Carrera Cup and Australian GT Kick Off at Clipsal

The Clipsal 500 played host to the opening rounds of Australian GT and Carrera Cup over the weekend and both Peter Boylan and Shane Smollen were back at the wheel, ready for another big year of motorsport.

Fresh from victory in the Australian GT Challenge Class Championship last year, Peter Boylan got off to an excellent start in Adelaide. He was quick and consistent, dancing delicately with the apexes of the heavily-walled circuit to qualify third in class and finish fourth in class for both races.

Steven Brooks was quick to commend Boylan’s cool head and smooth driving; “Peter’s a??very good long distance driver. He knows how to stay out of trouble and keep going at an impressive pace. He just gets faster and faster.”

Boylan’s efforts put him in fourth place in Challenge Class - a strong start to the year and an excellent position going in to the next round of the championship at Phillip Island in May.

Shane Smollen??had a tough??weekend in Carrera Cup, but emerged from it stronger, more experienced and ready to light up the streets of Melbourne during the Australian Grand Prix next weekend.

Smollen got off to a lightning start, improving consistently through practice as the team worked to fine-tune setup and find a good balance in the car. He qualified second in Elite class and tenth overall before putting in an excellent performance in the extended first race; finishing third in class and ninth overall in an extremely competitive mid-field.

Unfortunately some mistakes in the final two races saw him drop down the order to finish 5th and 6th in Elite class for races two and three; a strong result, but not one that satisfied his high standards.

He???ll be back for round two of Carrera Cup, which will be held during the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne over the 15th to 18th of March.