Sandown was the most dominant display of the season for TFM, with the Ferrari right back to the front of the field after a tricky previous round in Sydney.
We topped practice by a comfortable margin and it was clear that the Ferrari was well suited to the circuit, which we followed up with a double pole for both Graeme and I.
Graeme topped his first Australian GT qualifying session outright, I claimed my fourth pole from five this season (a category record) and we as a pairing achieved a rare feat to top both sessions, which I don’t believe has been don’t before.
Into the first race we carried our usual maximum pit stop penalty of 2mins 9secs stationary. Despite this, we charged for the entire race to finish in 2nd overall, just 6 seconds shy of the winner.
Unfortunately this was stripped from us overnight, as we were found to have broken a pit lane rule where I was over a boundary line when the car entered the pit lane. This was not a regulation we were aware of and was very disappointing. The 26 second penalty dropped us to 8th, but we knew we had the package to deliver on Sunday.
Sunday’s race was just fantastic, on a weekend that really showcased the Australian GT Championship in the best possible light. With Pro level drivers starting, I charged from 8th to second in five laps and took the lead soon after. During this time I re-set the lap record no less than five times before handing over to Graeme who kept the charge on for an eventual 5th place result.
Given the cars in front of us all pitted for between 10-35 seconds less (the leader was seven seconds ahead at the finish) it puts in perspective just how fast the TFM crew were at Sandown this weekend.
Our confidence is high for Highlands in November, for the AGT season finale, and rightfully so. We can’t wait to race at home and challenge for that elusive first win in Australian GT, and I know many of you will be there in support of us.
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