Tony Bates Racing

29/05/2024

No GT racing at The Bend this weekend, with Tony electing to sit out the event with personal commitments, but we’re looking forward to being back on track for the next round at Queensland Raceway at the start of August.

14/04/2024

GT PHILLIP ISLAND SUNDAY WRAP

Always nice to finish the weekend with a trophy - 🥈in the Am class today!

Tony made a ripper start and opened up a big gap over his rivals, but suffered a deflating tyre in the opening stint and had to nurse the car through to the compulsory pit stop, losing several places in the process.

Upon rejoining with a fresh tyre, Tony charged forward with some great overtaking moves (including a spectacular pass around the outside at the second-last corner) to move back up to second at the chequered flag 🏁

Overall, a good finish to the weekend which has given Tony and the Ashley Seward Motorsport crew plenty of confidence heading to the next round at The Bend at the end of May.

13/04/2024

GT PHILLIP ISLAND RACE 1 WRAP

Tony made a promising start, moving into the Am class lead during the opening stint.

Just after Tony made his compulsory pit stop, a shower of rain moistened the track at Turn 1 and even though he tried to drive to the conditions, Tony found himself as the pioneer on a greasy surface and the sudden lack of grip saw him spinning off the circuit.

Several other drivers were also caught out by the tricky conditions and the race ultimately finished under a red flag. The good news is our pace was strong and the car is in one piece, so we’ll come out fighting in Race 2 tomorrow!

13/04/2024

GT PHILLIP ISLAND QUALIFYING WRAP

Qualifying 1: Tony’s fastest time of the weekend by more than a second, P4 in class 🙂

Qualifying 2: Tony shaved a couple more tenths off his best time to take P2 in class, but the session was disrupted by a couple of red flags 🚩🚩one of which came out when Tony was on target for a lap that would have put him on pole 🤷‍♂️

Overall though, some good results and we’re looking forward to Race 1 at 1pm - TUNE IN on 7PLUS 📺

12/04/2024

GT PHILLIP ISLAND FRIDAY WRAP

Practice 1 - wet conditions 🌧️ didn’t set a time in the session.

Practice 2 - A massive vibration at the start of the session due to a tyre issue. A fresh set of tyres solved the problem and the car was excellent, but then the rain returned, before we were able to get a flying lap in 🌧️

We ended the day 5th in Am class but the results certainly weren’t representative of our potential. Bring on some better weather for qualifying and Race 1 tomorrow!

10/04/2024

Just a couple more days until we're on track for Round 1 of Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia!

Here's the full schedule of events, with the races to be shown live on 7PLUS 📺

04/04/2024

We're back baby!

Tony has announced he'll return to the wheel of his C-Tech Laser/Makita Mercedes-AMG GT3, run by Ashley Seward Motorsport, for Round 1 of GT World Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia at Phillip Island next weekend, driving solo in the Am class.

Check out the full story at the link below ⬇️⬇️⬇️

We welcome back Tony Bates, who will be racing solo at Phillip Island in the strong Am Class.

NEWS 🗞 https://www.gt-world-challenge-australia.com/news/184/tony-bates-back-in-business-for-phillip-island-fanatec-gt-world-challenge-australia-opener

24/11/2023

The Adelaide street circuit is one of our most successful tracks, so we’re watching from the sidelines with some serious FOMO this weekend!

Tony is working hard after major knee surgery which has kept him out for most of this year, to make sure he’s in peak condition for season 2024, can’t wait to be back on track!

Best of luck to good mates David Reynolds, Geoff Emery and Dylan O’Keeffe all competing there this weekend 🏁🏁

25/07/2023

🏎 Racing Update 🏎

Tony has elected not to compete in this weekend's fourth round of Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia at Sydney Motorsport Park due to an imminent operation for a knee reconstruction.

While the operation and subsequent recovery/rehabilitation process will see Tony sidelined for a few races, the longer term outcome is it will allow him to completely recover to peak fitness, in time for a full assault on the 2024 season.

In the meantime, here are a couple of photos from our last GT round in Perth. Looking forward to seeing everyone trackside soon!

01/05/2023

A lucky escape for Tony in Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia Race 2 on Sunday!

Tony was running in fourth when a tap from another competitor sent him flying off the circuit - fortunately, he managed to avoid contact with the wall, and was able to recover to finish the race in eighth position, with he and Jordan Love ending the weekend seventh overall.

🗞 Read the full weekend report HERE: https://bit.ly/3LKCJjG

29/04/2023

A four-spot gain for Tony & Jordan Love in Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia Race 1 this arvo, improving from 10th on the grid to finish 6th!

Tony made a blinder start, gaining three positions on the opening lap before handing over to Jordan, who made up another spot during his stint.

Tony is continuing to improve his pace as he transitions from his previous Audi race car to the C-Tech Laser/Makita Mercedes, while Jordan is providing some valuable feedback to the Ashley Seward Motorsport to help them fine-tune the car.

Let’s see what we can do from 3rd on the grid for Race 2 tomorrow!

📸- On Track Creatives

29/04/2023

Qualifying complete here in Perth!

This morning’s sessions were only 10 minutes long, so there wasn’t a lot of time to generate tyre temperature. We’ll be starting 10th on the grid for Race 1 and 3rd for Race 2.