# 2008 Australian GT Championship

The 2008 Australian GT Championship was a CAMS sanctioned Australian motor racing competition for closed, production based sports cars which were either approved by the FIA for GT3 competition or approved by CAMS as Australian GT cars. It was the 12th Australian GT Championship to be awarded by CAMS. The Australian GT Sportscar Group Pty Ltd was recognised by CAMS as the Category Manager and Administrator for the 2008 championship.
The championship was won by Mark Eddy driving a Lamborghini Gallardo.

## Teams and drivers

The following drivers competed in the 2008 Australian GT Championship.
| Team | Manufacturer | Car model | No | Driver |
| Maranello Motorsport | Ferrari | F430 GT3 | 1 | Allan Simonsen John Bowe Nick O'Halloran |
| Maranello Motorsport | Ferrari | F430 GT3 | 80 | Nick O'Halloran |
| Property Solutions Group | Ferrari | F430 Challenge | 2 | Kevin Miller |
| Taplin Real Estate ANZ Banking | Lamborghini Porsche | Gallardo 996 GT3 Cup | 2 | Dean Grant Andrew Taplin |
| Taplin Real Estate ANZ Banking | Lamborghini Porsche | Gallardo 996 GT3 Cup | 11 | Dean Grant Andrew Taplin |
| Dupont | Dodge | Viper GTS ACR | 3 | D'arcy Russell |
| Koala Furniture International | Dodge Lamborghini | Viper GTS ACR Gallardo | 3 | Ross Lilley Greg Crick |
| Koala Furniture International | Dodge Lamborghini | Viper GTS ACR Gallardo | 57 | Ross Lilley Greg Crick |
| Consolidated Chemical Company | Ferrari Lamborghini | 360 GT Gallardo | 4 | Craig Baird Ted Hughlin John Bowe |
| Superplus Racing | Porsche | 996 GT3 Cup | 5 | Simon Froude |
| Team Aston Martin Abcor Preston General Engineering | Aston Martin | DBRS9 | 7 | John Kaias Peter Hackett |
| Team Aston Martin Abcor Preston General Engineering | Aston Martin | DBRS9 | 59 | John Kaias |
| VIP Petfoods | Aston Martin | DBRS9 | 7 | Tony Quinn |
| Flash Air Daikin Air Conditioninh | Porsche | 996 GT3 RSR | 8 | Simon Middleton |
| Hallmarc Developments | Porsche | 996 GT3 Cup | 9 | Michael Loccisano Marc Cini |
| Glenelg East Day/Night Pharmacy | Porsche | 996 GT3 Cup | 10 | Mark Krashos |
| SMS Commander | Lotus | Exige S | 10 | Mark O'Connor |
| allaboutjesus.com | Lamborghini | Gallardo | 12 | Mark Eddy |
| Echo Ridges Wines | Porsche | 996 GT3 Cup | 14 | Greg Ward Jr. |
| Trueloc | Porsche | 996 GT3 Cup | 18 | Max Twigg |
| Roock | Porsche | 996 GT3 Cup | 19 | Ash Samadhi |
| allaboutjesus.com | Ferrari | F430 GT3 | 21 | Hector Lester |
| Bruce Lynton BMW | BMW | M3 | 23 | Beric Lynton |
| Rod Wilson | Maserati | Trofeo Light | 27 | Ivan Capelli |
| Rod Wilson | Maserati | Trofeo Light | 28 | Rod Wilson |
| Rod Wilson | Maserati | Trofeo Light | 29 | Jim Manolios |
| Warrin Mining | Porsche | 996 GT3 Cup | 30 | Adam Wallis |
| Cooks Construction | Porsche | 996 GT3 Cup | 31 | Jon Trende |
| Kirrapak Sheetmetal | Lotus | Elise Motorsport 200 | 31 | Scott Bargwanna David Mackie |
| Kirchner Constructions | Porsche | 996 GT3 Cup | 33 | Fraser Kirchner |
| Ultra Finish Jaylec | Porsche | 996 GT3 Cup | 36 | Peter Fountas Ray Angus |
| RDS Wall Racing World of Learning | Porsche | 996 GT3 RSR | 38 | Des Wall |
| Brennan Voice Data & IT | Ferrari | F430 Challenge | 43 | David Stevens |
| Kwikmit IMAK | Lotus | Exige S | 51 | Andrew MacPherson Peter Lucas |
| Industrie | Ferrari | 360 Challenge | 53 | Nick Kelly |
| Report Factory | Lotus | Exige S | 55 | Garth Walden |
| Drivebathurst.com | Porsche | 996 Clubsport | 58 | Richard Kimber |
| Jocaro Motors | Porsche | 996 GT3 Cup | 66 | Garth Rainsbury |
| TAG Heuer | Porsche | 996 GT3 Cup | 67 | Eric Bana |
| PR Technology Racing | Porsche | 997 Clubsport | 68 | Kim Burke |
| www.xacarz.com.au | Dodge | Viper GTS ACR | 69 | Scott Lyddiard |
| Equity-one | Porsche | 997 Clubsport | 71 | Dean Koutsoumidis Michael Goedheer |
| Lentini Dental | Porsche | 996 GT3 Cup | 73 | Michael Lentini |
| Bicycle Express | Ferrari | 360 Challenge | 74 | Keith Wong |
| Creative Colour | Porsche | 996 GT3 Cup | 75 | Jeff Bobik |
| The Oxford Tavern Wollongong | Porsche | 996 GT3 Cup | 77 | Anthony Kosseris |
| Urban Arrangements | Lotus | Elise | 86 | Angela Coradine Angelo Lazaris |
| Urban Arrangements | Lotus | Elise Motorsport 200 | 99 | Peter Lucas Scott Bargwanna |
| Industry Central Stahlwille | Ferrari | F430 GT3 | 88 | John Teulan |
| Macpherson & Kelley Lawyers | Porsche | 996 GT3 | 90 | Sven Burchartz |
| Haden/Smith Brothers | Porsche | 996 GT3 Cup | 91 | Graeme Cook |
| Simply Sportscars | Lotus | Exige S | 97 | Timothy Poulton |
| Quintessence Constructions | Lotus | Elise GT3 | 98 | Angelo Lazaris |

