Renee Gracie has secured her second title in the GT World Challenge Australia, clinching the Am class crown in 2025 after a dominant solo campaign that was wrapped up with a round remaining.
Driving the #181 Audi R8 LMS Evo2, Gracie claimed seven Am class victories from ten races across the season, building an unassailable points lead before the final round. The title marks her second championship in the SRO-sanctioned series following her Trophy class success during her comeback season.
Gracie returned to professional racing in 2023 and immediately made an impact, winning the Trophy class title with a perfect record using a first-generation Audi R8 GT3. That campaign laid the foundations for a step up in both competition level and expectations over the following seasons.
Her progression continued in 2024 when she upgraded to the Evo2-spec Audi and moved into the Pro-Am class, sharing driving duties with Paul Stokell in a Melbourne Performance Centre entry. The pair recorded multiple top-ten overall finishes, including fifth at Phillip Island and Bathurst, and ended the season eighth overall, with Gracie gaining extensive experience against higher-rated drivers.
A driver reclassification to Bronze for 2025 opened the door for a full solo Am class programme. Returning to Melbourne Performance Centre machinery, Gracie capitalised immediately. After finishing second in class at the Phillip Island opener, she claimed victory in Race 2 and began a run of five consecutive wins across Sydney Motorsport Park and Queensland Raceway. Those performances were underlined by consistent overall top-ten finishes, including seventh overall results in Queensland, where she ran competitively among Pro-Am entries.
The title fight moved closer to conclusion at Sandown, where Gracie again finished inside the overall top ten in both races. Although she narrowly missed extending her winning streak in Race 1, she returned to the top step in Race 2 to strengthen her championship position heading into the penultimate round at The Bend.
The Bend International Circuit provided the final test of the campaign. A strong qualifying performance placed Gracie on Am class pole and fifth overall for Race 1, ahead of her closest title rivals. She maintained control of the class lead through the opening phase and briefly climbed as high as fourth overall before a small off-track moment resulted in a spin. Despite losing the class lead, she recovered to finish second in Am and eleventh overall, keeping the title firmly within reach.
Race 2 on Sunday became the decisive moment. Starting ninth overall and first in class, Gracie managed the early laps conservatively, prioritising the Am battle as faster Pro-Am cars moved through. She built a small but critical gap before the pit window, retained the class lead after the mandatory stop, and then saw her advantage neutralised by a late safety car.
At the restart, Gracie remained composed, defending cleanly and using traffic to her advantage. She gradually rebuilt her margin and crossed the line as Am class winner, securing the championship with one round still to run.
With the title now confirmed ahead of the Hampton Downs finale in New Zealand, Gracie becomes a two-time GT World Challenge Australia champion, having won titles in both the Trophy and Am classes in consecutive phases of her return to the sport.
From a Racing-X perspective, the 2025 campaign stands out not just for its results, but for its consistency. Gracie combined race management, pace and strategic discipline across varied circuits and conditions, underlining how far her GT programme has matured since her return in 2023. Attention will now turn to whether the momentum carries into a new challenge for 2026, potentially in a higher class or expanded programme.
