Successful Bathurst haul

Australia’s spiritual home of motorsport, Mount Panorama, Bathurst, has seen two national Championships decided this week, with Audi Sport customer racing in the box seat on both occasions. With races to spare in both instances, Yasser Shahin wrapped up the 2021 Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS championship after a strong performance all season.

In the TCR Australia category, Chaz Mostert, was able to score enough points in the first of three TCR races to cement his claim on this year’s Supercheap Auto TCR Australia title.

In the Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia, Australian Yasser Shahin, enlisted the co-driving talent of Audi Sport ace, Christopher Mies, to put the finishing touches on his 2021 season. The German driver was forced to spend three days in quarantine before being able to get behind the wheel of the R8 LMS GT3, effectively ruling him out of practice and qualifying. Although Mies is no stranger to the Bathurst circuit, holding the current lap record and having twice won the Bathurst 12 hour race with Audi Sport, arriving ‘cold’ had its challenges and added a level of complexity to the brief.

With Shahin setting a strong platform in the early stages of the race, he handed over to Mies who ultimately hunted down what was a 12 second deficit to the leader to claim the race win and seal the championship result for Shahin. In the process he set and then broke his own fastest lap record on several occasions in the race in what was a thrilling performance behind the wheel.

The situation for Mostert in the RS 3 LMS car which was also prepared by Melbourne Performance Centre (MPC), was less dramatic, but no less final in the championship standings. Having had a heavy collision during practice, Mostert’s car was badly damaged and called for an all-nighter from the MPC team just to get it on the grid for the race. But ready the car they did, and an uncharacteristically subdued Mostert kept out of trouble to ultimately finish in 9th, but with enough points to put him beyond challenge even with two more TCR races remaining.

With V8 Supercars duties precluding him from taking part in the other two races it was just as well, but the championship was an unexpected bonus for Mostert in 2021, given he had only originally signed on with MPC to drive the Audi at one or two TCR meetings throughout the year.

Although Mostert left the remaining two TCR races to concentrate on his V8 Supercars campaign this weekend, Mies was back on track after his GT3 win, this time behind the wheel of another MPC RS 3 LMS car. Starting from the back of the grid, the German put on another driving masterclass to finish fourth in his first stint in an RS 3 LMS since helping to develop the car with Audi Sport in 2015. Congratulations to Yasser Shahin, Chis Mies, Chaz Mostert and the team at Melbourne Performance Centre for their success this season.