## Race calendar

The championship was contested over a six-round series.
| Rd. | Name | Circuit | Location / state | Date | Winner | Car |
| Rd 1 | | Eastern Creek Raceway | Sydney, New South Wales | 1–3 February | Allan Simonsen | Ferrari F430 GT3 |
| Rd 2 | | Adelaide Street Circuit | Adelaide, South Australia | 21–24 February | Allan Simonsen | Ferrari F430 GT3 |
| Rd 3 | | Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit | Melbourne, Victoria | 13–16 March | Mark Eddy | Lamborghini Gallardo |
| Rd 4 | | Eastern Creek Raceway | Sydney, New South Wales | 12–13 July | John Kaias | Aston Martin DBRS9 |
| Rd 5 | | Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit | Phillip Island, Victoria | 9–10 August | John Bowe | Lamborghini Gallardo |
| Rd 6 | Sandown GT Classic | Sandown International Raceway | Melbourne, Victoria | 28–30 November | Allan Simonsen Nick O'Halloran | Ferrari F430 GT3 |

## Points system

Championship points were awarded on a 38-32-28-25-23-21-19-18-17-16-15-14-13-12-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 to the first 25 finishers in each race. Each driver's worst round point score had to be dropped from his/her overall point score.
Drivers competing with a foreign licence and a Foreign Participation Visa under FIA ISC Regulation 18 Para 5 (e.g. Hector Lester) were not allowed to score championship points.

