Peter Hackett has won a thrilling third round of the Australian GT Championship – Protected by Sargent Security, winning both one-hour races this weekend in his Mercedes Benz SLS AMG.
Klark Quinn led Hackett following the compulsory pit stops in today’s race, the Mercedes driver chasing down the leading Porsche to run nose-to-tail with 10-minutes to go – however the drama had only just begun.
Quinn was given a respite for the battle thanks to a late-race Safety Car and looked like he would hold on to win, however, the Sargent Security Porsche followed the Safety Car into pit lane with a suspected right-rear puncture, elevating Hackett to the lead. Quinn eventually finished eighth.
Hackett held on for three laps following the restart, leading home Lamborghini driver Roger Lago for the second time this weekend.
“I am truly disappointed we never got a chance to duke it out at the end,” Hackett said of Quinn’s retirement.
“A win is a win, though, and after the highs and lows of our car’s fast race pace being marred by accidents and incidents at both Clipsal and Phillip Island, it was important for the team to have a good result.”
Hackett’s twin wins gave him the round win ahead of Lago, while Peter Edwards and Kiwi Jony Reid steered their Ferrari to third in the race and the round.
Audi’s Mark Eddy and the other two-driver Ferrari combination of Nick O’Halloran and Cameron McConville finished today’s race fourth and fifth.
The next round of the Australian GT Championship will be held at Sydney Motorsport Park on July 13-15.
