Monochrome GT4 Australia has finished its first race of 2026 in style as the picturesque Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit turned it on for the opening show GT Festival Phillip Island.
Silver Cup
Aaron Cameron and Lochie Dalton have started the year with maximum points after taking out top honours in the opening race of the weekend, while Multispares Racing teammates Cam McLeod and Mason Harvey finished in second place.
Rounding out the class podium was Daniel Frougas behind the wheel of the Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO II ahead of the Ford Mustang after he crossed the line four seconds behind the two Ford Mustang GT4s.
Cameron and Dalton ended up finishing the race in second behind Harvey and McLeod; however, a 10-second time penalty to the latter crew handed the winners the eventual win.
Cameron started the race from fourth and worked their way up the order, as McLeod got off to a lightning-quick start to charge away from the grid.
Despite a safety car bringing McLeod back to the field, he managed to break away again at the restart as he handed the lead to Harvey during the pit stops, with the West Australian carrying on the momentum of his co-driver, eventually charging out to almost a seven-second lead by the time the chequered flag came around.
Unfortunately, the pair had to settle for second after the penalty for weight balance; however, they showed plenty of pace throughout the one-hour race to give them plenty of confidence going forward.
Behind them, Frougas’ impressive Saturday continued on from a strong qualifying session where the New South Welshman started in fifth and finished in third after getting past the McLaren Artura GT4 of William Exton and Jack Johnson, and pole sitters Tom Hayman and Jett Murray in the Method Motorsport McLaren GT4.
Although Hayman had a solid start to the day with a strong lap for pole, he had a tough start to the opening race of the year, as he and Murray finished fourth ahead of Wallis Motorsport’s Jack Wallis and Sam Paley.
Silver-Am
There was plenty of drama in the Silver-Am Cup throughout the race as Thunder Buddies Racing / Black Diamond’s Ryder Quinn and Daniel Jilesen finished with a huge 25-second victory.
Crossing the line in second place was Randall Racing’s Jacob Lawrence and Lachlan Mineeff, the former enjoying a solid start to the class having won the Am Cup in the previous two years, while Method Motorsport’s Cameron Crick and Dean Campbell rounded out the podium.
Quinn and Jilesen proved far too strong for the rest of the field as they qualified in fourth and eventually moved their way up the order to take a commanding win – showcasing the former’s remarkable ability behind the wheel in the BMW M4 GT4 G82.
Right from the get-go, there was drama in the class as Norganic Proteins’ Caleb Paterson and Kent Quinn were forced to retire on the opening lap after issues to their Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS CS brought out the safety car.
Reigning champions Aaron Seton and Jason Gomersall also had to come to the garage early after their Ford Mustang GT4 suffered issues – the Race 1 polesitters forced to retire on lap 18.
Debutants Lachlan Evennett and Andrew Torti guided their CAMM Quarries & Concrete Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO II to fourth, while Tufflift Racing by TSM’s Zac Soutar and Glenn Nirwan made up the top five in their McLaren Artura GT4 in a solid effort that saw them overcome a time penalty earlier in the race.
Am Cup
Method Motorsport’s Chris Lillis and Nathan Callaghan have produced an outstanding run to start the year off on a high as the pair charged from seventh in class to take out top spot.
Not only did the pair enjoy an impeccable run throughout the class during the 31-lap affair; however, they managed to guide their Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS CS to a 16-second victory over Glen Walker in the Gomersall Motorsport Ford Mustang GT4.
Having started on pole position after a strong showing in this morning’s qualifying, Walker was unable to convert the start into a victory – eventually having to settle for second place.
Rounding out the podium for the class was Ryan Sorenson in the Method Motorsport McLaren Artura GT4 – a solid result considering his McLaren suffered a technical malfunction where the door opened mid-race.
Despite the setback, Sorenson still managed to make up a spot having started from fourth and secure a podium finish and continue the good form from last year’s season finale.
Making up the top five for the class was Bailey Love in fourth as he overcame a shaky start in the Love Racing by TSM Mercedes-AMG GT4, and the Randall Racing BMW M4 GT4 G82 of Peter Lawrence.
Monochrome GT4 Australia now has its final race of the weekend tomorrow at 11:10am AEDT.