News
Dec 21, 2015
Double Class Champions in Australian GT
Wall Racing – Double Class Champions in Australian GT
Multiple Australian GT Championship winning team, Wall Racing, has returned to the Australian GT Championship in the best way possible, by winning both the Trophy and Challenge Class Championships.
Wall Racing ran two cars in the Australian GT Championship. Greg Taylor and Barton Mawer in an Audi R8 LMS Ultra in the Trophy Class, and Richard Gartner in a 997 Porsche in the Challenge Class.
The season finale was held in New Zealand at the Highlands Motorsport Park, and unfortunately the weekend got off to a tough start when Bart Mawer hit the wall hard in the #38 Audi on the last corner in his qualifying session. The accident not only ruled him out of the rest of the session, but also meant the team had to work through the night to get the car on track for race 1.
Starting where his co-driver Greg had qualified, Bart started the race and got the pair off to a fantastic start by jumping their closest Championship rival, Theo Koundouris. Bart held this position and they were able to come in for the driver change holding that advantage.
A defining moment of the weekend, and the season, came when Greg was able to pass Jan Jinadasa in the closing laps of the race. This gave Greg and Bart the extra points they need to all but seal the Championship win.
By finishing 10th in Race 1, Greg and Bart went into Race 2 knowing all they needed to do was finish to claim the 2015 Trophy Class. Things did not go quiet to plan when a tap from another competitor sent Greg into the gravel trap early in the race. He was able to return to the track, and knowing they just had to finish, the team repaired some minor damage during their compulsory pit stop. Bart then jumped into the car and nursed the car home safely to win the Championship.
It was not only in the Trophy Class where Wall Racing has been on top this year.
Richard Gardner went into the weekend with an all or nothing attitude knowing that he needed a maximum points haul to win the Challenge Class Championship. In qualifying Richard did a great job to qualify 2nd, but most importantly he was ahead of his nearest Championship rival.
Race 1 saw Richard hit by another competitor while he was running in the lead of his Class. While the incident caused damage to the right front of his Porsche, it was not enough to put him out of the race and he was able to finish. His closest Championship rival was not so lucky when he had contact in a separate incident, putting him out of the race and scoring no Championship points.
As a result Richard went into race 2 needing just to finish. Richard was on a role though, and he not only finished the race, he did enough to win his Class for the weekend and to claim the 2015 Challenge Class Championship.
With both Championships secured, Wall Racing turned their attention to the Highlands 101.
Unfortunately there was a last minute driver change in the #38 Audi after Greg Taylor was not able to compete due to a knee injury. Nathan Antunes instead joined Bart in the car. The pair started the race from an impressive P9 outright. The pair came home in 8th outright, and first in Trophy Class, continuing the strong performance of the #38 Wall Racing Audi this year.
Richard Gartner was joined by Indiran Padayachee for the mini-endurance race. They both drove very well, coming home first in the Challenge Class for the race and sealing a very successful year.
The strong performance from both entries is a credit to the hard work of David Fyfe, David Wall, and the whole Wall Racing team. Particularly impressive is the fact the #38 Audi ran the whole season without a single DNF demonstrating the meticulous preparation.
“We couldn’t have asked for a better finish to the 2015 AGT season,” said Team Manager, David Fyfe.
“Greg Taylor and Bart Mawer in the #38 Audi winning the Trophy Class, and Richard Gartner driving his #53 Porsche to victory in the Challenge Class is the perfect result!
“My thanks go to our whole team – we may not be the biggest team, but our success speaks for itself. The team’s attention to detail and sheer determination has helped us enjoy this success.”
For Wall Racing there is not much time to sit back and enjoy this moment. The team is now busy working on their Bathurst 12 hour plans which will be announced soon.