The Arise Racing GT team headed to Queensland Raceway last weekend, after the pairing of Jaxon Evans and Elliott Schutte claimed wins in three of the GT World Challenge Australia championship’s first four races.
And while they didn’t add to that tally at the Willowbank circuit, they still have a strong lead in the Pro-Am Driver’s Championship.
“I think if this is a bad weekend, then it’s not so bad,” said Schutte after race two.
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“Overall we’ll take this weekend and move on.”
The team’s #26 crew took their Ferrari 296 GT3 to a third-place finish in the opening race of the weekend, but could only manage fifth in race two, as uncharacteristically wet weather caught out many drivers in the field, resulting in a disjointed, safety car-filled affair.
The team’s second entry, the #77 Ferrari, had an eventful weekend that included a major change prior to action getting underway. Jordan Love stepped aside from his usual co-driver seat with Steve Wyatt and was replaced by his brother, Aaron.
No stranger to racing, Aaron Love began the season in Supercars and has experience racing in Porsche Carrera Cup in Australia and France.
Despite limited time in the Ferrari, Love took little time to adapt and he and Wyatt managed to claim fifth place in the opening race. They then improved in the second race, finishing in fourth, ahead of their teammates.
“First weekend done and dusted, second race is done,” said Aaron Love. “Second time in the car for myself in dry conditions. It was a heap of fun, managed to snag fastest lap and make up a few positions.
“Steve jumped in the car, a good driver swap, popped out second and couldn’t quite hold off a few of the cars. A few of the safety cars probably helped us out there and we came home fourth.
“A few things went our way and few things didn’t go our way, but ultimately it was a good, fun weekend.”
Evans and Schutte’s championship rivals, Brad Schumacher and Broc Feeney, claimed victory in race one and then backed it up with third place in race two.
While that closed the gap in the driver’s standings, the Arise Racing GT duo still hold a 22-point advantage with three more rounds to run.
The team also has a five-point lead in the Team’s Championship, as it looks to add to the silverware it claimed in its debut season.
The next round of the GT World Challenge Australia series will be at Melbourne’s Sandown Raceway on July 25-27.
