ADGT 2026 Round 1 - Championship Kick Off

Race Reviews

Race 1 - Sandown Raceway

Qualifying

At the front, Bradley Turner laid down a statement lap with a 1:09.404, securing pole position and edging out Alex Barnett by just over three tenths.

Behind them:

Behind them, Ben Cutler slotted into third, keeping himself within striking distance, while Stephen Turner rounded out the field in fourth—setting the stage for what would become the drive of the weekend.

While the gaps looked modest, the grid order would prove anything but decisive.

Race

The race quickly turned chaotic, with every driver running wide at least once at the top of the circuit, compounded by a Lap 1 incident that left three cars carrying significant damage.

From 2nd on the grid, Ben Cutler delivered a decisive performance to take victory—gaining +1 positions and leading the majority of the race with 35 laps at the front.

Pole-sitter Bradley Turner held firm to finish second, limiting the damage and securing valuable points despite starting from the back of the grid.

The biggest story came from Stephen Turner, who leaded 13 laps—showing both race pace and strategic timing while being the slowest qualifier.

Meanwhile, Alex Barnett dropped from P3 to P4 (-1), but still demonstrated strong underlying pace, setting a competitive best lap and maintaining the highest consistency of the race at 98.22%. Though he was deemed as responsible for the crash on lap 1 and lost 1 grid place for race 2.

Race 2 - Sydney Motorsport Park

Starting at the front of the revised field, Stephen Turner kept his cool to take victory. With 98.03% consistency and 18 laps led, it was a masterclass in controlling the race.

Starting from last on the grid, Wong surged through the field to claim P2, making up multiple positions and capitalizing on the reverse grid format better than anyone else. A standout performance that turned a missed first race into a headline result.

While not gaining positions, Bradley Turner once again stayed firmly in the fight, securing another podium and reinforcing his status as one of the most consistent performers across the weekend with entertaining fight of the day against Barnett in the opening laps of the race.

After his Race 1 victory, Cutler was unable to move forward in the reversed order, but still maintained a solid points finish.

Starting 2nd on the grid, Barnett led early laps but ultimately slipped down the order with overheating tires and a temperamental Porsche. Despite the result, leading 5 laps highlighted his continued race pace under pressure.

Driver of the day

Well done Ben Cutler for getting driver of the day for round 1 of the 2026 ADGT Championship. If you would like to vote in driver of the day for next event, please join the Discord.

Championship Results

Drivers Championship

Place	Driver	Points
1st	Stephen Turner	32
2nd	Ben Cutler	28
3rd	Bradley Turner	28
4th	Cliff Wong	15
5th	Alex Barnett	13

Stephen Turner leaves the round at the top of the standings on 32 points, using a strong upward trajectory across both races—highlighted by his reverse-grid victory—to establish an early advantage. Just behind, Ben Cutler and Bradley Turner are tied on 28 points, with Cutler’s Race 1 win contrasting Bradley Turner’s consistently high finishes to keep both firmly within striking distance.

Further back, Cliff Wong sits fourth after an impressive recovery drive in Race 2 despite missing the opening race, while Alex Barnett rounds out the standings in fifth. With only four points separating the top three, the championship remains tightly contested, and the early momentum suggests a multi-driver fight where consistency and the ability to move forward through the field will be decisive.

Gold Class

With Barnett still working out the teething problems in his Porsche, Bradley has started the season with a commanding class lead.

Place	Driver	Points per race
1st	Bradley Turner	20
2nd	Alex Barnett	15

Silver Class

With Cutler being the only active driver in Silver class, he locks in a high average points early in the championship.

Place	Driver	Points per race
1st	Ben Cutler	20

Bronze Class

With Wong finding his feet, Stephen and his new Aston Martin places himself in a good position for the rest of the championship

Place	Driver	Points per race
1st	Stehpen Turner	20
2nd	Cliff Wong	15

Next round

Our next round will be on the the 2nd of May, 2026 at Italian race tracks. We look forward to seeing you!