Renee Gracie completed her 2025 GT World Challenge Australia campaign with a mixed outcome at the season finale at Hampton Downs Motorsport Park, securing a top-five Pro-Am result on Saturday before an early retirement ended Sunday’s race.
Fresh from clinching the Am class championship in dominant fashion, Gracie stepped up to the Pro-Am category for the final round, sharing the #181 Audi R8 LMS with New Zealand driver Damon Leitch. Saturday’s race delivered an encouraging result and offered a first look at Gracie’s performance in a mixed-class environment.
Gracie started the opening race from fifth position. Light drizzle appeared towards the end of the formation lap, creating tricky conditions that caught out several drivers at the start. Amid early slips and gaps opening across the field, Gracie capitalised to gain a position in the opening phase.
As the track stabilised, pressure increased from behind and Gracie was forced to relinquish her position to the #26 Audi shortly before the pit window opened. After the driver change, Leitch took over and immediately entered a three-way fight involving the #26 Audi and a Ferrari.
A highlight moment came at the downhill hairpin, where Leitch attacked aggressively, mounting the inside kerb and briefly lifting the car onto two wheels before landing cleanly and completing the pass on the Audi. He initially pulled a small gap, with the Ferrari also moving ahead of the Audi in the same sequence.
Leitch’s momentum was later interrupted by traffic when a lapped Mercedes impeded his run, forcing him to defend hard into Turn 1. Although he held position initially, the compromised exit allowed the Ferrari through on the following straight. Despite renewed pressure from the Audi, the #181 car held on to finish fifth overall in Pro-Am.
Gracie described the result as significant, noting it was her first opportunity during the season to contest a Pro-Am race and demonstrate her performance alongside an experienced professional co-driver.
Sunday’s race proved far shorter. Leitch started from 12th on the grid but ran into trouble at Turn 2 on the opening lap. Attempting to move to the inside under braking, he was boxed in by a Mercedes ahead making the same move. With no room to avoid contact, Leitch collided with two cars, sustaining front suspension damage and sliding into the tyre barrier, ending the race on the spot.
From a Racing-X perspective, the weekend underlined both the potential and the inherent risk of stepping up into Pro-Am competition. Saturday’s result showed that Gracie and the #181 Audi were immediately competitive in a stronger field, while Sunday’s incident highlighted how quickly races can unravel in tightly packed GT grids.
Despite the early end to the final race, Gracie closes the season as the 2025 GT World Challenge Australia Am class champion, and the Pro-Am outing at Hampton Downs offers a credible reference point as she evaluates options and direction for 2026.
