Out in front

Shahin takes outright lead in the 2022 Australian GT championship.

Defending Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia Champion, Yasser Shahin, moves to the outright top of the leaderboard in the series after a successful weekend at Queensland Raceway.

9 August, 2022


Shahin again spent the entire weekend ‘up at the pointy end’ of proceedings

Reigning Australian GT champ, Yasser Shahin, continues to stamp his authority over this year’s series with another dominant weekend in Queensland. Setting the pace with co-driver, Garth Tander, who was back in the car for the first time this season, Shahin again spent the entire weekend ‘up at the pointy end’ of proceedings, taking pole position for both races and recording a win and a second place to take a clear lead in the series standings. 

In the first race, Shahin led from the start, but after a safety car period followed by jockeying for position after pit stops, relinquished the lead to Prince Jefri Ibrahim and Shane van Gisbergen in the 888 Mercedes who ultimately took the chequered flag first.

But that result was to prove the only blot on what was otherwise a perfect weekend for Shahin, and the Sunday race proved to be a clean sweep from pole right through to the flag at race end.

Tander led from the start until a safety car again saw the field bunch up. On the restart Tander was quickest away again with David Reynolds in the #24 Audi R8 LMS EVO and van Gisbergen in the Mercedes hot on his heels. 

At the driver swap, Reynolds handed over to teammate Tony Bates who cleared the pits first taking the lead from Shahin, but his time at the front was short lived. The reigning champion rounded him up to retake the lead and ultimately the win with a clear 9.3 second buffer from second place Liam Talbot and Fraser Ross also in an Audi R8 LMS GT3.

The win in what was the third round of this year’s championship gives Shahin the lead in the championship all to himself after a three-way tie heading into the weekend. He now sits comfortably 10 points north of nearest rival Liam Talbot. 

The weekend also proved successful for Audi teams contesting other categories within the GT ranks, with Mark Rosser finishing fourth outright in the first race to win the Am classification and Brad Schumacher claiming GT Trophy Series honours in the #55 Schumacher Motorsport Audi R8 LMS Ultra. On Sunday, Rosser captured his second Am class win for the weekend despite a spin which saw him drop back in the field and having to fight to keep the lead cars in sight. 

Now at the halfway point in the championship, the teams head to Sandown in Victoria on September 16-18 to contest Round 4 of this year’s series, followed by The Bend Motorsport Park in October and Mount Panorama in November for the season finale.

The weekend also proved successful for Audi teams contesting the Am classification and GT Trophy Series