Monochrome GT4 Australia Season Finale: Sandown Race Report
The final SRO GT Festival of the season concluded at Sandown Raceway, Melbourne, marked by challenging wet conditions that influenced both qualifying and the racing schedule. Despite the rainy weather, the Monochrome GT4 Australia series delivered an intense finale with key championship battles on the line.
Championship Standings
Heading into the weekend, 52 points were available across the Silver, Silver-Am, and Am classes. The #25 Method Motorsport McLaren duo of Tom Hayman and Jett Murray led the Silver standings with a 45-point cushion. In Silver-Am, the #75 Tufflift Racing by TSM McLaren held a slender two-point lead over the #118 Method Motorsport Mustang, while in the Am class, Glenn Walker’s #14 Gomersall Motorsport Mustang faced fierce competition from Nathan Callaghan and Chris Lillis in the #64 Method Motorsport McLaren, who trailed by 16 points.
Race 1 Overview
Qualifying saw Caleb Paterson in the #28 Norganic Proteins Porsche secure pole position with a time of 1:19.6448, followed closely by Lachlan Evennett in the #88 CAMM Quarries Toyota Supra. Hayman and Murray’s championship bid was hindered with an 11th-place qualifying effort.
The first race, delayed due to weather, eventually started under difficult conditions. Paterson held the lead initially but soon lost positions to Cam McLeod and Evennett. A significant incident involving Jensen Shearer’s #46 Porsche resulted in a red flag, prompting barrier repairs.
On the restart, the race featured intense battles, with Dalton and Wallis trading positions for the lead. In the end, Wallis emerged victorious in the #62 Mustang, finishing just over a second ahead of Dalton’s #27 Multispares Mustang. Purdie Racing’s #48 Audi claimed third, unable to minimize the points deficit necessary to challenge for the championship. Despite finishing 11th, Hayman and Murray secured the Silver-Class title.
Race 1 Results:
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62 Wallis Motorsport Mustang
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27 Multispares Racing Mustang
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48 Purdie Racing Audi
Race 2 Overview
The weather improved for Race 2, with Murray again claiming pole. However, a multi-car incident at Turn 3 early in the race led to another red flag for barrier repairs. Once racing resumed, Murray quickly established a commanding lead.
Key championship implications arose when Walker’s #14 Mustang collided with Pearson’s #6 Porsche during a tight battle, resulting in a 15-second penalty for Walker. This pit penalty effectively shifted the championship lead to Callaghan and Lillis, who capitalized on the situation to win the Am-Class title.
In the Silver-Am category, the #75 McLaren narrowly clinched the championship, finishing just ahead of Paterson’s #28 Porsche by 0.1073 seconds despite intense competition.
Race 2 Results:
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25 Method Motorsport McLaren
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9 GWR Australia Toyota
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27 Multispares Racing Mustang
Conclusion
Hayman’s victory in Race 2 marked his third consecutive Monochrome GT4 Australia Silver-Class championship, solidifying his position as the most successful driver in the series’ history with ten wins and a record 19 podium finishes. Method Motorsport also claimed the Teams’ championship along with an Am-Class title through Callaghan and Lillis.
The Monochrome GT4 Australia series will return for the 2027 season at Mount Panorama, Bathurst, supporting the Bathurst 12 Hour from February 11-14, 2027.
