Ryan Wood and Steve Brooks have made a commanding start to the 2026 GT World Challenge (GTWC) Australia powered by AWS season at Phillip Island, topping the timesheets in both Practice 1 and Practice 2 of the season opener.
The Wolfbrook Motorsport Audi R8 LMS EVO II duo set the fastest laps in each session, demonstrating consistent pace and control. In Practice 1, Wood set a 1:26.154 lap that no other driver could beat, while in Practice 2, he improved further, posting a 1:26.069 to maintain their lead. Behind them, reigning champions Brad Schumacher and Broc Feeney, Jayden Ojeda and Paul Lucchitti, and Thomas Randle with Mark Rosser all showed competitive form, highlighting the tight margins at the front of the field.
2026 GTWC Australia: Round 1: Phillip Island: Strong opening in Practice 1
In the opening one-hour session, Wood and Brooks quickly established themselves as the pair to beat, with Wood’s early lap of 1:26.154 proving unbeatable. Move My Wheels by Tigani Motorsport’s Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO of Jayden Ojeda and Paul Lucchitti went second fastest at 1:26.548, while Thomas Randle and Mark Rosser finished third in the Castrol Team BRM Audi R8 LMS EVO II with 1:26.669.
Completing the top five were two more Tigani Motorsport entries: Brendon Leitch and Sergio Piero Pires in the Geyer Valmont Racing Audi, and Oscar Targett with Shane Smollen in the Kollosche AMG.
In the Trophy Cup, Luke Youlden and Nathan Halstead led the way in the AED Consulting Porsche 911 GT3R with 1:27.4258, almost a second faster than Paul Stokell and Matt Stoupas in the KFC Team MPC Audi. Alex Gardner and Lee Stibbs were third in the class with 1:28.7019 in the Volante Rosso Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3.
2026 GTWC Australia: Round 1: Phillip Island: Wood extends advantage in Practice 2
Wood and Brooks carried their momentum into Friday afternoon’s Practice 2, once again topping the times. Wood posted a 1:26.069 on lap 27, extending the Wolfbrook Motorsport duo’s lead. Brad Schumacher and Broc Feeney finished closest, trailing by just under two tenths in the Kelso Electrical Team MPC Audi R8 LMS EVO II.
Jayden Ojeda and Paul Lucchitti improved to third in the Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO with 1:26.384, while Thomas Randle and Mark Rosser were fourth, narrowly missing third by two hundredths of a second. Jaxon Evans and Elliott Schutte completed the top five in the ARGT Ferrari 296 GT3.
In the Trophy class, Luke Youlden and Nathan Halstead again topped the session, setting a best time of 1:28.192 in just seven laps. Paul Stokell and Matt Stoupas finished just two hundredths of a second behind, though their session ended prematurely after Stoupas went off track. Shane Smollen also caused a red flag earlier in the session when he went off track in the Kollosche AMG Mercedes he shares with Oscar Targett.
Looking ahead to Qualifying
GT World Challenge (GTWC) Australia powered by AWS continues tomorrow with Qualifying 1 and 2 at 11:15am AEDT, where teams will aim to convert their strong practice pace into grid positions for the race.
