IMSA Sportscar Championship
Matt Campbell has secured his first IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD Pro class title, with a third-place class finish at Petit Le Mans.
The Team Australia representative for the upcoming FIA Motorsport Games finished in 34th overall, after gaining a few places after a somewhat disappointing qualifying session which saw Campbell, and his teammates Mathieu Jaminet and Felipe Nasr, sit seventh in their class.
The third place did not come easy for Campbell and his teammates, as a puncture during the race saw the Australian limping back to the pits, losing a couple of vital laps to the leaders ahead.
A good strategy and some perfectly timed yellow flags ultimately lead to Campbell and Jaminet charging through the field to set up a fight for class victory.
After originally crossing the line in fourth, the team were promoted to third after a penalty to another car.
Despite the result, the points were enough to secure the class title in what was the final race of the 2022 season.
“It feels totally surreal. We’ve won every title in this tremendous year and we’re back on the podium again at the final race. It’s amazing what we have achieved as a team,” Campbell said.
“It’s amazing what we have achieved as a team. There was only one race where we didn’t end up on the podium, that’s phenomenal.”
Campbell was one of three Aussies to take the track in the Petit Le Mans over the weekend, with Josh Burdon enduring the most success with an 11th place finish.
Burdon, alongside Jarett Andretti and Gabby Chaves, gained a couple of positions throughout the race after qualifying in 16th.
Cameron Shields was the other Australian participating in the event, finishing in 36th place overall and 12thin class in what was a trying weekend.
The result leaves Shields in 10th place in the LMP3 overall standings at the conclusion of the 2022 season.
The 2022 IMSA Sportscar Championship has now come to a close, with the 2023 season kicking off at the Daytona International Speedway on 20 January.
Spanish Formula 4
Hugh Barter has endured a perfect weekend in the Spanish Formula 4 with three victories out of three at the Circuit de Navarra.
The Victorian begun the weekend on a high note, qualifying in pole position for the opening race, where he was able to hold off Kirill Smal to take victory by less than a second.
Starting on pole position once again in the second race of the weekend, Barter showed no remorse as a thrilling finish to the race saw him cross the line three-hundredths of a second ahead of championship rival Nikola Tsolov, and six-hundredths of a second ahead of Smal in third place.
Barter was unable to clinch pole position in the third race of the weekend, but a brilliant drive led to a hat-trick of victories, topping off a perfect weekend of racing for the young Australian.
Despite the results, Tsolov was able to secure the drivers’ championship with only one race weekend to come, but a good weekend next time out will secure second place in the championship.
The final round of the 2022 Spanish Formula 4 Championship will take place on 12-13 November at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
GT World Challenge Europe
West Australian Jordan Love and his Haupt Racing Team teammates have capped off the 2022 GT World Challenge European season in Barcelona with a 23rd place overall finish.
After a difficult showing in qualifying, Love – alongside Jannes Fittje and Alain Valente – started in 28thposition on the grid.
The team pushed their Mercedes-AMG GT3 up a handful of positions during the race, but ultimately fell short of a top 20 finish. In their class standings, they were able to break the top 10 in the Silver Cup.
The race marks the end of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe, with the 2023 season set to begin on 22-23 April at the infamous Monza Circuit in Italy.
Thailand Super Series
Yasser Shahin has had a competitive outing at the Singapore Grand Prix support sessions, with a podium finish in Sunday’s race.
In what was a support session for the Formula 1, Shahin started out the weekend with a fourth-place finish in the first race on Saturday, falling a position after qualifying in third.
The next round of the TSS will take place at the Chang International Circuit on 27-30 October.
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