Talbot wins again in Australian GT at Barbagallo

Liam Talbot has taken his second straight race win in the opening race of Round 3 of the Australian GT Championship at the Perth Super Sprint.

Talbot (#911 Porsche 911) sat second when the race restarted after the field had completed their compulsory pit stops and quickly got by Tony Walls (#11 McLaren 650S) to drive away with the race.

Fraser Ross (#59 McLaren 650S) and Walls rounded out the podium in the hour-long race.

Ash Walsh (#44 Audi R8) led away from pole position while Daniel Gaunt (#124 Audi R8) soon took second position when Kelvin van der Linde (#74 Audi R8) ran wide at Turn 4.

Roger Lago brought out the Safety Car when he spun on his own while running fourth on Lap 3, beaching the #23 JBS Lamborghini R-EX at Turn 6.

When the race restarted on Lap 8, van der Linde immediately regained second place at Turn 1.

Greg Taylor suffered his first scare when he spun exiting Turn 5 just before the quarter-hour mark, with Danny Stutterd (#101 BMW M6) and Scott Taylor (#222 Mercedes AMG) just avoiding what would have been a big hit with the Audi R8.

Greg Taylor pulled off for good 10 minutes later with flames coming from around the mid-engine area of car #5.

With the compulsory pit stop window open, everyone chose to pull into pit lane, though Jake Camilleri (#19 Mercedes AMG) initially missed the call.

The pit handicaps played out all at once, just as the Safety Car was called again, leaving Walls with the lead ahead of Talbot, James Koundouris (#44), and Ross.

Tony Bates, however, was at the front of the train in 10th after it was his #24 Mercedes AMG which was picked up by the Safety Car.

The race restarted in the 35th minute, with Talbot rounding up Walls for the lead at Kolb Corner on that very lap.

Geoff Emery (#74) looked a threat to run Talbot down but would soon enough have to tour the pit lane to take a drive-through incurred by van der Linde for lapping Tony Quinn (#7 McLaren 650S) under Safety Car.

Instead, Talbot ran home untroubled while Ross, who had also made light work of Walls, took a lonely second.

Emery was held up for considerable time by the Max Twigg, who turned out to be on the lead lap despite a timing glitch showing the #8 Mercedes AMG a lap down, but eventually got by and clawed back a handful of positions to finish fourth, ahead of Twigg.

The rest of the top 10 was Walsh/Koundouris, Andrew MacPherson/Brad Shiels (#51 Lamborghini Huracan), Camilleri/Mark Griffith, Steven Richards/James Bergmuller (#100 BMW M6), and Tony Bates.

Lago did not return to the race, a worst-case scenario for the former championship leader as Talbot jumped him on the points table with the win.

Race 2 will be run tomorrow at 1130 AWST (1330 AEST).

Results: Australian GT Championship, Round 3 – Perth Super Sprint, Race One