Liam Talbot heads to the second round of the CAMS Australian GT Championship at this weekend’s Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix confident of a good showing aboard his MEGA Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R.
Talbot began the season with solid results at the Clipsal 500, which places him fourth on the Series standings heading into this weekend.
It is a change of format for Australian GT this weekend, with four 25 minute sprint races. Whilst Talbot is racing solo, for those with two drivers, two of those races will be conducted by their Pro driver, the others the Amateur driver which is sure to mix the fields up.
Unlike other rounds, no pitstops will take place this weekend and the four races are a straight battle from start to finish, meaning that the pressure is on from the beginning.
It will be the first time that Talbot has competed at the Albert Park Formula 1 Circuit, however his European experience should come to the fore having raced at Formula 1 circuits such as Spa-Francorchamps, Monza, Nurburgring, Paul Ricard, Silverstone and Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi – which has similar characteristics to Melbourne.
This weekend will be the second weekend that Liam Talbot Racing has joined forces with Australia’s newest Petroleum company, MEGA Limited in the Walkinshaw GT3-prepared Porsche.
Talbot – the European Blancpain Endurance Series Champion – has also drawn support from Wash-It Mobile Truck Wash and Walkinshaw GT3 partners, Morris Finance and Urban Maintenance Systems.
MEGA Racing also has an involvement in the Supercars support races in Melbourne, being the major backer of Jason Bright’s #56 Ford.
LIAM’S LOWDOWN – ROUND 2 CAMS AUSTRALIAN GT CHAMPIONSHIP
“Albert Park is along the lines of the European circuits that I cut my teeth on in GT racing. While I haven’t raced there before, I’ve been spending plenty of time on the simulator to familiarise myself with the flow of the circuit.
“This is important as we get no practice sessions – we go straight into qualifying which will determine the grid for the first race and our second session for the second race – so the pressure’s on straight up.
“The Clipsal 500 weekend was a great start to the year with the MEGA Racing Porsche and the car was phenomenal to drive.
“To come into the Grand Prix weekend fourth on points is a good start to the season. The four races while four sprint races may seem easy on paper, but as a single driver team, it is going to be an interesting fight.
“From the two car teams, I will be against the Pro drivers in two of the races and the Amateur drivers in the other two.
“What it does ensure is plenty of action which we’ll hopefully be in the mix of and can walk away with a good swag of points towards the Championship and put on yet another MEGA show!”
Thursday, March 23
11:50-12:10 – Australian GT – Qualifying 1
14:05-14:25 – Australian GT – Qualifying 2
15:40-16:05 – Australian GT – Race 1
Friday, March 24
10:45-11:10 – Australian GT – Race 2
Saturday, March 25
12:05-12:30 – Australian GT – Race 3
Sunday, March 26
11:30-11:55 – Australian GT – Race 4
WHERE TO WATCH (all day coverage):
Friday, March 24
ONE HD
Fox Sports 506
Saturday, March 25
Network TEN
Fox Sports 506
Sunday, March 26
Network TEN
Fox Sports 506
Note: No television scheduled for Thursday; Australian GT on ONE and Network TEN only; Supercars races live on ONE, TEN and Fox Sports; check local guides.