Schumacher and Talbot at odds over final-lap thriller
The Sunday GT World Challenge Australia race at Sandown went down to the wire with the leaders clashing on the final lap, and winner Liam Talbot and Brad Schumacher see it differently.
Both GT racers at Sandown were thrillers and Sunday’s hour-long affair was decided by a flashpoint at Turn 4 on the 38th and final lap.
Talbot held the high ground, leading the way in the Aston Martin with Schumacher’s Audi breathing down his neck.
In sketchy conditions, the reigning champion appeared to struggle on exit of the Turn 2-3 chicane.
This opened the door for Schumacher and he tried to pounce by launching a dive down the inside at the following Turn 4.
However, the Volante Rosso Motorsport driver covered forcefully and after contact, Schumacher backed out, and the status quo remained, resulting in Talbot holding onto get a first win of the year alongside Jamie Day.
Talbot did not say much about the incident, but was pretty direct.
“I mean I was a little bit cautious and did not know it was the last lap. He (Schumacher) was ambitious yesterday and today was no different,” Talbot said.
“There was some questionable driving on track, but we survived today.”
The runner-up Schumacher did not see the incident the same way and believed a “desperate” move from Talbot saw his mirror graze the inside fence and force him to have “no option” but to back out.
“I can’t believe he said that. I don’t think it was ambitious at all,” Schumacher told Auto Action.
“To be honest, Liam failed on his braking zone into Turn 2 and that unsettled him.
“He missed the apex at Turn 3, which put him wide and gave him no drive. I got Turn 2 and 3 perfect and the move was always on.
“Liam turned hard left out of pure desperation, to the point where he literally gave me no option but to roll out because he was going to drive me into the wall. The racing room was not there.
“I was nice enough to back out instead of turning him because that is the type of racer I am.”
Despite the defeat, Schumacher was still pleased to see rivals Volante Rosso Motorsport get their first win in the Aston Martin Vantage.
“These guys at Aston have not had a great year, so I am glad they got the win, but that is two times this weekend Liam has compromised our car,” he said.
“Rubbing is not racing. He knew he made a mistake and I capitalised on it.
“But at the end of the day, I congratulate the team at Volante Rosso Motorsport on their win.
“It is good to see them get a breakthrough, but it also would have been nice for us to get the win, knowing where we are in the championship and also because of our late mate Tim Miles.
“We didn’t quite get there, but we are happy to still get second.”
Image: 7Plus
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