Grove Motorsport announces GT World Challenge Australia campaign with Porsche 911 GT3R
Grove Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3R unveiled ahead of GT World Challenge debut
Grove Motorsport has today confirmed an entry into Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS and revealed its livery ahead of the 2021 season.
The Melbourne-based team has increased their prominence in the GT3 racing scene debuting in the 2018 FIA Motorsport Games in Bahrain before a repeat entry in 2019 saw them claim a Bronze medal for Australia and Pro-Am honours at the 2020 Bathurst 12 Hour.
For 2021, Grove Motorsport will embark on a full season program in the newly launched SRO Motorsports Group series, Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS.
A brand-new 2021 Porsche 911 GT3-R has been acquired for a two-driver Pro-Am campaign kicking off next month, with the car freshly wrapped in a bold colour scheme.
Alongside the traditional Grove Group branding, the Grove’s entry features prominent support from Tasmanian gin company Dasher + Fisher.
Grove Racing team owner Stephen Grove, who has raced extensively throughout the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid, will share the driving duties with son Brenton.
It will see the father-son duo reunite for the first time in a racing capacity since their Bathurst 12 Hour Pro-Am class win in 2020.
John Russell will take on the engineer role with the Groves, having helped the team to claim its most recent two Bathurst 12 Hour wins and worked with Brenton in the Dunlop Super2 Series.
“The opportunity to drive alongside Brenton in a GT3-R was too good to pass up on and I’m really excited for the year,” said Stephen.
“I always enjoy driving the GT3-R, so I can’t wait to get stuck into the season.
“Previously we’ve spent quite a lot of time doing Carrera Cup, so to move into GT3 and try our hands at something else is extremely exciting.”
GT World Challenge Australia stems as the Australian counterpart to the highly successful formula that already operates in Europe, America and Asia.
The season is set to take in six rounds with the calendar featuring Phillip Island, Bathurst, The Bend and Sandown.
“This program has been one we’ve spoken about for a while now and with my racing starting to wind down and international racing off the table at the moment, GT World Challenge Australia was the perfect program for us this year,” commented Brenton.
“We know the car well so it’s exciting to try it in our own backyard and look forward to driving on some of Australia’s best race tracks.”
The opening round of the season will take place at Phillip Island from March 12-14.
Sources: Angus Thompson/Porsche Cars Australia