AUDI ON FRONT FOOT IN CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT
Mat Coch/Australian GT | 7.5.17 | Aktuality
Australian GT 2017
Audi Sport Customer Racing Australia has taken an important step forward in its quest to win the 2017 Australian GT Championship after a strong showing at Barbagallo.
As the championship reaches its halfway mark, the Valvoline Jamec Pem Racing entry of Geoff Emery and Kelvin van der Linde is within striking distance of the points leader.
The duo are just 28-points off the top of the championship standings, while James Koundouris and Ash Walsh are also in serious contention for Superbarn Supermarkets with just two rounds remaining.
“We changed our strategy a bit this weekend with our tyres, and that favoured us a bit,” van der Linde explained.
“With every step we’re getting closer and we’ve got a real shot at it now in the last two rounds,” added the 20-year-old.
“It’s not necessary to go out and win every race – we’re in it for the long haul.”
For the first time in their partnership, Emery and van der Linde were beaten to pole position, their Audi team-mates Ash Walsh and James Koundouris claiming their maiden pole together.
The safety car then played havoc with their race on Saturday, before stirring drives from both Koundouris and Walsh saw the duo end the round third overall – just one place behind Emery and van der Linde.
“This was one round where it all seemed to go right,” beamed Koundouris.
“Ash did an amazing job in both races."
“I knew that it was going to be about making the tyres live over the distance,” said Walsh.
“The end result is quite good – it’s always happy to be up there running in the top five.
"You can’t be disappointed with that."
Following their pole position, Walsh and Koundouris finished a strong sixth place in Race 1, two places back from Emery and van der Linde.
The two Audi R8 LMS’ then finishing Race 2 nose to tail in second and third to round out a strong weekend and catapult them up the championship standings.
Ash Samadi hit the ground running on Friday, ending the opening practice session with the fourth fastest time.
That pace was translated into a solid 12th place in the opening race, bringing with it a healthy swag of points in the Gold Driver Cup competition.
An opening lap clash with a fellow competitor in Race 2 compromised the Apartment Hotels Audi R8 LMS from the outset, though Samadi valiantly battled through the 60-minute encounter to seal 13th place and fourth for the weekend in the Gold Driver Cup standings.
Greg Taylor was forced out of the opening race of the weekend with mechanical issues in the GT Motorsport Audi R8 LMS.
Taylor pulled his car off the circuit just prior to the opening of the pit window, which would ultimately trigger a phenomenal drive from team-mate Emery in the second part of the race.
Gary Higgon and Daniel Gaunt were also unable to take the start for Race 2 after Higgon struggled with injury throughout the opening race.
An incident in qualifying left Higgon nursing a tender neck in the Kentucky Fried Chicken Audi, an injury which flared up during his stint.
Earlier, Gaunt had qualified the car third fastest, making for an Audi 1-2-3 for the opening race before a strong team performance saw him hand the car to Higgon in third place during the compulsory pit stops.
Focus for the Audi Sport Customer Racing Australia squad now turns to the Australian Endurance Championship, which gets underway at Phillip Island on May 27-29.
The next round of the Australian GT Championship will be at Townsville (July 7-9), where the squad will be looking to continue its steak of pole positions, which currently stands at a record ten consecutive events.
2017 Australian GT Championship Calendar:
1. Mar 2 - 5 Clipsal 500, Adelaide, SA
2. Mar 23 - 26 Australian Grand Prix, Albert Park, Melbourne, VIC
3. May 5 - 7 Perth Super Sprint, Barbagallo, WA
4. Jul 7 - 9 Townsville 400, Townsville, QLD
5. Sep 15 - 17 Sandown 500, Sandown Raceway, VIC
2017 Australian Endurance Championship Calendar:
1. May 26 - 28 Phillip Island 500, Phillip Island, VIC
2. Aug 18 - 20 Sydney Motorsport Park 501, Sydney, NSW
3. Oct 27 - 29 Hampton Downs 500, Hampton Downs, NZ
4. Nov 10 - 12 Highlands 501, Highlands Park, NZ
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