Sheargold and Walden Move Inside GT Am Class Top Three

RAM Motorsport Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia drivers Mike Sheargold and Garth Walden have moved up to third in the Am class standings after a solid second round at Carco.com.au Raceway on the weekend.

After qualifying 15th outright (5th in the Am class) for Race 1, Sheargold made a strong start, gaining a few places before handing the car over to Walden during the compulsory pit stop.

Walden continued making progress through the field but unfortunately made contact with another competitor – while he crossed the finish line in ninth outright, the subsequent penalty relegated he and Sheargold to 10th overall and fourth in the Am class.

In Race 2, Walden started from 11th outright and third in the Am class, a position he maintained through to the pit stop; Sheargold resumed the race still inside the top three, but lost a place with just two laps remaining.

Ultimately, Walden and Sheargold finished fourth overall and their consistency in the first two rounds has elevated them to third in the championship standings.

Sheargold said the duo could have finished on the podium in slightly different circumstances.

“If we didn’t cop the Race 1 penalty or if I’d been able to hold on for another couple of laps in Race 2, we would have picked up third,” Sheargold said.

“We kept our noses clean and came away without any damage, but to be honest we were hoping for a bit more.

“We’ve moved up to third in the series standings which is OK given the calibre of competition, but we’d like to be closer to our opponents in terms of overall speed.”

The next track on the GT World Challenge Australia calendar is Phillip Island in just under a fortnight, and Sheargold is looking forward to racing at a more familiar venue.

“I had never raced at Perth before, but Phillip Island is a track where I’ve done a lot of laps, and we did some productive testing there earlier in the year, so hopefully that will serve us well,” Sheargold concluded.

GT World Challenge Round 2 Results Summary

Qualifying 1: 15th outright (5th in Am class)

Qualifying 2: 11th outright (3rd in Am class)

Race 1: 10th outright (4th in Am class)

Race 2: 13th outright (4th in Am class)

Overall: 4th in Am class

GT World Challenge Am Class Standings

1. Brad Schumacher – 100

2. Matt Stoupas/Paul Stokell – 72

3. Michael Sheargold/Garth Walden – 49

4. Ash Samadi – 42

5. Michael Kokkinos – 41