Chaz Mostert will make a cameo in Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS in this weekend’s first round of the season at Phillip Island.
The Repco Supercars Championship leader is back in an Audi for the event, partnering Liam Talbot in the latter’s latest-spec R8 LMS GT3 Evo 2022 at The Island.
The duo in fact have a mutual sponsor in Wash It Australia, leading to the one-off start as a replacement for Talbot’s regular co-driver, Fraser Ross.
While the #65 Audi which they will steer is a new package, and Mostert will not arrive at the track until just prior to qualifying, he does have recent experience with the German marque’s GT3 machinery having contested three rounds of GT World Challenge Australia last year with Tony Bates.
Furthermore, Talbot comes into the event as the last-start winner, having prevailed with Ross in Race 2 of the final round of 2021 at Mount Panorama.
“I didn’t plan on doing anything other than Supercars this year, but I’m definitely happy to help Liam out for the Phillip Island,” said Mostert.
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“Liam and I actually have a mutual friend Ben Hennock from Wash It Australia. He supports both of us, and my name was thrown into the ring and I was keen to help them out when Fraser got caught up and was unavailable.
“I haven’t driven the new Evo 2022 package, and I can only rock up just before qualifying, so I’ll be jumping into the deep end, so I’ll try and get into the swing of it as quickly as I can.
“Like any race car driver, we are there to compete and we want to be on the top step. I have some experience with the Audi from last year, but Liam is very capable driver and we’ll be hoping to put his car as far up the order as we can.
“The competition in GT is very stiff. There’s lots of good cars, teams and drivers there. It should be a great weekend.”
Talbot expects the Evo 2022 package to make a difference at the big, open Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, even if he too will be learning the car this weekend.
“It’s all a last-minute thing, but it will be good to be in the car, and will be nice to learn a few things off Chaz. Hopefully we are in the fight for race wins,” he said of Mostert’s call-up.
“From what I understand, the Evo 2022 is more stable in the rear at high speed. Phillip Island is an aero track, so to have that stability and confidence in the rear at a circuit like this will be much appreciated.
“Naturally, you want to get the best result possible. Having not done a test in the Evo, it will interesting on how quickly we come to grips with it, but it will be nice to get some poles and wins.
“I’m just really happy to be part of the competition and excited to go back racing.”
That competition is a field of more than 20 cars for Round 1, including German factory Audi driver Christopher Mies and 2021 champion Yasser Shahin, Shane van Gisbergen and Prince Jefri Ibrahim in the Triple Eight Race Engineering Mercedes-AMG, David Reynolds and Tony Bates in yet another Audi, and Tony D’Alberto with Adrian Dietz in a Lamborghini.
Both GT World Challenge races, all three Supercheap Auto TCR Australia races and qualifying, as well as action from a host of other categories will be streamed live and ad-free on Stan Sport, from 11:00-17:00 AEDT on both Saturday and Sunday.
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