SMP SpeedSeries wrap: Ojeda takes Sydney GT enduro, Targett takes title

The three-hour GT World Challenge Australia enduro at Sydney Motorsport Park was dominated by Jayden Ojeda and Paul Lucchitti.

The Tigani Motorsport pair had to fight for the win, starting outside the top 10, but this did not stop them from producing something special.

The key to the victory was an early pit stop during the first Safety Car of a disrupted opening hour, which saw them gain a minute.

As a result Ojeda and Lucchitti went from seventh on Lap 57 to the lead just 15 laps later.

The #66 Mercedes emerged ahead of the #1 Arise Racing Ferrari of Chaz Mostert and Liam Talbot.

Ojeda/Lucchitti took the win by 7s over the Ferrari combination that clinched the Endurance Cup part of the championship.

It was a two horse race with the next best Brendon Leitch and Elliott Schutte a further 52s adrift.

Saturday was a dramatic day for the GTs even before racing began.

Will Brown and Brad Schumacher did not get to start the race with their Audi being wiped out from a huge crash at Turn 6.

Schumacher was pushing hard in the fight for pole, but spun coming out of the left hander at the top of the circuit and went straight into the concrete head on.

“I was up seven tenths on my flying lap and I was just trying to capitalise on that of course and put that car on the front row for the race,” Schumacher said.

“Unfortunately, just on the exit of Turn 6 where the grate is with the ripple strip, it just snapped in the rear on me and caught me completely by surprise and I just didn’t have the time to save the rear and ultimately went into the inside wall.”

The Audi was ruled out on the spot for the rest of the weekend, seeing one of the contenders disappear and reducing the field to just 12 cars.

Garth Walden and Michael Sheargold took pole, but it was Paul Stokel the early leader as the former crew was held back by an early puncture.

The Triple Eight Mercedes of Grant Hackett and Declan Fraser lost a lap after more tyre troubles and a steering issue.

A Mark Rosser spin all the way to the Turn 1 tyres brought out the first Safety Car where Ojeda made the key pit stop.

The Safety Car returned around 11 laps later when James Koundouris could not get going after ra Turn 11 spin.

The third and final stoppage was not until Lap 47 when the Sergio Pires/Marcel Zalloua Audi became the latest to get unstuck at Turn 1.

This meant the final 50 laps were all green, allowing the contenders to spread their legs going for glory.

Once the final round of stops were completed around the Lap 70 mark, Ojeda emerged with a minute in hand of Mostert.

Whilst the Ferrari driver slashed the deficit down to 7s, he could not quite get close enough to ever threaten the Mercedes before the chequered flag.

The late race move was for third as Leitch chased down Jaxon Evans in the sister Ferrari.

The GT Kiwi was flying in the Audi and passed his Supercars compatriot with just four laps to go.

The three-hour enduro was a one off with the GTs returning for the Bathurst International finale.

TCR Australia

Josh Buchan takes the chequered flag. Image: HMO Customer Racing

Reigning champion Josh Buchan took an important step to back to back titles by winning the opening TCR Australia race at SMP.

Buchan entered the penultimate round with a 27-point deficit, but that has been slashed to nine points with a commanding lights to flag success.

As the #1 Hyundai dominated, championship leader Zac Soutar could only manage sixth.

There were three different makes on the podium with the Wall Racing Honda of Brad Harris the runner-up 2s behind Buchan and Dylan O’Keeffe next best in the Lynk & Co.

Aaron Cameron was a non starter due to engine issues in his older spec GRM Peugeot.

Once the race got going there were more dramas for teammate Ryan Casha, who also had engine dramas and drifted to a distant last, but still finished on the lead lap.

Buchan led away from pole and was never challenged as Harris shut the door on Tony D’Alberto to secure second.

D’Alberto could not challenge his teammate and was demoted to fifth by O’Keeffe and Tom Oliphant on Lap 3.

The rest of the 16-lap affair was clean with two more sprints coming at 11.55 and 15.25 AEDT respectively.

Porsche Sprint Challenge

Oscar Targett celebrates his Porsche Sprint Challenge title. Image: Supplied 

Oscar Targett has wrapped up the Porsche Sprint Challenge in style by winning two of the three races at SMP.

Targett has dominated the chase for the crown all year, and wrapped it up by taking the round win narrowly over Clay Osborne, who won the final race.

Targett’s two race wins trumped Osborne’s final race success, plus P2 and P3 by 13 points.

The Grove Racing junior is the second youngest Porsche Sprint Challenge champion ever, at 18 years and 10 months, only six months older than Jordan Love.

Ramu Farrell claimed the Pro-Am win over Lacey Harburg, who took the Pro Am title.

GT4 Australia

The start of the GT4 Australia race at SMP. Image: RACE PROJECT/Supplied

The GT4 Australia one-hour enduro at SMP put on a show with Tom Hayman and Marcos Flack victorious.

Despite starting outside the top 10, Hayman and Flack were fast in their McLaren and took a 5s triumph over Ford arch rivals Andrew Miedecke and Rylan Gray.

There was opening lap drama as Sam Brabham suffered damage as Flack began the Method Motorsport team’s charge to victory.

Flack rose from 11th to eighth before handing over to Hayman on Lap 14 and the later then produced something special.

He needed just five laps to soar to second and reel in leader Gray.

The pair then had a thrilling exchange for the lead that was ultimately won by Hayman with a grand move around the outside on Lap 24.

Gray had no response and had to settle for second 5s adrift.

Rounding out the Silver podium was the BMW M4 GT4 of Tim Leahey and Cody Burcher, who finished more than a minute behind.

Pro Am went down to the wide with the race winning move not taking place until the final three laps.

Aaron Seton and Jason Gomersall in the new Ford Mustang GT4 appeared to be destined to give the car another debut win.

They led until the closing stages, only for Zoe Woods and Dan Jilesen to overhaul them.

Woods’ pace was irresistible in the final stint as she got past the Ford on the third to last lap.

It ensured Woods made history as the first woman to secure a class win in the series.

Taking out third place was Steve Jakic and Ryder Quinn after the latter led the overall field for the first 19 laps and posted a new GT4 lap record.

The Am title appear destined for Jacob Lawrence and John Bowe after they cruised to a 5s win.

Another one hour race awaits at 12.40 AEDT.

Radical Cup Australia

In the Radical Cup Australia Josh Hunt took pole, but Peter Paddon claimed the honours in a competitive opening race after a good battle with Cooper Cutts.

Paddon and Cutts wrestled throughout the opening lap before the former surged ahead down the main straight.

Hunt looked set to convert pole to victory in Race 2, but engine issues saw his dreams disappear just two minutes from home.

A Safety Car created a one-lap dash to the flag and Barton Mawer held off Paddon.

There were two more Radical Cup races are coming at 10.35 and 14.45 AEDT.

Australian Production Cars

The Australian Production Cars enjoyed two 30-minute sprints around SMP on Saturday.

Fresh from Supercars Cameron Crick controlled the opening race and claimed a 3s triumph over Grant Sherrin and Simon Hodges in an all BMW podium.

Crick’s teammate Dean Campbell claimed back to back successes for the #118 in a much closer Race 2.

Just half a second split Campbell and Sherrin after 15 laps as they charged away from the back.

Best of the rest was Tyler Mecklem after a last-minute pass on Simon Hodges.

Another 30-minute sprint is being held at 11.10 AEDT before the headline one-hour race at 16.05.

Main image: RACE PROJECT

SpeedSeries SMP Sunday schedule

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