Current Monochrome GT4 Australia Champion Shane Smollen will return to the GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS later this month, joining Ant Pedersen for the GT Festival at Hampton Downs.
The pair will share the Mach 1 Engineering Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO for the 2025 season finale across the Tasman, in a joint effort between Mach 1 Engineering and Tigani Motorsport.
The New Zealand round marks a return to the category for both drivers, who last competed at the season opener at Phillip Island. Smollen drove the EMA Motorsport Porsche 992 GT3R alongside France’s Dorian Boccolacci, while Pedersen partnered with his father, Paul, in the returning Mach 1 Engineering Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO.
The Hampton Downs round marks a significant shift for Smollen, who has spent much of his GT racing career behind the wheel of a Porsche. After several seasons in Porsche Carrera Cup, the New South Welshman claimed back-to-back success in Monochrome GT4 Australia - securing the 2023 title and the 2024 Pro-Am Cup crown. He then made his GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS debut earlier this year, delivering an impressive performance at GT Festival Phillip Island.
New Zealand-born Pedersen combines valuable experience in the Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO with extensive local knowledge of the Hampton Downs circuit, making him a key asset to the pairing.
A seasoned competitor, Pedersen boasts three Bathurst 1000 starts, the most recent a decade ago alongside Andre Heimgartner with the Prodrive Racing-run Super Black Racing Team, and a strong Super2 pedigree, with 38 starts across campaigns with Eggleston Motorsport and MW Motorsport.
Smollen and Pederson will make their return to GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS as part of the 2025 season finale at Hampton Downs Raceway on 31 October - 2 November.
QUOTES
Shane Smollen
Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO Driver
“I am extremely excited to be rejoining GT World Challenge Australia. The drive was unexpected given we were still in the GT4 title battle but the opportunity to challenge myself in a new car, track and team was too good to pass up,” Smollen said.
“I've just been looking at options for next year and one of the people I've spoken to was Nathan Tigani. I've been impressed with the operation that he has built over recent years and has obviously notched some great results.
“Tigani Motorsport will partner with NZ based Mach 1 Engineering, and given Ant’s pedigree and experience at Hampton Downs, it’s a fantastic opportunity to run in the category in a proven package.
“Ant and Jayden Ojeda have provided some great tips on the car and track. I won't have the opportunity to be in the car prior to the meeting so we’ll make the most of the Thursday testing to get up to speed with the car.
“People tell me the Mercedes is a more straightforward car to drive than the Porsche, which I quickly felt comfortable with in round one. Any GT3 car is not to be taken lightly so I'll put in some work on the sim to at least try and work out which way the track goes and get to know the fundamentals of the car.
Ant Pedersen
Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO Driver
“I’m really excited to team up with Shane and to collaborate with the New Zealand-based Mach1 Engineering and Tigani Motorsport,” Pedersen said.
“It’s a little disappointing that I can’t be racing with my dad after the shunt in Sydney, but given the circumstances, I couldn’t be happier to have someone like Shane alongside me.
“Shane is a title-winning driver who knows his way around a car and he’s incredibly sharp. We’ve spoken on the phone a few times – he’s extremely dedicated to his craft and takes his racing seriously. I’m really looking forward to teaming up and chasing some good results together.
“It’s great to have the series over on our side of the ditch. For many of the teams and drivers, it’ll be their first time experiencing Hampton Downs. There are going to be some seriously quick cars that weekend, and I reckon the local fans will really get behind it – which is awesome to see.”
Nathan Tigani
Tigani Motorsport Team Owner
“We’re extremely pleased with the driver line-up in the Mach 1 Engineering Mercedes Evo for the round and are very confident about our prospects for the weekend.
“Ant showed plenty of pace during the opening round of the season, while Shane is a seasoned Am who has enjoyed plenty of success over the past couple of years.
“It’s fantastic that we were able to make this partnership work for the New Zealand round, as the stars aligned with Ant wanting to get his car back to NZ and Shane looking for another opportunity to race in GT3.
“I am looking forward to seeing how these two go together and wouldn’t be surprised if they managed to secure some good results.”
Ricky Grey
Mach 1 Engineering Team Owner
“We had an accident during testing in Sydney, and it’s been a bit of a struggle to get the car back up and running. We’ve only just managed to get it back together thanks to the help of Tigani Motorsport.
“We really wanted to do the New Zealand event, and there’s been a lot of work happening in the background to make it possible. When we learned that Shane was interested, everything came together quickly – now we’ve got a strong pairing in Ant and Shane.
“With Shane, we have a highly competitive AM driver who’s had plenty of success over the years in GT racing, while Ant brings valuable experience to the GT platform at Hampton Downs.
“That said, we have moderate expectations for Shane’s first outing in a Mercedes-AMG GT3. We don’t want to put too much pressure on him, but we’d certainly like to be at the front of the field. The team’s confident both drivers can deliver some strong results.”