Shakedown Racing’s Dean Allen, at the wheel of his #05 Mercedes-AMG GT3 took the chequered flag to win the opening round of the two-race International Lockdown World Challenge series to give Shakedown Racing a provisional 198-point lead in a new Anglo-Australian teams virtual championship, the International Lockdown World Challenge.
The inaugural ILWC was conceived as a competition between two leading on-line motorsport communities; Sportscar Worldwide, a European-based network of sportscar racing enthusiasts from around the world, and Shakedown Racing, the Australia-based group for fans of GT and endurance racing.
Using the PS4 GT Sport platform, seven members from each group entered to race in the opening round at Mount Panorama, Bathurst, the iconic 5.213km circuit that is home to one of the world’s greatest GT races and a traditional season-opener for GT3 racing, the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour.
With the two-race series scheduled to race in Australia and at Brands Hatch in the UK, scoring points in the opening round was vital.
Times in the ten-minute official practice session were close with SCWW’s Charlie Robertson lapping his Ford Mustang in 2:00.481 and Shakedown Racing’s Travis Norman also lapping below 2:01 with a 2:00.996.
Qualifying got underway just after 11:30 and it was the Australians who found the pace in the ten-minute session. Travis Norman took pole position in his #25 Mercedes with countryman Dean Allen joining him on the front row, having lapped just .279 seconds slower. Ginetta factory driver Charlie Robertson qualified third with a 2:01.276 in his Gr.3 Mustang.
Norman led the field from the start of the 30-minute race but by Lap 8 it was Dean Allen in the Shakedown Racing #5 Mercedes-AMG GT3 who held a lead of just under 15 seconds over Charlie Robertson’s Mustang. Stuart Westwood’s Mercedes was in third, a little over two seconds behind Robertson. As the 30-minute race entered the final five minutes, Allen started to extend his lead and, on Lap 13, was over 18 seconds ahead with Shakedown’s Travis Norman in third.
In the closing minutes, the fiercest on-track battle was for seventh with SCWW’s James Horne tucked in behind Shakedown’s Ethan Cale.
When the chequered flag came out, it was victory for Shakedown Racing with Dean Allen crossing the line over 23 seconds ahead of Charlie Robertson. Travis Norman completed the podium positions.
After Round One, Shakedown Racing holds a provisional 198-point lead going into the Brands Hatch round, the Australians taking four of the top five positions at Bathurst.
Round Two of the International Lockdown World Challenge takes place on May 3 at Brands Hatch.
More images to follow.
