Schumacher got the jump over the Volante Rosso Aston Martin of Liam Talbot off the front row but relinquished the lead further around the first lap.

Once the reigning champion took the lead, it was full speed ahead, building a near 15-second lead in 19 laps before the mandatory pit stop cycle.

Championship leaders Elliott Schutte and Jaxon Evans needed to finish ahead of Feeney/Schumacher to seal the title on Saturday, but Schutte struggled early on with outright pace, dropping back outside the top five.

When Talbot handed over to co-driver and car owner Josh Hunt, the latter emerged with a 14-second lead over Broc Feeney.

Feeney set about a charge to catch the Aston Martin, setting blistering laps in his quest for the race lead.

Meanwhile, the gloves were off in the mid-pack with three hard-charging Kiwis fighting for fourth position.

Jaxon Evans set about his comeback charge, engaging in an enthralling battle with local legends Jonny Reid and Damon Leitch.

Evans eventually snuck by the pair and gained enough ground in the field to keep the championship lead to over 20 points heading into Sunday.

With 25 points available for a race win, Feeney knew he had to pass Hunt for the lead to gain the most points as possible.

Feeney and Schumacher’s win brings the points gap down to just 15 to Evans and Schutte, keeping the championship battle alive and well heading into the final day of competition.

GT World Challenge Australia returns on Sunday for the final one-hour race of the season at 1:25pm local time (11:25am AEDT).