Monochrome GT4 Australia got its LIQUI MOLY GT Queensland weekend underway with a competitive Practice 1 session, as a packed field of GT4 machinery hit Queensland Raceway for the first time.
Silver
Leading the way in the opening session was Multispares Racing's Cameron McLeod, who improved in the final stages to post a session-best lap of 1:13.8540 aboard the Ford Mustang GT4 shared with Mason Harvey.
Second fastest was Purdie Racing's Jobe Stewart, whose best lap of 1:14.2810 in the Audi R8 LMS GT4 kept the South Australian outfit firmly in the mix throughout the session.
Completing the Silver class top three was RENNEN Motorsport's Jensen Shearer in the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS CS. Shearer vaulted into third place late in the session with a 1:14.3540, displacing Multispares Racing's Lochie Dalton, who had occupied the position at the halfway mark.
The margins at the front remained incredibly tight, with just half a second separating the top three Silver runners by the chequered flag.
Silver-Am
The Silver-Am class was headed by Nonorganic Proteins' Caleb Paterson, who produced an impressive 1:13.8420 in the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS CS shared with Scott Green.
Paterson's benchmark remained untouched throughout the session despite strong challenges from CAMM Quarries & Concrete Racing's Andrew Torti, who ended the session second fastest in class with a 1:14.0810 aboard the Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO 2.
Third place went to Ekebol MPC's Joshua Thomas in the Ford Mustang GT4 after recording a best lap of 1:14.5470.
The Silver-Am category proved one of the most competitive on track, with Paterson's class-leading time also placing him amongst the outright pacesetters for the session.
Am
Gomersall Motorsport's Glenn Walker set the standard in the Am class, guiding his Ford Mustang GT4 to a best lap of 1:15.0770 to comfortably top the category.
Method Motorsport's Ryan Sorensen made a late-session improvement in the McLaren Artura GT4 to move into second place with a 1:15.5770, jumping ahead of Love Racing by TSM's Rob Love in the closing stages.
Love ultimately finished third in the Mercedes-AMG GT4 with a best time of 1:15.8180 after spending much of the session inside the top two.
With multiple late improvements across all three classes and little separating the leading contenders, teams will now turn their attention to the second practice session as preparations continue for an action-packed weekend at Queensland Raceway.
Monochrome GT4 Australia returns to the track later today for Practice 2 at 1:30pm AEST.