GT ‘SURPRISE PACKET’ AIMING TO UPGRADE AUDI GT3

GT Trophy leader Brad Schumacher is aiming to upgrade his current older-spec Audi R8 GT3 Ultra, to enable he and co-driver Tim Slade to compete in the Australian GT Endurance Championship.

Slade was originally scheduled to share Schumacher’s current model but Pro-Am does not encompass the older generation GT3 models.

However, impressive performances in his near 10-year-old R8 has spurred the Bathurst businessman to search for a current-spec model.

“Getting the current-spec is something that we need to look towards if we want to race against the top guys,” Schumacher told Auto Action.

“A new Audi is something that we’ve been looking at as our current R8 LMS GT3 is ineligible as a Pro-Am entry, with Tim Slade as my co-driver. It just all depends on what’s available between now and then.”

Schumacher believes upgrading will enter him into the outright equation.

“The newer Audi is renowned for being a more on the edge car compared to the Ultra I’m currently in, so speaking to the engineers at Audi, who know the car really well, I think the new model will suit my driving style better than what the Ultra does,” he said.

Schumacher will continue to run his current Audi R8 GT3 Ultra at the final round of the title at Sandown in September, and hopes to contest the Vic State round at the same venue in July.

On choosing GT World Challenge Australia, Schumacher explained that the allure of contesting the Bathurst 12 Hour swayed him in this direction after he started to race four years ago.

“I’ve won a couple of championships at state level and I thought there was one of two avenues for me, either go into the national Porsche series or into the national GT series,” he said. “Ultimately, I love the Bathurst 12 Hour, which

I have driven in two in the past standing on the podium each time, which was great.

“I went down the GT route. They are the types of cars that I like the most and it opens up the options as a driver in the Bathurst 12 Hour more frequently.”

Schumacher will also undertake selected rounds of the Australian Production Car Series this season in his rebuilt Subaru Impreza WRX STI.

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