Grove Racing has revealed a striking livery on its Mercedes AMG ahead of the team’s full-time return to the Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS.
The father-son team has switched from Porsche to Mercedes for the 2024 season, dovetailing its Australian campaign with an extensive international campaign that will include upcoming races in Sepang, Malaysia next week, the 24 Hours of Portimao in May, in addition to Intercontinental GT Challenge events Indy 8 Hour and Gulf 12 Hour at Yas Marina in Abu Dhabi.
Stephen and Brenton Grove will contest the entire Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS calendar as a strong bronze and silver credentialed combination.
For the duo’s second international event of the season, Supercars revelation Matt Payne will join the Groves in Sepang as other members of the team will feature at the remaining events this season.
The team’s local and international GT campaign will enjoy the engineering and technical drive from its Supercars team Penrite Racing, supported by Earl Bamber Motorsport for at-track and logistical support.
The Grove duo has enjoyed much success in local GT racing, including race wins and podium finishes and a best championship finish of fourth in the 2021 season.
In 2024, the team’s switch from Porsche to Mercedes is one that the father and son combo are looking forward to as GT racing in Australia embarks on a new chapter under the leadership of the SRO Australia banner.
The opening round of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS will be held at Phillip Island as part of the Shannons SpeedSeries on April 12-14.
All Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS races will be broadcast live and free on 7plus in Australia and via the GTWorld YouTube channel for international viewers.
QUOTES
Brenton Grove
Driver, Grove Racing
“We’re really excited to do some domestic racing, which has been rare over the past few years,” said Brenton Grove.
“We haven’t ever done a full season in GT World Challenge Australia, however after a lot of the changes that have been announced over Christmas and knowing how SRO work, we couldn’t help but commit to the full season. The calendar and championship is shaping up to be super exciting.
“We’ve already settled in really well with the AMG after Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sepang. The biggest benefit will be back on Australian tracks that we know so the learning process with the car should be a lot less difficult.
“We’re utilising the race engineers from our Supercar program throughout the season, so it’s really exciting to grow Grove Racing’s presence further. We’ve competed in GT for many years now, however it’s the first time that the Supercar operation has had any real involvement. We’re taking Alistair (McVean) and Jack (Bell) to our overseas races this year too, so it’s exciting to grow the engineering knowledge of Grove Racing in another discipline.
“From what we’ve seen it appears the field is quite competitive. This is another bonus as we want to be racing the best. The better the field, the bigger the show and that’s important during this growth period of GT racing in Australia.”
Stephen Grove
Driver, Grove Racing
“I really love the car. It’s great to drive and to have one here in the Australian championship and one for our overseas races is super exciting,” said Stephen Grove.
“Compared to the Porsche, the speed in the Mercedes comes more from its horsepower. Being a front engined car, it also gives you a lot of confidence with all of the weight at the front. The Porsche is more nervous in the rear, so for an AM driver, it makes me feel very confident.
“Brenton and I have raced together for so long, and it’s fantastic that we can continue to do that amongst a very competitive local field.
“Some of the other Pro-Am cars have gold or platinum rated drivers, usually drivers from Supercars or overseas imports. That puts a lot of responsibility on Brenton and myself, so it just means we need to work hard.
“We’ll see how we go, but I’m looking forward to doing it again in a new car.”