Alex Peroni and Mark Rosser claimed victory in 2026 GT World Challenge (GTWC) Australia powered by AWS’ first race at Hidden Valley Raceway after escaping a chaotic opening lap.
Rosser built a 15-second advantage during the opening stint before handing the #268 Team BRM Audi R8 LMS EVO II to Peroni. Subsequently, Peroni controlled the second half and finished 8.903 seconds ahead of Jayden Ojeda and Paul Lucchitti.
Meanwhile, Will Davison resisted late pressure from Broc Feeney to secure third alongside Renee Gracie. As a result of the victory, Rosser also moved into the outright championship lead.
2026 GTWC Australia: Hidden Valley: Race 1: Rosser escapes Turn 1 chaos
Rosser started from pole after a post-Qualifying penalty cost Brad Schumacher the leading grid position.
When the race began, several cars converged at Turn 1. Sergio Pires, Schumacher and Elliott Schutte all became involved in incidents, while multiple competitors faced the wrong direction at the corner’s exit.
However, Rosser avoided the trouble and retained the lead. Steve Brooks initially climbed to second in the #88 Team BRM/Wolfbrook Motorsport Audi, although his car sustained significant damage during the opening-lap contact.
Meanwhile, Pires and Schumacher continued without major damage. In contrast, Schutte returned the #26 ARGT Ferrari 296 GT3 to the pits and retired the car he shared with Jaxon Evans after completing only one lap.
Brooks receives black flag as Rosser builds his lead
Brooks attempted to continue despite the damage to his Audi. Nevertheless, Race Control displayed the black flag and required him to return to the pits for repairs.
The additional stop dropped Brooks and Ryan Wood towards the rear of the order. However, Wood later recorded the race’s fastest lap, a 1:05.0257, as the pair eventually finished 12th.
While the drivers behind continued fighting, Rosser exploited the clear track ahead. Consequently, the South Australian steadily increased his advantage and controlled the opening stint.
Schumacher also began recovering the positions he had lost at the start. However, his race took another turn when he made contact with Pires while attempting an overtake.
The officials subsequently handed Schumacher a five-second penalty for the incident. Nevertheless, he continued moving forward and reached third before the mandatory pit-stop window opened.
Rosser establishes 15-second advantage
As the battles continued behind him, Rosser extended his lead to approximately 15 seconds.
Lucchitti held the #66 Move My Wheels by Tigani Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO in contention for second. Meanwhile, Gracie recovered from the OnlyFans Racing crew’s difficult Qualifying session and positioned the #181 Ferrari 296 GT3 inside the podium places.
Rosser eventually entered the pits and handed the Team BRM Audi to Peroni. The team completed the mandatory driver change without disrupting its advantage.
At the same time, Ojeda replaced Lucchitti, Davison took over from Gracie and Feeney replaced Schumacher. Therefore, the professional drivers settled the leading positions during the second half of the race.
Peroni controls the race after mandatory stops
Peroni maintained Team BRM’s advantage after leaving the pits and immediately settled into a controlled rhythm.
Behind him, Ojeda continued Lucchitti’s strong opening stint and held second place. However, the battle for third remained unresolved as Feeney began closing on Davison.
The Kelso Electrical/Team MPC driver reduced the gap to less than one second during the closing stages. Nevertheless, Davison defended the position and prevented Feeney from drawing alongside.
Peroni ultimately completed 51 laps and crossed the line in 59:16.4348. Ojeda followed 8.903s later, while Davison secured third another 1.385s behind.
Feeney and Schumacher finished only 0.272s behind the OnlyFans Racing Ferrari in fourth. Therefore, Davison and Gracie claimed their second consecutive GTWC Australia podium.
Buchan and Campbell complete top five
Josh Buchan and Cameron Campbell completed the top five in the #23 Zagame Autosport Ferrari.
The result concluded a successful Saturday for the team after Buchan secured pole for Race 2 during the earlier Qualifying session.
Meanwhile, the official final classification placed Garnet Patterson and John-Paul Drake sixth in the #666 Team BRM Audi. Brendon Leitch and Pires followed in seventh for Geyer Valmont Racing by Tigani Motorsport.
Oscar Targett and Shane Smollen finished eighth in the #56 Kollosche AMG by Tigani Motorsport Mercedes-AMG. The pair completed all 51 laps, although they crossed the line more than one minute behind the winners.
Stokell and Stoupas secure Trophy Class victory
Paul Stokell and Matt Stoupas controlled the Trophy Class in the #24 KFC/Team MPC Audi.
The pair completed 50 laps and finished ninth overall. Furthermore, they defeated the #71 AED Consulting by Tigani Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 R of Luke Youlden and Nathan Halstead by 5.430s.
Valentino Astuti and Darren Currie separated the Trophy Class competitors in 10th overall aboard the #2 Team MPC Audi.
Meanwhile, Youlden and Halstead claimed 11th, ahead of Wood and Brooks. The opening-lap damage and subsequent repair stop left the #88 Audi one lap behind the leaders despite Wood’s fastest lap.
Full 2026 GTWC Australia Hidden Valley Race 1 classification
- Alex Peroni/Mark Rosser — Team BRM Audi R8 LMS EVO II: 51 laps, 59:16.4348
- Jayden Ojeda/Paul Lucchitti — Move My Wheels by Tigani Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO: +8.903s
- Will Davison/Renee Gracie — OnlyFans Racing Ferrari 296 GT3: +10.287s
- Broc Feeney/Brad Schumacher — Kelso Electrical/Team MPC Audi R8 LMS EVO II: +10.560s
- Josh Buchan/Cameron Campbell — Zagame Autosport Ferrari 296 GT3: +26.107s
- Garnet Patterson/John-Paul Drake — Team BRM Audi R8 LMS EVO II: +30.076s
- Brendon Leitch/Sergio Pires — Geyer Valmont Racing by Tigani Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO: +31.813s
- Oscar Targett/Shane Smollen — Kollosche AMG by Tigani Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO: +1:00.394
- Paul Stokell/Matt Stoupas — KFC/Team MPC Audi R8 LMS EVO II: 1 lap — Trophy Class winner
- Valentino Astuti/Darren Currie — Team MPC Audi R8 LMS EVO II: 1 lap
- Luke Youlden/Nathan Halstead — AED Consulting by Tigani Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 R: 1 lap — Trophy
- Ryan Wood/Steve Brooks — Team BRM/Wolfbrook Motorsport Audi R8 LMS EVO II: 1 lap
NC. Elliott Schutte/Jaxon Evans — ARGT Ferrari 296 GT3: one lap completed
Wood recorded the fastest lap with a 1:05.0257 in the #88 Team BRM/Wolfbrook Motorsport Audi.
Rosser takes championship lead into Race 2
Peroni and Rosser converted their inherited pole into a commanding victory by avoiding the first-corner incidents and controlling both stints.
Meanwhile, Ojeda and Lucchitti strengthened their title challenge with second, while Davison and Gracie continued their podium run after recovering from a difficult Qualifying session.
GTWC Australia will conclude its inaugural Hidden Valley weekend with Race 2 at 10:10am ACST. Buchan and Campbell will start from pole as the field attempts to prevent Rosser from extending his new championship lead.
