Oscar Targett and Shane Smollen have claimed their first ever GT World Challenge Australia victory at GT3 Sydney Motorsport Park, taking a dramatic Race 1 win under the lights.

The #56 Tigani Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3 controlled the race from the opening lap, surviving pressure from the chasing pack to secure a breakthrough victory at the Liqui Moly GT Festival Sydney.

Smollen Wins the Opening Battle

It wasn’t a straightforward start for Smollen.

Sergio Pires made the better getaway from the front row and briefly grabbed the advantage when the lights went out. Smollen fought back through the opening corners, retaking the lead before Turn 2.

The drama continued almost immediately.

Pires’ Mercedes-AMG became unsettled and dropped down the order before smoke began appearing from underneath the car. An engine failure forced Pires into the pits, ending the race for Pires and championship contender Brendon Leitch.

For Tigani Motorsport, it was a case of one Mercedes heading towards victory while another suffered a devastating retirement.

Targett Takes Control

After the pit stop cycle, Targett jumped into the #56 Mercedes and emerged still in front.

The young driver then came under serious pressure from Jayden Ojeda, who began closing the gap at the front.

Targett held his nerve, gradually rebuilding his advantage before Ojeda was hit with a drive through penalty for a pit stop procedure infringement.

That effectively removed the biggest threat to the lead.

With around 10 minutes remaining, Targett had clear air and eventually crossed the line at GT3 Sydney Motorsport Park with a comfortable margin.

Audi Takes Second and Third

Behind the winning Mercedes, the Team BRM Audi R8s completed the podium.

Alex Peroni and Mark Rosser brought the #268 Audi home in second, while teammates Ryan Wood and Steve Brooks finished third.

Jaxon Evans and Elliott Schutte charged forward in the #26 Ferrari 296 to finish fourth, with reigning champions Broc Feeney and Brad Schumacher completing the top five.

Feeney produced a late charge, moving past Tom McLennan before closing rapidly on Evans for fourth, but Evans managed to hold him off to the flag.

A Photo Finish for Ninth

The battle wasn’t over at the front.

Josh Buchan and Cameron Campbell took ninth in the #23 Ferrari, edging Valentino Astuti and Darren Currie in the #2 Audi by just 0.01 seconds at the finish.

Race 2 of GT World Challenge Australia gets underway at 2:05pm Sunday at Sydney Motorsport Park, with coverage on Fox Sports and Kayo.

Sports Rewind will have more coverage from the Liqui Moly GT Festival Sydney throughout the weekend.