A wild Saturday night under lights at Sydney Motorsport Park saw high-speed heroics, hard-fought battles, and heartbreak as the Monochrome GT4 Australia field delivered an electrifying second race—topped off by a dominant victory for Rylan Gray and George Miedecke.
The drama began immediately, as Rob Rubis’ night ended before it even began—his Ginetta G55 succumbing to mechanical issues after just one lap, forcing a return to pit lane and early retirement.
Max Geoghegan was setting a blistering pace from the outset, laying down a new lap record with a 1:34.1398—six-tenths quicker than the fastest lap from Race 1.
Tony Quinn, starting deep in the pack in the Keltic Racing Toyota Supra, wasted no time slicing forward, gaining a position on the opening lap and moving to 18th. He kept the charge alive, overtaking Diesel Thomas for 17th before the race was suddenly neutralised.
The first major incident of the race came when John Nikolovski’s AR Nineteen Motorsport Mercedes-AMG speared into the inside barrier after a dramatic moment exiting Corporate Hill.
The car suffered heavy front-end damage, triggering the safety car and compressing the field. Nikolovski was taken to the medical centre for precautionary checks and later reported to be okay.
Once the green flag waved again, chaos resumed. Geoghegan had his mirrors full with George Miedecke and Tim Leahey swarming behind. Meanwhile, Quinn was re-passed by Diesel Thomas, slipping to 18th just as the pit window opened.
A flurry of pit activity followed, with Quinn handing over to rising Kiwi star Hugo Allan. Rejoining in 23rd, Allan immediately got to work.
As the race cycled through pit stops, the reigning Toyota GR86 champion stormed up the order, breaking into the top 10 and sitting 9th with 27 minutes to go—an inspired drive that showcased both pace and racecraft.
At the front, Geoghegan pitted and passed the reins to co-driver Tom Hayman, who rejoined in 7th. That left Rylan Gray in command of the race, ahead of Cody Burcher, Nash Morris, Blake Purdie, and Jake Camilleri.
Further down, Jacob Lawrence, leading the AM class, copped a pit stop procedure infringement—his team’s second drive-through penalty in as many days, dealing a heavy blow to their class hopes.
Lib Palermo brought out a gasp from the crowd with a high-speed spin at Turn 1, damaging the car’s right rear and limping back to the pits with the wheel visibly flailing within the arch. The incident resulting in a DNF for Palermo.
In the final 15 minutes, it was an all-out war for podium positions. Hayman clawed back into the fight, powering into 4th and zeroing in on the trio of Burcher, Morris, and Gray.
Meanwhile, Allan continued to dazzle, climbing onto the rear bumper of Nathan Morcom in a bid for 8th. Despite throwing everything at it, the Kiwi had to settle for 9th overall and 2nd in the Silver-AM class—a remarkable charge from 23rd.
At the front, Rylan Gray held firm under pressure to take the chequered flag, sealing overall and Silver class victory with co-driver George Miedecke for the Miadecke Motor Group.
The Ashley Seward Motorsport pairing of Cody Burcher and Tim Leahey secured second, while TekworkX Motorsport duo Nash Morris and Zoe Woods held on for third.
In the Silver AM class, Aaron Seton and Jason Gomersall earned the top step for Gomersall Motorsport, while Shane Smollen continued his dominance in the AM class, adding yet another win for Method Motorsport.
Header Image: Jack Martin Photography
