Mercedes-AMG entries have made the perfect start to the weekend at the Monochrome GT4 Australia season finale at the Bathurst International.
Following his debut at Sydney Motorsport Park, Lochie Dalton has set the fastest time in opening practice at the Mountain.
Dalton forms one part of the Pro-Am, Tasmanian duo in the Buckby Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT4 alongside Ben Newman, as he set a 2m 15.597s to lead the similar Gomersall Motorsport entry of Silver Cup’s Jake Camilleri by 0.322s.
Second in Silver Cup was the George Miedecke and Rylan Gray Lubrimaxx/Miedecke Motorsport Ford Mustang GT4, just 0.013s off Camilleri’s time.
Filling out second in Pro-Am was the Black Diamond Building and Construction BMW M4 GT4 G82 of Rylan Gray and Steve Jakic, while the second Ford Mustang GT4 in the field for Gomersall Motorsport drivers Aaron Seton and Jason Gomersall rounded out the top three in Pro-Am Cup.
Central West Prestige’s Tim Leahey and Cody Burcher was sixth in Silver Cup for BMW, with Pro-Am Cup standings leaders Lachlan Mineeff and Shane Smollen sat fourth in class driving the Method Motorsport Porsche 718 Cayman RS CS.
TekworkX Motorsport’s Zoe Woods and Daniel Jilesen continued their striong momentum from Sydney to be fifth in Pro-Am ahead of Marcos Flack and Tom Hayman, who enter the finale leading the Silver Cup standings in the Method Motorsport McLaren Artura GT4.
Monochrome GT4 Australia debutants Ramu Farrell and Andrew Georgiadis made the perfect start to lead Am Cup in the second TekworkX Motorsport Porsche.
Tony Quinn made it a Porsche 1-2 in Am Cup from Randall Raicng’s Jamie Augustine and Peter Lawrence in the BMW.
Method Motorsport’s Anthony Levitt rounded out the top three in Am Cup driving the team’s second McLaren.
Fourth was the incumbent Am Cup winner Jacob Lawrence for Randall Racing partnered by John Bowe.
Although the Love Racing by Volante Rosso Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT4 stopped at the start of the lane during the session, father-son combo Rob and Bailey Love completed the Am Cup top five.
Anthony Soole and Grant Denyer were sixth in Am Cup in the Property Investment Store McLaren 570S GT4 from the Team Nineteen Mercedes-AMG GT4 of Mark Griffith.
Rob Rubis and Scott Turner rounded out the Am Cup field in the Ginetta G56 GT4.
A stoppage to the session at the 40-minute mark was caused by Jason Yu in the Zagame Autosport McLaren after it failed to exit the gravel trap on the outside of Murray’s Corner. It did not restart the session.
The next session for Monochrome GT4 Australia at the Bathurst International is the second practice session of the day at 1:00pm AEDT.