Intense heat did not stop Tony Bates from winning the opening round of the 2019 Audi Sport R8 LMS Cup with a flawless run from start to finish. Behind the Australian was fellow countryman Yasser Shahin, who put in an electrifying performance to claim second from a starting position of seventh despite facing a late-race technical issue.
A race-long battle between Audi Sport Team Valvoline driver Geoff Emery and former Am Cup and Masters champion Daniel Bilski had the 64,500-strong crowd on their feet, with Emery finally finding a way past his rival in the dying minutes of the 20-lap race.
Absolute Racing’s Mark Williamson took the GT4 win ahead of Anderson Tanoto, who had taken the class lead early on. Fellow GT4 driver Ryan Liu was unable to start the race after an incident in qualifying for round two earlier in the day in which his car was badly damaged when he was caught out at the exit of the tricky turn eight.
“Today the Audi Sport R8 LMS Cup has showcased customer racing at its finest,” said Martin Kuehl, Director of Audi Sport customer racing Asia. “The Adelaide Street Circuit provided a monumental sporting challenge, the thousands-strong crowd created an incredible atmosphere, and our drivers were all racing on the absolute limit. Congratulations to round one GT3 winner Tony Bates, and to our first GT4 Cup winner of the season, Mark Williamson.”
