Peter Hackett, driving the familiar black Lamborghini Diablo GTR, dominated all three races at Phillip Island as the new Australian GT Championship got underway over the weekend.

After topping all three sessions of the new Speed Energy Drink Australian GT Championship and Porsche Drivers Challenge, in cool but sunny conditions at Phillip Island in Victoria on Friday, Hackett continued his ever improving pace across the weekend by setting an astounding 1m34.8403 to top Saturday’s solitary 20 minute qualifying session.

The Lamborghini Diablo GTR’s best was a mammoth 2.5 seconds faster than the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Car of South Australian driver Bryce Washington, meaning that two of the best GT Style cars would line up on the front row for the category’s first event. Australian Sports Car Stalwart Rusty French was third fastest in the Second of the Skye Sands sponsored Diablo’s, ahead of John Teulan (Ferrari 360 Challenge) and Ian Palmer (Honda NSX Brabham). Trevor John (Porsche 944 Turbo) topped A class in the Porsche Drivers Challenge, whilst Don Tryhorn (Porsche 911) topped the Class B Runners.

This afternoons 12 lap race got underway in sunny conditions, and started with Hackett and Washington immediately leaped out into a strong lead over Washington and French, whilst Ian Palmer, John Teulan and Mark Eddy settled into a race long dice for what would eventually be third place.

The major turning point in the race came when Hackett and Washington came upon a lapped car at a sector of the track under caution due to a spin by Ferrari driver Ted Huglin. Not seeing the yellow, French passed both drivers before resuming the race in the lead. The owner of Skye Sands was subsequently given a seven second penalty after the race, relegating him to fifth place.

Hackett cruised to a 12 second victory over Washington, with Palmer’s Honda being elevated to third place after the second Lamborghini’s penalty.

The Queenslander, who has a long and successful history in open wheel competition, said that the race was all about conservation and preservation. “Because the tyres have to last 36 racing laps this weekend, I couldn’t go out there and hang it all out,” said a happy Peter Hackett after the race. “But it’s really a testament to Team Lamborghini Australia and the three year’s of development they have put into the car that I could jump into it and do what I did. It’s a fantastic result for the first race and I think that tomorrow will be just as good.”

For his part, French was resigned to the penalty after passing the leaders under yellow. “I got to (the corner) Siberia and found Hackett and Washington caught up with a lapped car, however I didn’t see the yellow flag. I thought the other two had been balked, and passed them. I didn’t go until I saw the green flag at the next flag point, but by then it was too late.

“Im happy with the pace, though,” he enthused after noting that he had set his best lap of the weekend in the race. “I’m just going out there to finish the races and score some good results this weekend.”

Ian Palmer was elevated to third place after the French penalty, marking the best result for the superb sounding NSX Honda for some time. And after a long period of unreliability, French has a much better chance of success this season with his new and improved package.

On Sunday Hackett wrapped up the opening round of the all new 2005 SPEED Energy drink Australian GT Championship and Porsche Drivers challenge by winning the final two races held at the 4.4km Phillip Island track.

After having snatched pole position and a race win yesterday, Hackett’s impressive debut as the TLA team leader in the 600hp V12 Diablo continued from the get go in the morning’s first 8 lap sprint, racing to a commanding early lead before dropping back towards the pack towards the end of the race in order to consolidate his tyres. The Queenslander held of a late race challenge from ADRAD Radiators driver Bryce Washington’s Porsche 911 GT3 cup, taking the win by just under two seconds.

It wasn’t all plain sailing for the Lamborghini outfit, as Rusty French was forced to withdraw from the race after just two laps, a broken bell housing on the gearbox spraying fluids on the track and causing the car to slow. After being involved in a race long dice for the minor positions inside the top five yesterday, Ed Harry menswear Porsche 911 GT3R driver Mark Eddy impressed in today’s opening race, scoring his first podium position of the year.
 

Eddy headed home the Industry Central Ferrari 360 of Queenslander John Teulan and the Porsche 911 GT3 of John Kaias.

In a notable performance, Dean Savage moved from last place to an eventual 8th overall in his Ferrari 360 after missing yesterday’s action, whilst the Honda NSX Brabham of Ian Palmer slipped backwards down the order after his strong podium finish yesterday, mechanical gremlins sidelining the car for the remainder of the weekend.

The day’s second race, originally scheduled to run for 12 laps, was shortened to 10 after delays in the program at Phillip Island. Regardless of length, though, the event through up a cracker, as Rusty French stormed through the field from last place in the Lamborghini. Running on tyres that had completed 8 less laps than the others, French scythed his way through the field, jumping as high as fifth after just two laps. The rapid forward progress continued from there on, French eventually passing Bryce Washington for second on the penultimate lap. Closing on Hackett, French crossed the line in a formation finish just two tenths of a second his team mate – who made it a clean sweep of victories in the third race. “That was just a fantastic way to finish the day, it was a really close finish with Rusty,” described an elated Hackett after the race. “I flat spotted a tyre coming down into MG corner during the race, which meant I had to take it really easy in the left hand corners, so we lost some time in that race. It was great to see Rusty go from last to second and for us to have a formation finish to cap off a great weekend for Team Lamborghini Australia.”

With a solid third place in the final race this afternoon, Porsche Driver Bryce Washington not only lead the German marque’s large contingent of Porsche Drivers challenge, but gave the young South Australian driver a solid points haul in both the Drivers Challenge and overall GT Championships. “It was a good start to the season,” he commented tonight. “The car wasn’t bad, but we had to make sure we looked after our set of tyres so we could get to the finish. We came here to get some points for both the Porsche drivers challenge and the GT Championship, and we were able to do that today.”

The 2005 SPEED Energy Drink Australian GT Championship and Porsche Drivers challenge has been designed to promote and grow top-level GT style racing in Australia. Formed in association with the long running Australian Porsche drivers challenge, the new championship places the Stuttgart Marque’s large fields head to head with the best global GT cars around from Lamborghini, Ferrari, Honda and Chrysler. The series is also a feast of great drivers, young stars like Peter Hackett and Bryce Washington challenging some of the most experienced contenders in Australian Sports / GT Racing such as Rusty French and D’arcy Russell.

The next round of the championship will be in Ipswich, Queensland Raceway, in early July.

Race 1 - Result: 1. Peter Hackett Lamborghini Diablo GTR; 2. Bryce Washington Porsche GT3 Cup Car; 3. Ian Palmer Brabham Honda NSX; 4. Mark Eddy Porsche GT3 R; 5. Rusty French Lamborghini Diablo GTR; Class A – Paul Stuart Porsche 911; Class B – Garth Rainsbury Porsche 911

Race 2 – Result: 1 Peter Hackett Lamborghini Diablo GTR; 2 Bryce Washington Porsche Cup Car; 3 Mark Eddy Porsche 911 GT3R; 4 John Teulan Ferrari 360 Challenge; 5 John Kaias Porsche 911 GT-3

Race 3 – Result: 1 Peter Hackett Lamborghini Diablo GTR; 2 Rusty French Lamborghini Diablo GTR; 3 Bryce Washington Porsche GT3 Cup Car; 4 Mark Eddy Porsche GT3 R; 5 John Teulan Ferrari 360 Challenge