Endurance champions

It was a particularly busy weekend for Garth Tander at Sandown, but also a particularly satisfying one. Sharing his driving duties between the new TCR Australia Series in an Audi RS 3 LMS and teaming up with Goeff Emery in the Audi R8 LMS, when he wasn’t out on the Sandown circuit, there was a better than good chance he was standing on the podium.

In addition to his two second places from the three TCR races, Tander, co-driving with Geoff Emery, also clinched his first title in an Audi, the pair winning the Australian Endurance Championship.

Following wins in the season opener at Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit and second place at The Bend in South Australia, the Team Valvoline Audi R8 LMS needed only to finish second at Sandown to claim the title.

Held over three one hour ‘hot legs’ as opposed to separate races, Emery and Tander battled it out in some of the closest racing this season to ultimately finish second overall for the day and claim Emery’s first Endurance Championship and first GT crown for Garth Tander. 

“We didn’t have a real good start to the weekend, but we’re lucky we’ve had a solid season this year,” Emery said of the result. 

“Absolutely rapt to do it with Garth, he’s helped me with my other championships, but he never really got any reward out of it at the end of the day, so it’s really good to give something back to Garth.”

Emery has previously won the GT Championship in 2017 and again last year with Tander joining him for the final round. Indeed Emery leads this year’s Australian GT Championship (which also includes the three endurance races), and with two rounds left in the season he is in a strong position to make it three straight.

For Tander, the result capped off a big weekend and added another title to his already impressive driving record. 

“Thanks very much to the guys from Audi Sport and Team Valvoline, they did an awesome job. I think Geoff undersells himself, you know he’s won three GT championships now,” Garth said of the title win.

For Audi, the weekend’s result brings the brand’s Australian GT tally to four Australian GT Championships, five Trophy classifications and now its first Endurance classification.