulsory pit stop [CPS]. Andrew rejoined in eighth position, but was quickly through on Jim Manolios and Rod Salmon to take over sixth, which became fifth after points leader Klark Quinn stopped again after damaging a tyre.

“That’s not a bad result,” Koutsoumidis grinned post-race. “It was nice to see Andrew have a bit of a go for a change.. [laughs].”

Clearly fired up by his team-mate’s comments, McInnes fired off the line in race two to give the recovering Justin McMillan and Ferrari’s Peter Edwards something to think about, the #71 Audi filling the mirrors of the two 2013-spec cars all the way to the pit stop, handing the car over to Koutsoumidis in fifth place.

Dean rejoined the race in seventh, which quickly became sixth after the demise of Roger Lago’s Lamborghini, but during his stint he was caught and passed by Winslow in Rod Salmon’s Audi, the Equity-One/Minda Motorsport Audi crossing the line in seventh place for more valuable championship points.

“The car was faultless all weekend,” Dean acknowledged afterwards. “It didn’t put a wheel wrong, and our lap times improved with almost every session. Consistency really is the key for us this year because we just don’t have the outright aero grip of the newer cars, but we’re always there, and with three rounds still to come, we’re still in the points race!”

For the Minda Motorsport team the next round of the championship will come in six weeks time at Sydney Motorsport Park (Eastern Creek) on July 12-14.

2013 Australian GT Championship presented by Pirelli

Rnd#3, Phillip Island - Qualifying [May 25]
01. 36. Jack Le Brocq - Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 [CHAMP]
- 1:26.5248R

02. 88. John Bowe - Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 [CHAMP]
- 1:27.4308

03. 7. Tony Quinn - Aston Martin Vantage GT3 [CHAMP] - 1:28.0291

04. 23. Roger Lago - Lamborghini Gallardo LP560 GT3 [CHAMP]
- 1:28.8855

05. 48. Justin McMillan - Lamborghini Gallardo LP600+ GT3 [CHAMP]
- 1:29.0617

06. 1. Klark Quinn - Porsche GT3-R [CHAMP]
- 1:29.1267

07.
71. Dean Koutsoumidis  - Audi R8 LMS GT3 [CHAMP] - 1:30.5255

08. 6. Rod Salmon - Audi R8 LMS GT3 ultra [CHAMP] - 1:31.3387

09. 75. Steve McLaughlan - Dodge Viper Competition Coupé [TROPHY] - 1:33.9012

10. 29. Jim Manolios - Chevrolet Corvette Z06.R [CHAMP] - 1:35.9553


Race #1 [May 25]
01. 36. Jack Le Brocq - Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 [CHAMP]
- 39-laps

02. 7. Tony Quinn - Aston Martin Vantage GT3 [CHAMP]

03. 23. Roger Lago - Lamborghini Gallardo LP560 GT3 [CHAMP]

04. 88. John Bowe/Peter Edwards - Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 [CHAMP]

05.
71. Dean Koutsoumidis/Andrew McInnes  - Audi R8 LMS GT3 [CHAMP] - 38-laps

06. 6. Rod Salmon/James Winslow - Audi R8 LMS GT3 ultra [CHAMP]

07. 1. Klark Quinn - Porsche GT3-R [CHAMP]
- 36-laps

08. 19. Mark Griffith/Jack Perkins - Ginetta G50 GT4 [Sport]

09. 29. Jim Manolios - Chevrolet Corvette Z06.R [CHAMP]

10. 73 Michael Hovey - Ginetta G50 GT4 [Sport] - 35-laps


Race #2 [May 26]
01. 36. Jack Le Brocq - Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 [CHAMP]- 38-laps

02. 7. Tony Quinn - Aston Martin Vantage GT3 [CHAMP]

03. 1. Klark Quinn - Porsche GT3-R [CHAMP]

04. 88. John Bowe/Peter Edwards - Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 [CHAMP]

05. 48. Justin McMillan - Lamborghini Gallardo LP600+ GT3 [CHAMP]

06. 6. Rod Salmon/James Winslow - Audi R8 LMS GT3 ultra [CHAMP]

07. 71. Dean Koutsoumidis/Andrew McInnes- Audi R8 LMS GT3 [CHAMP] - 37-laps

08. 75. Steve McLaughlan - Dodge Viper Competition Coupé [TROPHY] - 36-laps

09. 29. Jim Manolios - Chevrolet Corvette Z06.R [CHAMP] 

10. 19. Mark Griffith/Jack Perkins - Ginetta G50 GT4 [Sport]


A highlights package will be televised on SBS Speedweek on Sunday, June 9 from 2:00pm AEST (check local guides for confirmation).

