Supercars gun Ryan Wood and talented Am driver Steve Brooks will return to GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS in 2026 with the intention of fighting at the front of the field, having switched teams in the off season.
The Kiwi duo will be behind the wheel of the Audi LMS R8 EVO II and driving under the Wolfbrook Motorsport Team BRM banner this year, having raced with MPC last year, with Wood to race for the first five rounds of the season.
Their maiden season in the series saw them finish the year in fourth place in the Pro-Am standings despite not attending every round, as consistency played a key role in their campaign.
In their five rounds, the pair ended up with four runner-up finishes for the season and secured podiums in at least one race in all but one event they attended, including a run of three to see off the year.
That was Brooks’ second season in the series, having had a brief two-round stint in 2024 where he raced.
Prior to his GT World Challenge debut, Brooks predominantly competed in GT endurance racing across the Tasman Sea in his home country of New Zealand, having first entered the sport in 2021.
He experienced his first-ever podium during his maiden season in the NZ 1 Hour Endurance Racing Championship the following year, before picking up his best GT result in 2023 with a well-deserved overall podium in the NZ South Island Endurance Series three-hour events.
Brooks then secured the title in 2024, further continuing his development behind the wheel, with a podium in the 2024 GT New Zealand Championship and his GT World Challenge debut among his major highlights.
Last year, Brooks had his busiest year in racing, competing in the Asian Le Mans Series, New Zealand GT Championship and NZ South Island Endurance Series, as well as making his GT World Challenge debut before debuting in the Bathurst 12 Hour, where he raced alongside fellow Team BRM drivers Mark Rosser and Alex Peroni, as well as James Golding.
Wood also competed in this year’s Bathurst 12 Hour with ARGT in the Ferrari 296 GT3 in an international entry alongside Chris Froggatt, Jonathan Hui, and Lorenzo Patrese and scored a third-place finish in the Pro-Am class.
The 22-year-old has gone on to be one of the hottest young talents in Australia over the past two years since breaking into the Australian motorsport scene in 2022 and rising through the ranks to Supercars just two years later.
Since moving from New Zealand, Wood had an incredible first year in the Porsche Sprint Challenge Australia, where he finished the year with 14 podiums in 15 races, six of which were victories.
He then graduated to Super2 in 2023 and raced in the competitive series with Walkinshaw Andretti United – his five wins serving as the foundation of his title charge that saw him finish third overall.
Just one campaign in Super2 is all Wood needed to get the call up to the main game in 2024, which he has competed in over the past two years. While he showed plenty of speed in his first season, Wood enjoyed his first victory along with six other podiums to finish the year 10th overall.
Earlier this year, Wood also featured in the Formula Regional Oceanic Trophy Series, finishing fifth overall after winning twice and picking up two podiums.
Brooks and Wood will begin their second GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS campaign together at this month’s LIQUI MOLY GT Festival Phillip Island on 27-29 March.
QUOTES
Ryan Wood
#88 Wolfbrook Motorsport Team BRM Audi R8 LMS EVO II
“It’s a lot of fun and I can’t thank Steve enough for bringing me back onboard for the season,” Wood said.
“I’m really excited. We’re probably a bit more prepared this year than we have been before, especially for myself. I’ve been doing a lot more driving than what I’ve done previously.
“We’re with a different team this year in BRM, so it will be a change for Steve and me.
“The Audi is great, but it’s very different to what I drive for my day job. It’s a lot of fun, I’ve done a lot of driving in it and I’m starting to get more confident.
“It’s all about trying to build up Steve and myself to make sure we take a step up from what we did last year. I’m excited to see Steve’s development; last year he really came on strong and was probably one of the fastest amateur drivers. My job now is to settle him down and focus him on driving.
“It’s going to be full-on and I’m gutted I can’t do the final round, but we’re going to have fun until then. Hopefully, I can put him in a position where it’s up to Steve and whoever he employs for the last round to try to get the job done.
“We’ve got a lot of racing and a lot of fast cars to beat before then.”
Steve Brooks
#88 Wolfbrook Motorsport Team BRM Audi R8 LMS EVO II
“It’s an absolutely fantastic series. It’s really stepped up a notch and I’m really looking forward to it,” Brooks said.
“Obviously I’m from New Zealand, so from what we’re doing over there, to have Ryan Wood in the car, being the Supercars driver he is, he is helping me improve my driving and I’m really looking forward to sharing a few laughs this year with him, the rest of the team, and also other competitors.
“Phillip Island last year on the test day, I put it in the wall, then Ryan in Practice 1 also put it in the wall, so we got our crashes out of the way last year, so this year we’re going to stay focused.
“We hope to be at the pointy end of the field. We ended up fourth last year while missing a round, and this year we have committed to the whole season to get in there and hopefully take out the championship.
“It’s really exciting – new year, new team and working with Mark Rundle. He’s a great guy, so I’m looking forward to that and hopefully Alex Peroni is back on the field soon.”