Aus Time Attack 2024: The Clock Ticks Down

As the clock towards World Time Attack Challenge ticks down, teams are busy preparing their cars, finalising new modifications and making trips to the dyno.  In Victoria, the calm before the storm begins at Winton Raceway for the annual Aus Time Attack event.  Not all who compete here will head to Sydney with the motorsport world watching, as there are five classes: Pro, Open, Clubsprint, Poduction Sprint and Supercar, with the latter two not part of the WTAC contest.

​Many teams would arrive at Winton on the Friday, with some getting laps under their belts during the track’s weekly Friday Test and Tune.  Giving teams a head start on car setup and extra practice laps to get used to the tight and unforgiving Winton circuit.

Clouds would roll in on Saturday, the first day of competition, and with rain on the radar, everyone would head out early to set a lap time.  The Harrop Performance Toyota 86 would suffer engine troubles, with Heath Moore at the wheel, ending their weekend early.  The front splitter on Tristian Cherry’s Hyundai i30N would come loose, and Grant Hill would have a big off at Turn 1 in his 180SX.

Rain would begin to fall during the third round of sessions and would continue for hours, soaking the track.  Only a handful of drivers would venture back out, either to practice the track layout, or continue to gather data.

The Winefuelled GTR made plenty of passes and could be heard coming as Brian Bugh continually tapped the throttle in the sketchy conditions.  The sounds of these cars are unlike anything else, their pops and bangs ricocheting off any wall or nearby buildings.

After a day essentially cut short by weather, Brad Sheils and the GT Evolution Mitsubishi Evo 7 was at the top of the Open Class and overall standings with a 1.22:128 lap.  Reigning Aus Time Attack champions Got it Rex and Aleck Kazakovski were at the front of the Pro standings and second overall after a time of 1:22.817.  Trent Grubel driving the DC Jap Subaru WRX STi had set a lap time of 1:24.124 placing him fifth overall and at the top of the Clubsprint class.  After Day 1, Zi Ling Wang in a BMW M4 was at the top of Prodsprint class with a time of 1:29.136.  

The sun was back out for the final day of Aus Time Attack action, giving everyone a proper full day of dry track conditions.  

Not everyone would have a smooth day, as Zachery Yates in the Skevas Racing S13 would stop on track during the first Open class session of the day, dropping oil and ending the team's day before it really began.  Simultaneously, Steve Sharp would stop on the front straight as the front brakes locked up on the Sharp Motorsport RX7.  Thankfully, he would get the car going and continue on.

Laine Brandis would find the limit on a hot lap, dipping the left rear of the Autopro R32 Skyline into the gravel, spinning the car onto the wet grass, using the front diffuser as a shovel, that being his second big off of the weekend.  In the final session of the day, Benny Tran’s Honda Integra would suffer engine issues with smoke billowing out from the rear, causing him to stop on track.

Despite ending the day up in smoke, Benny Tran took the top spot in the Open Class, with a 1:21.038 lap time.  The GT Evolution Evo VII was driven to second and third in the class by Brad Shiels (1:22.128) and Darren Bishop (1:22.563) respectively. 

Kiet Nguyen would be the fastest out of the three wide Supercar battle with a 1:32.682 in his Cayman GT4 RS.  Zi Ling Wang’s 1:29.136 lap time would stand from Saturday as the quickest lap in the Prodsprint class.  Jie Ren would grab second in the Max Euro GR Supra (1:29.491) as Josh Muggleton was two seconds behind in third (1:31.378) driving the V-Sport GR Yaris.

Michael Garland in one of the many GotitRex Subaru WRX’s would pip (1:24.041) Trent Grubel and DC Jap Automotive (1:24.124) in the final session to take the victory in the Clubsprint class.  One second behind was Alex Michalsky in the Plazmaman Evo VI (1:25.147).

The reigning champs would win again as Aleck Kazakovski broke the event lap record with a 1:20.789 in the GotitRex WRX Sti. For context, the V8 Supercar lap record is a 1:19.706.  Richard Perini in the Ginetta G55 took second in the Pro class (1:22.246) as Nunzio Gulino took third in the highly modified Evo X RS (1:24.317).

For most teams, it’s time to pack up and head home, and wait for the next track day, while others now hunker down once more for two more months of preparation for the biggest time attack event of the year, World Time Attack Challenge.

Bonus Gallery