Australian GT Championship presented by Pirelli

GT Championship points(after round three of six)


1. Klark Quinn (195 points), 2. Tony Quinn (141), 3. Roger Lago (135), 4. Craig Baird (133), 5. Peter Edwards/John Bowe (118), 6. Dean Koutsoumidis/Andrew McInnes (115), 7. Justin McMillan (111), 8. Jack Le Brocq (110), 9. Jim Manolios (70), 10. Rod Salmon (65), 11. Christian Klien (70), 12. Andrew Taplin (59), 13. Shane Van Gisbergen/Matt Kingsley (54)

2013 Australian GT Championship presented by Pirelli - calendar
Rnd#1, 8-10 February - Bathurst 12-Hour, NSW
Rnd#2, 28 Feb - 3 March - Clipsal, Adelaide, SA
Rnd#3, 24-26 May - Phillip Island, Victoria
Rnd#4, 12-14 July - Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW
Rnd#5, 2-4 August - Queensland Raceway, Ipswich, QLD
Rnd#6, 8-10 November - Highland Motorsport Park, NZ

Minda Motorsport is proudly supported by Equity-One Mortgage Fund.

For more information, please contact Minda Motorsport on 03 5995 3943.

www.mindamotorsport.com

Photo credit: Melbourne Performance Centre / Minda Motorsport

Australian GT: Sixth and seventh for Audi teams in Philip Island race 2

By Tarek Ramchani

The second Australian GT Championship race of the weekend was held at Philip Island today. The two Audi Sport customer racing teams again made it into the top 10.

As was the case yesterday in race 1, the two Audi cars were not able to fight for the win, however they showed good pace. The best ranked Audi was the #6 R8 LMS ultra. The Melbourne Performance Centre supported car, driven by Rod Salmon and James Winslow, finished sixth overall. The second Audi entry from Minda Motorsport was one position behind the MPC Audi R8 LMS ultra. The #71 R8 LMS shared by Dean Koutsoumidis and Andrew McInnes was seventh.

The competition in Australian GT is more competitive than ever. Six different brands finished within the top 6. Race victory went to Jack Le Brocq with the #36 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3. In second was Tony Quinn with the #7 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 and third Klark Quinn with the #1 Porsche 997 GT3 R.

The next round of the Australian GT Championship will be at Sydney Motorsport Park, July 12th-14th.

Photo credit: Australian GT Championship

Australian GT: Fifth and sixth for Audi teams in Philip Island race 1

By Tarek Ramchani

The Australian GT Championship Presented by Pirelli is at Philip Island this weekend, round 3 of the season. As was the case last time out at Adelaide, two Audi Sport customer racing teams are taking part in the event with a single car each.

The two Audi R8 LMS cars are supported by Melbourne Performance Centre. The #6 MPC Audi R8 LMS ultra is shared by Rod Salmon and James Winslow. The other entry is the #71 Audi R8 LMS of Minda Motorsports in the hands of Dean Koutsoumidis and Andrew McInnes.

Race 1 has already been held today, a positive race for the Audi cars. Dean Koutsoumidis and Andrew McInnes finished the 1-hour sprint event in fifth overall, whilst Rod Salmon and James Winslow were one place behind them in sixth position. The top 5 represented many brands, with Mercedes-Benz winning ahead of Aston Martin, Lamborghini, Ferrari and Audi. Race victory went to Jack Le Brocq with the #36 SLS AMG GT3 from Erbus Motorsport. Tony Quinn was second with a Vantage V12 GT3 and Roger Lago was third in a Gallardo.

Race 2 is set for tomorrow, another 1-hour sprint event. We wish the best of luck for both Audi entries.

Photo credit: Australian GT Championship

Australian GT: Minda Motorsport Audi R8 LMS in eighth place at Adelaide race 2

By Tarek Ramchani

Adelaide hosted the second race of the Australian GT Championship Clipsal 500 weekend today. Whilst two Audi R8 LMS cars were entered at Adelaide, only one started the second race. Race 1 on Saturday was a fatal event for the #6 Audi R8 LMS ultra of Rod Salmon. The Melbourne Performance Centre car was heavily damaged and couldn't take part in race 2. Thus meaning that only a single Audi R8 LMS took part in race 2, the #71 car from Minda Motorsport.

Yesterday the Equity-One Motorsport car finished race 1 in eighth place. Dean Koutsoumidis and Andrew McInnes shared the car in the one-hour race. Today it was a kind of deja vu in race 2. The white and red Audi R8 LMS again finished in eighth place after the 30-minute sprint race. Race victory went to Craig Baird with the SLS AMG GT3, his second win of the weekend. Klark Quinn's Porsche GT3 R was second and Christian Klien's Mercedes was third.

