Ojeda Lights Up Phillip Island.
Penrith local Supercar driver Jayden Ojeda has enjoyed a thrilling weekend in the GT3 races in the Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia at Phillip Island on the weekend.
Bathurst 6 Hour winner Jayden, who recently joined Harrolds Volante Rosso Motorsport for the 2023 GT World Challenge Australia, enjoyed 2 practice sessions on Friday before heading into qualifying come Saturday morning. Jayden lit up the Phillip Island circuit setting pole position in qualifying for race 2, with a 1m 27.4549s.
“To qualify first in the Pro session was amazing” said Jayden, “The car was awesome, the Volante Rosso crew did a great job and I felt like I improved on some of the area’s that I needed too improve after Perth. To drive a GT3 car around such a high speed track requires a lot of commitment and trust that the car while stick, so I am stoked.” he added.
Jayden lined up alongside Ross Poulakis in the team’s Mercedes-AMG GT3, with Ross qualifying 5th for race one. Ross started the 60-minute race and battled hard, bringing the car into the driver change 6th, after a late safety car bunched everyone up before the pitstop.
Shortly after Jayden jumped into the car another safety car came out, putting Jayden right onto the back of the EMA Motorsport Porsche in 1st. On the restart Jayden put some serious pressure onto the leader for the next 20 odd minutes, creating a couple of opportunities where he was close enough and tried to make a pass stick, but ultimately the aero wash from following so close made it difficult to pass at such a high speed track, and Jayden crossed the line second in the end.
HOWEVER, after the chequered flag this all changed, following a post-race penalty for the EMA Motorsport Porsche. That change elevated the Harrolds Volante Rosso Mercedes AMG GT3 driven by Ross and Jayden to the race victory. It’s the first win for the team and the first for Mercedes-AMG in the championship this year.
“What an amazing day, our first race win,” said Jayden. “Such an awesome result for the team, as this is their best finish in a GT3 event, and my best result in a GT3 car as well, I am so stoked. It’s hard to believe in our second weekend in the car and we can get a win, amazing”.
The field returned for a second, one-hour race Phillip Island on Sunday, with Jayden starting on pole thanks to his effort in Qualifying 2 Saturday.
For Sundays Race 2 Jayden started from pole position but would carry a 10 second success penalty from race 1 during the pitstop. This is normal in this category, where 1st gets 15 seconds, 2nd gets 10 seconds, and 3rd gets 5 seconds added to their pitstop time for the next race.
At the race start Jayden got a great jump compared to the car next to him, but unfortunately the Porsche has some strong straight line speed and managed to sneak ahead going into turn 1. Jayden slotted into second place and had to defend from the Audi R8 of Hoffer for the next couple of corners.
“After the first lap I found myself in the same position as yesterday, behind the same car with the same aero wash. For the next 25 minutes I tried every trick in the book and then some, to try and make something happen, as I had a good pace with my fastest lap being a good margin quicker than any of the other pros early in the race.” said Jayden.
“The aero wash makes it difficult to get a good exit and have a straight line pace advantage to pass at the next corner. Nevertheless, I had my best opportunity 10 minutes before the end of my stint, and I sent a pass in from about 2 car lengths back” he smilingly added.
After Jayden’s awesome pass he opened a lead, handing the car over to Ross after 35 minutes to finish the race. During the pitstop, with the 10 second success penalty from race 1, they dropped to second. Ross then drove an excellent stint, however he got passed by two of the much more experienced Pro-am’s to cross the line 4th, finishing on the podium in 2nd place for the weekend.
“Amazing day for the team, 2nd overall for the round” said Jayden. “So excited we got the team’s best ever result in GT3, and I’m super happy with my weekend, still only my second time in this car” he added.
“Ross has been racing for just over a year in total, and some of the Pro-Am’s he is up against have many years’ experience in these cars, so it was an amazing result for him and the team. With a lengthy two and a half months until the next round I am going to work with Ross on the simulator to fast track his learning” he said.
“A huge thank you to Ross Poulakis and the Harrolds Volante Rosso team, and my partners City Hino, Johnny H, AJM Transport, Atkinson Pontifex, That Patio Guy, Nepean Regional Security, Body WRL who have supported me. Ross, the car, and all our partners have been great as always, so looking forward to the future!” said Jayden.
Sydney Motorsport Park beckons next for the Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS drivers and teams, as part of the Repco Supercars Championship event on July 28-30.
