Will Davison and Renee Gracie claimed their first GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS victory after a commanding performance in the opening race of Round 3 at Queensland Raceway.
A brilliant opening stint from Gracie put the #181 OnlyFans Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 into the lead and was followed by a calm and composed drive to the chequered flag by Davison, earning the pair a well-deserved victory and Ferrari its first overall win of the year.
Finishing second, more than three seconds behind, was the #56 Kallosche AMG by Tigani Motorsport in the Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO of Oscar Targett and Justin Tigani, while Geyer Valmont Racing by Tigani Motorsport’s Brendon Leitch and Sergio Pires rounded out the podium.
With Justin starting from pole position after an outstanding qualifying performance earlier on Saturday, he got off the line cleanly and built a solid gap over Gracie in the opening laps. Behind him, Pires and Mark Rosser in the #268 Team BRM Audi R8 LMS EVO II went side-by-side through multiple corners.
While Pires eventually won the battle with Rosser to retain third place, the fight slowed both him and Justin enough for Gracie to close the gap. Rosser settled into fourth after gaining two positions from his starting spot of sixth.
The race was briefly neutralised when Darren Currie’s #2 Team MPC Audi R8 LMS EVO II became stranded in the gravel, bringing out the safety car while the vehicle was recovered.
Once racing resumed, Justin remained in the lead and looked set to pull away. However, Gracie’s pressure eventually proved too much and she executed a smart move to take the lead.
Despite losing the position to Gracie, Justin comfortably held second place, remaining a couple of seconds ahead of Pires. Behind them, Schumacher was right on the rear of Pires’ Mercedes-AMG after the reigning champion had worked his way past Rosser.
The race then settled, with no further position changes among the leaders, allowing Gracie to extend her advantage to more than three seconds by the time the pit window opened.
The top three remained unchanged following the pit stops, with Davison leading Targett, who in turn led Leitch. Meanwhile, Jaxon Evans in the #26 ARGT Ferrari 296 GT3 emerged in fourth after the Audi pairings of Rosser/Alex Peroni and Schumacher/Broc Feeney underwent succession penalties.
At the front of the field, Davison rejoined with a lead of more than four seconds. His advantage remained above three seconds for most of the stint before he comfortably brought the car home ahead of Targett and Leitch, who were separated by just eight hundredths of a second at the finish.
Evans and co-driver Elliot Schutte finished fourth in the #26 Ferrari, just half a second behind Leitch. Schumacher and Feeney guided the #1 Kelso Electrical Team MPC Audi to fifth, a further three seconds back.
Less than a second separated the reigning champions from Peroni and Rosser in sixth, while Zagame Autosport’s Josh Buchan and Cameron Campbell crossed the line seventh in their #23 Ferrari 296 GT3, more than three seconds behind.
Move My Wheels by Tigani Motorsport’s Jayden Ojeda and Paul Lucchitti finished eighth in their #66 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO, while #93 Wall Racing’s Tony D’Alberto and Adrien Deitz came home ninth in their Lamborghini Huracan.
Rounding out the top 10 was the #71 AED Consulting by Tigani Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 R, with Luke Youlden and Nathan Halstead also claiming Trophy Cup honours.
Having started second in class behind pole-sitter Cameron Rees in the Volante Rosso Motorsport #14 Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3, Youlden made the decisive pass for the lead with 20 minutes remaining.
Youlden ultimately guided the Porsche to a 10-second class victory over the #24 KFC Team MPC Audi R8 LMS EVO II of Paul Stokell and Garry Higgon, while Rees finished third in class.
GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS continues tomorrow, with the final race of the weekend scheduled to begin at 10:25am AEST, which is available to watch on FOX SPORTS Australia and Kayo Sports.