The third round of Australian GT will be at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit this coming May. We hope that Rod Salmon's R8 will be there again and that other Audis will also join.

Photo credit: EquityOneMotorsport Twitter

Australian GT: Mixed race 1 for Audi teams at Adelaide

By Tarek Ramchani

Adelaide is hosting the second round of the Australian GT Championship this weekend. Two races are planned supporting the Clipsal 500, the V8 Supercars season opener. Race 1 took place today with mixed results for the Melbourne Performance Centre supported Audi Sport customer racing teams.

Two Audi R8 LMS cars took part of the event. The #71 Audi R8 LMS from Minda Motorsport shared by drivers Dean Koutsoumidis and Andrew McInnes, the car started from ninth place. The second car, the #6 Audi R8 LMS ultra of Rod Salmon, started from eleventh.

Close battles on track around the famous temporary Adelaide street course. Two major incidents brought the safety car out onto the course twice during the race. Unfortunately the second safety car was caused by Rod Salmon in the #6 Audi R8 LMS ultra. Following a touch from behind in turn 14 the "Orange" R16 with Rod Salmon was a passenger as he hit the wall whilst exiting turn 8. Due to the damage he was forced to retire from the race, and the rest of the weekend.

The #71 Minda Motorsport car completed a strong first race. Dean Koutsoumidis and Andrew McInnes finished eighth overall, sixth in the " GT Championship" class. The race win went to Craig Baird with his Mercedes-Benz SLS AMS GT3 ahead of Roger Lago's Lamborghini Gallardo and Klark Quinn's Porsche GT3 R. Race 1 results are here.

Race two is set for tomorrow, a 30-minute true sprint race format. We wish the best of luck for race 2.

Photo credit: Melbourne Performance Center

Australian GT: Two Audi R8 LMS cars for round 2 at Adelaide

By Tarek Ramchani

After a thrilling first round at the Bathurst 12 Hour, the Australian GT is now at another iconic track, the famous Adelaide street course. Two Audi Sport customer racing teams are entering the event.

At Bathurst four Australian Audi cars competed in the Mount Panorama enduro event, with two of them being entered for the first Australian GT round. For Adelaide only two Audi cars will been entered. Minda Motorsport debuted with the Audi R8 LMS last time out and finished in an excellent fourth place. The #71 white and red car will be driven by Dean Koutsoumidis and Andrew McInnes. The other Audi car will be the #6 R8 LMS ultra of Rod Salmon. At Bathurst the "Orange" R16 was classified sixth in the Australian GT segment of the 12 hour race. Both cars will be supported by Melbourne Performance Centre.

Two free practice sessions have already taken place on Thursday. The #6 Audi R8 LMS ultra of Rod Salmon was 11th in the first session and sixth in the second. The #71 Audi R8 LMS of Dean Koutsoumidis and Andrew McInnes was tenth in the first session and eighth in the second. During qualifying the #71 placed ninth and the #6 in eleventh.

Two races are planned this weekend. A one hour race on Saturday and a second race with a 30-minute sprint format on Sunday. The competition is becoming fierce in Australian GT. The Audi entries will be up against all-pro line-ups at the front, however we hope that both teams will be able to fight for top spots and big points for the overall standings.

Photo credit: Bathurst 12 Hour

Positive Australian GT round 1 for Audi teams at Bathurst

By Tarek Ramchani

The Bathurst 12 Hour was a special race this year. Not only was it a stand alone international endurance event, but it was also round 1 of the 2013 Australia GT Championship.

The Australian GT segment consisted of the first 50 minutes of the Bathurst 12 Hour race. Three Audis were originally entered for round 1 of the Australian GT. A total of seven Audis were entered for the Bathurst 12 Hour which included the three Australian GT entered Audis, who were also entered for the 12 Hour. Great action on track with a full field of GT3 cars mixing local and international teams. The battles were so fierce that the safety car had to came out twice and regroup the pack during the first hour. At the end of the Australian GT race two Audi R8 LMS cars had entered the top 10. The #71 Minda Motorsport entry finished in fourth place, the Melbourne Performance Centre supported team debuting with the car. Rod Salmon with their #6 R8 LMS ultra ended in sixth place. The car was shared during the 12 hour race by Rod Salmon and V8 Supercars aces and Audi regulars, Craig Lowndes and Warren Luff. Victory in the Australian GT went to the VIP Petfoods Porsche GT3 R ahead of the Bello Rosso Ferrari 458 in second and the Trofeo Motorsport Corvette Z06 in third.

The next stop for the Australian GT will be at Adelaide. The series will support the famous Clipsal 500, the V8 Supercars season opener.

Photo credit: Bathurst 12 Hour