## Championship results
### GT Championship

| Pos | Driver | Round 1 - EAS | Round 1 - EAS | Round 1 - EAS | Round 2 - ADE | Round 2 - ADE | Round 2 - ADE | Round 3 - ALB | Round 3 - ALB | Round 3 - ALB | Round 3 - ALB | Round 4 - EAS | Round 4 - EAS | Round 4 - EAS | Round 5 - PHI | Round 5 - PHI | Round 5 - PHI | Round 6 - SAN | Round 6 - SAN | Pts |
| Pos | Driver | Race 1 | Race 2 | Race 3 | Race 1 | Race 2 | Race 3 | Race 1 | Race 2 | Race 3 | Race 4 | Race 1 | Race 2 | Race 3 | Race 1 | Race 2 | Race 3 | Race 1 | Race 2 | Pts |
| 1 | Mark Eddy | | | | 4th | 4th | 3rd | 3rd | 2nd | 1st | 2nd | 4th | 3rd | 5th | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 4th | 7th | 412 |
| 2 | Allan Simonsen | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | | | | | | | | | | | 1st | 1st | 351 |
| 3 | Ross Lilley | 6th | 4th | 4th | 5th | 5th | 4th | 20th | Ret | 7th | 16th | 5th | 6th | 3rd | | | | 3rd | 2nd | 337.75 |
| 4 | John Kaias | 3rd | 2nd | 3rd | Ret | DNS | DNS | 4th | Ret | 16th | 7th | 3rd | 1st | 1st | 3rd | 3rd | 3rd | DNS | DNS | 323.25 |
| 5 | John Bowe | | | | | | | 1st | 8th | 2nd | 1st | | | | 1st | 1st | 1st | 7th | 4th | 290.25 |
| 6 | Peter Lucas | 4th | 6th | 5th | | | | 18th | 12th | 4th | 10th | 1st | 2nd | 2nd | | | | | | 220.5 |
| 7 | Michael Loccisano | | | | | | | 11th | 6th | 8th | 9th | | | | 7th | 5th | 9th | 10th | 9th | 169.25 |
| 8 | Anthony Kosseris | 8th | Ret | 6th | 15th | 12th | 9th | 9th | 11th | 10th | Ret | 16th | 10th | 12th | | | | | | 162.5 |
| 9 | Scott Bargwanna | | | | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | | | | | 6th | 5th | 6th | | | | | | 161 |
| 10 | John Teulan | 5th | Ret | DNS | 6th | 3rd | 12th | Ret | 7th | Ret | DNS | 7th | 7th | 8th | | | | | | 158.75 |
| 11 | Richard Kimber | | | | | | | | | | | 11th | 12th | 10th | 5th | 8th | 8th | 14th | 12th | 150 |
| 12 | Ted Huglin | | | | | | | 19th | Ret | Ret | 20th | 15th | 14th | 15th | Ret | Ret | 7th | 7th | 4th | 144.25 |
| 13 | David Stevens | | | | 9th | 8th | 5th | 6th | 3rd | 3rd | 3rd | | | | | | | | | 143.25 |
| 14 | Nick O'Halloran | | | | | | | | | | | 14th | 13th | 13th | 4th | 7th | 4th | 1st | 1st | 117 |
| 15 | Mark Krashos | | | | 14th | 10th | 8th | Ret | 15th | Ret | 15th | 13th | 11th | 11th | | | | | | 110 |
| 15 | Andrew Taplin | | | | 13th | 7th | 7th | | | | | | | | | | | 9th | 8th | 110 |
| 17 | Dean Grant | | | | | | | 10th | 10th | 9th | 8th | | | | | | | 9th | 8th | 106.5 |
| 18 | D'arcy Russell | | | | 3rd | Ret | DNS | 5th | 4th | 6th | 5th | | | | | | | | | 102.25 |
| 19 | Graeme Cook | | | | 11th | 11th | 11th | | | | | 9th | 15th | 7th | | | | | | 96 |
| 19 | Greg Crick | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 3rd | 2nd | 96 |
| 21 | Craig Baird | 2nd | 3rd | 2nd | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 92 |
| 22 | Tony Quinn | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2nd | 3rd | 84 |
| 23 | Peter Hackett | | | | | | | | | | | 2nd | 4th | 4th | | | | | | 82 |
| 24 | Nick Kelly | 9th | 7th | 8th | | | | 15th | 17th | DNS | 14th | | | | | | | | | 80.25 |
| 25 | Angelo Lazaris | | | | | | | DNS | 18th | 12th | 17th | 8th | 9th | 14th | | | | 16th | Ret | 72.75 |
| 26 | Tim Poulton | | | | | | | | | | | 17th | Ret | 16th | 11th | 9th | 10th | DNS | Ret | 72 |
| 27 | Keith Wong | | | | 10th | 9th | 10th | Ret | DNS | DNS | DNS | | | | 9th | Ret | DNS | | | 70 |
| 28 | Garth Walden | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 8th | 4th | 5th | | | 69 |
| 29 | Fraser Kirchner | | | | | | | Ret | 20th | 14th | 18th | | | | 12th | 11th | 13th | | | 66 |
| 30 | Des Wall | | | | | | | 7th | 9th | 5th | 6th | | | | | | | | | 63.75 |
| 31 | Max Twigg | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 5th | 6th | 63 |
