Young gun Dylan O’Keeffe will make his Australian Endurance Championship debut aboard the KFC Audi R8 LMS at Sydney Motorsport Park next weekend (August 18 – 19).
The highly rated youngster will join Daniel Gaunt in the #124 entry to make one of the most exciting driver combinations on the grid.
O’Keeffe got his first taste of the Audi R8 LMS he’ll pilot next weekend on Thursday, quickly coming to grips which the car.
“It was a really good day, and I think we got everything done that we needed to,” O’Keeffe said of the experience.
“It’s always good to do miles in a different car, especially to get thrown out of my comfort zone.
“We worked on things like braking, using the aero, that was a big thing compared to what I’ve driven in the past, especially the brake pressure.
“The Audi is one of the best GT3 cars, so I’m lucky in that sense and then got a good co-driver in Dan Gaunt, so it should be a good combo.
“I’m looking forward to working with Dan and getting a good result at the end of the day.
“If everything leans in our favour we should do well.”
Though unable to attend the pre-event test, Gaunt is no stranger to the KFC Audi R8 LMS.
The Australian GT race winner has proved to be one of the year’s star performers with strong outings in both the Australian GT and Australian Endurance Championships.
A fixture at the front throughout the season, the Australian GT race winner has twice finished on the podium so far in 2017.
Together, they’ll tackle the 129 lap Sydney Motorsport Park 501, the second round of the Australian Endurance Championship.
It promises to be a tough challenge for both drivers, with O’Keeffe set to experience endurance racing for the first time.
The KFC Audi R8 LMS will be one of four cars operated by Audi Sport Customer Racing Australia over the weekend, which will also field two Valvoline Jamec Pem entries and the GT Motorsport car of Greg Taylor and Grant Denyer.
Practice for next weekend’s second round of the Australian Endurance Championship gets underway on Friday (August 18), with two qualifying sessions later in the day setting the grid.
The green flag drops on the Sydney Motorsport Park 501 on Saturday morning, with live coverage on Fox Sports, Channel 506.
2017 Australian GT Championship Calendar:
1. Mar 2 – 5 Clipsal 500, Adelaide, SA
2. Mar 23 – 26 Australian Grand Prix, Albert Park, Melbourne, VIC
3. May 5 – 7 Perth Super Sprint, Barbagallo, WA
4. Jul 7 – 9 Townsville 400, Townsville, QLD
5. Sep 15 – 17 Sandown 500, Sandown Raceway, VIC
2017 Australian Endurance Championship Calendar:
1. May 26 – 28 Phillip Island 500, Phillip Island, VIC
2. Aug 18 – 20 Sydney Motorsport Park 501, Sydney, NSW
3. Oct 27 – 29 Hampton Downs 500, Hampton Downs, NZ
4. Nov 10 – 12 Highlands 501, Highlands Park, NZ
