New Zealand drivers endured a challenging but action-packed weekend at Hidden Valley Raceway as the GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS championship made its first visit to Darwin, with Brendon Leitch, Jaxon Evans, Steve Brooks and Ryan Wood all featuring prominently throughout the event.
The Kiwi contingent showed strong pace across qualifying and the two races, with Wood and Brooks securing a front-running result in Race 2, while Leitch and Evans both battled through early race incidents to salvage valuable championship points.
Saturday qualifying delivered one of the closest sessions of the season, with several drivers setting some of the fastest GT laps ever recorded around the Darwin circuit.
Ryan Wood was one of the standout performers in Qualifying 1, producing a late-session flyer aboard the #88 Wolfbrook Motorsport / Team BRM Audi R8 LMS EVO II to place himself just 0.060 seconds away from pole position alongside co-driver Steve Brooks.
The impressive effort placed Wood among the leading contenders, while fellow Kiwi Brendon Leitch and co-driver Sergio Pires also demonstrated strong pace in the #44 Geyer Valmont Racing by Tigani Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO.
In Qualifying 2, Brooks remained firmly in contention for the front row, narrowly missing pole position before Pires delivered another strong performance to put the Mercedes-AMG inside the top contenders.
Following post-qualifying penalties for Brad Schumacher and Broc Feeney, the Kiwi combinations received a boost on the starting grid. Leitch and Pires were elevated to a front-row starting position, while Brooks and Wood moved into third place for the opening race.
The opening race of the weekend quickly turned into a test of survival, with drama unfolding from the very first corner.
While Mark Rosser and Alex Peroni escaped the opening-lap chaos to control the race from the front, several Kiwi drivers were caught up in the incidents.
Pires was among those affected after contact at Turn 1 left the #44 Mercedes-AMG battling for position early in the race. He was able to continue without major damage, but the incident dropped the team down the order.
Jaxon Evans’ race came to an early end after co-driver Elliott Schutte was caught up in the opening-lap drama. The #26 ARGT Ferrari 296 GT3 was forced into the pits following damage, resulting in retirement for the Kiwi pairing.
Brooks and Wood also suffered a difficult opening stint. Brooks made significant progress early on, moving into second position, but contact damaged the #88 Audi and forced the team into an unscheduled pit stop for repairs.
The additional stop dropped Brooks and Wood well down the field, leaving them with a tough recovery task for the remainder of the race.
Despite the setbacks, Leitch and Pires continued to fight their way forward, eventually finishing seventh overall in the Mercedes-AMG GT3.
Sunday’s second race provided a much stronger result for the Kiwi contingent, with Steve Brooks and Ryan Wood delivering one of the drives of the weekend to claim second place.
The race was again filled with early drama, with contact at the start affecting several front-running cars.
Wood was caught up in an opening-lap incident while fighting near the front, dropping him down the order. However, the Kiwi responded brilliantly, producing a determined recovery drive and carving his way through the field.
Lap after lap, Wood gained positions in the #88 Audi R8 LMS EVO II before handing the car over to Brooks during the mandatory pit sequence in a strong position.
Once behind the wheel, Brooks remained firmly in the hunt, becoming involved in the battle for the podium and eventually moving into second place after a fierce fight with the Ferrari of Josh Buchan and Cameron Campbell.
The result marked a standout weekend performance for the Team BRM / Wolfbrook Motorsport pairing and continued their strong form in the championship.
Leitch and Pires also bounced back from their Race 2 struggles, recovering from an early-race incident involving Jayden Ojeda to finish fifth overall in the #44 Mercedes-AMG.
The pair showed strong pace throughout the race, fighting their way back through the field after dropping to the rear of the pack.
For Evans and Schutte, Race 2 proved another difficult outing. After the disappointment of retiring from the opening race, the #26 ARGT Ferrari GT3 finished sixth overall as the pair looked to recover lost ground.
The Hidden Valley Raceway weekend delivered contrasting fortunes for New Zealand’s GT World Challenge Australia competitors.
Wood and Brooks were the standout performers, converting their strong qualifying pace into a well-earned podium result, while Leitch and Pires showed resilience to recover from race incidents and secure solid championship points.
Evans and Schutte endured the toughest weekend of the Kiwi group, with early setbacks preventing them from showcasing the pace of their Ferrari 296 GT3.
The GT World Challenge Australia season now heads towards Sydney Motorsport Park in September, where the Kiwi drivers will look to build on their Darwin performances.
Header Image: Brock Baldwin
