Liam Talbot has maintained Audi’s run at the top after pacing the first of two Bronze Driver Only sessions as part of the build up to the Repco Bathurst 12 Hour event.
Talbot set a 2m 06.116s to lead reigning two-time Repco Bathurst 12 Hour winner Kenny Habul by 0.218s in the SunEnergy1 Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 as Yasser Shahin completed the top three in the EMA Manthey Porsche 991.2 GT3R.
Despite setting the quickest time in the opening all-in practice session, Audi Sport Customer Racing Australia’s two leading entries were delayed in the pits by a technical problem. The Wash It/Jamec Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo 2 driven by Liam Talbot was first out of the pits after missing the early part of the session, but the KFC/Jamec Racing entry of Brad Schumacher only emerged with five minutes to go.
Schumacher still went on to finish the session fourth on a 2m 07.476s in what was his sole flying lap, with M Motorsport’s Justin McMillan, the Valmont Audi of Marcel Zalloua, the Triple Eight Race Engineering Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Prince Jefri Ibrahim and Wall Racing’s Grant Denyer in the new Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo completed the lead runners.
Leading the Invitational Class entry was Adam Hargraves from Max Twigg, while GT4 was led by Mark Griffith’s Mercedes-AMG GT4 entry.
Practice for the Repco Bathurst 12 Hour continues at 1:30pm AEDT.