| 32 | Ash Samadi | 7th | 5th | 7th | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 61 |
| 32 | Beric Lynton | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 10th | 6th | 6th | | | 61 |
| 34 | Peter Fountas | | | | 12th | Ret | 13th | 17th | 21st | 17th | 19th | | | | | | | 13th | Ret | 53.75 |
| 35 | Greg Ward Jr. | DNS | DNS | DNS | | | | | | | | 10th | 8th | 9th | | | | | | 51 |
| 35 | Marc Cini | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 10th | 9th | 51 |
| 37 | Sven Burchartz | | | | | | | 8th | 5th | 20th | 11th | | | | | | | | | 50.25 |
| 38 | Jim Manolios | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 12th | 10th | 48 |
| 39 | Eric Bana | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 11th | 11th | 45 |
| 40 | Garth Rainsbury | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 13th | 10th | 14th | | | 44 |
| 41 | Kevin Miller | Ret | DNS | DNS | | | | 12th | 16th | 11th | 13th | | | | | | | | | 41.25 |
| 42 | Dean Koutsoumidis | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Ret | 13th | 39 |
| 42 | Michael Goedheer | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Ret | 13th | 39 |
| 44 | Kim Burke | | | | | | | | | | | 12th | Ret | DNS | 6th | Ret | DNS | DNS | DNS | 37 |
| 45 | Simon Middleton | | | | Ret | Ret | Ret | 14th | 14th | 19th | 12th | | | | | | | | | 36.75 |
| 46 | Michael Lentini | | | | | | | 13th | 13th | 13th | Ret | | | | | | | | | 30.75 |
| 47 | David Mackie | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 14th | Ret | 11th | | | 29 |
| 48 | Simon Froude | | | | | | | 16th | 19th | 15th | DNS | | | | | | | | | 22.5 |
| 49 | Adam Wallis | | | | 8th | Ret | DNS | | | | | | | | | | | | | 19 |
| 50 | Mark O'Connor | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Ret | Ret | 12th | Ret | Ret | 15 |
| - | Hector Lester | | | | 7th | 6th | 6th | 2nd | 1st | 18th | 4th | | | | | | | | | 0 |
| - | Jon Trende | | | | | | | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | | | | | | | | | 0 |
| - | Scott Lyddiard | | | | | | | Ret | DNS | DNS | DNS | | | | | | | | | 0 |
| - | Andrew MacPherson | | | | | | | | | | | | | | DNS | DNS | DNS | 15th | Ret | 0 |
| - | Angela Coradine | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 15th | DNS | 0 |
| - | Rod Wilson | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 15th | Ret | 0 |
| - | Ray Angus | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 13th | Ret | 0 |
| - | Jeff Bobik | | | | | | | Ret | DNS | DNS | DNS | | | | | | | | | 0 |
| - | Ivan Capelli | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 5th | 6th | 0 |
| Colour | Result |
| Gold | Winner |
| Silver | Second place |
| Bronze | Third place |
| Green | Points finish |
| Blue | Non-points finish |
| Blue | Non-classified finish (NC) |
| Purple | Retired (Ret) |
| Red | Did not qualify (DNQ) |
| Red | Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ) |
| Black | Disqualified (DSQ) |
| White | Did not start (DNS) |
| White | Withdrew (WD) |
| White | Race cancelled (C) |
| Blank | Did not practice (DNP) |
| Blank | Did not arrive (DNA) |
| Blank | Excluded (EX) |

### GT Challenge

The GT Challenge class was won by Richard Kimber driving a Porsche 996 GT3 Clubsport.

### GT Production

The GT Production class was won by Tim Poulton driving a Lotus Exige S.

## Australian Tourist Trophy

The Confederation of Australian Motorsport awarded the 2008 Australian Tourist Trophy to the winners of the 2008 Sandown GT Classic, which was the sixth and final round of the 2008 Australian GT Championship. The title, which was the nineteenth Australian Tourist Trophy, was won by Allan Simonsen and Nick O'Halloren, driving a Ferrari F430 GT3.