Hanlin on the podium at Sonoma

The GT Leagues Australia Epiroc Sprint Series Australia kicked off last night with Round 1 taking place at Sonoma. We’ve not raced the BMW M8 much at all since its release, but with Zachary Hanlin being the BMW man that he is, there was no other choice for him.

It was a return to the series that he’s contested strongly in the past, and with some challenging times in recent days he did an exceptional job of adapting to the BMW and extracting pace despite limited running. He would qualify in P6 in the bumper field and get off to a strong start, avoiding some interesting driving in front to keep his nose clean and take the battle to those around him.

Despite numerous attempts to pass the Exsto Gaming car driven by Ferraris in front and not sticking in what was an enthralling race, he was able to get the pass done in the pit stops and carry the car home to a memorable podium, holding off the challenge from those close behind. Congratulations to Trick Simsports’ Alex Bird on his debut victory.

The series moves onto Mid Ohio in two weeks time where we expect to have a few more cars. “Warrening” signs unleashed.