Arise Racing is not like other motorsport teams.
Every element of this new GT racing outfit is designed to follow its own path to success – from the cars it races, the drivers it competes with and even where it’s based. And it didn’t take long for the team to prove its way worked, winning on debut.
So, who is Arise Racing and what makes it so different? Let us tell you all about it.
Arise Racing is an extension of a successful Perth-based team that primarily competed in Radical sports car racing. However, with the backing of Laurence Escalante, founder and CEO of Virtual Gaming World, Arise has moved up to the national level to compete in the 2024 GT World Challenge Australia.
At the opening round of the season it was clear Arise Racing was not like the other teams. For starters, it was fielding a pair of Ferrari 296 GT3s, in a field where every other team was using either an Audi R8 LMS or a Mercedes-AMG GT.
The choice of car is no accident or coincidence. Escalante is the first Australian business owner to sponsor the Scuderia Ferrari Formula One team and has an array of the brand’s supercars in his amazing LEE Collection.
So when Ferrari was looking for a local team to run its new GT3 model, Escalante was offered priority on two examples and snatched them up.
Already a supporter of Arise’s Radical state and national racing, Escalante has shown faith in the West Australian-based squad to take on the challenge of competing in the most competitive sports car series in Australia.
Given Escalante’s contacts within Ferrari, Arise Racing will represent the factory in Australia and act as a local agent for parts and support for the 296 GT3. It’s the first time Ferrari has worked so closely with a local GT racing team, underlining the significance of this new partnership.
F1 Medical Car driver, Karl Reindler, was appointed Performance Advisor and worked with Arise Racing Team Manager, Jordan Oon, to pull together a stable of drivers with the speed and smarts to succeed in GT3 competition.
Supercars star Chaz Mostert shares a car with the highly experienced Liam Talbot. Mostert needs no introduction to racing fans, as a two-time Bathurst 1000 winner and multiple race winner. Talbot is classified as an amateur but has amassed wins across a variety of GT series.
The second entry is driven by Jaxon Evans and Elliott Schutte. Evans is a rising star in Supercars but with an international GT racing resume with Porsche, while the latter is a former sim racer who has transferred his skills to the real world.
Even with this talented quartet and two brand new Ferrari GT3 cars, success was not guaranteed, with the GT World Challenge Australia field filled with talented teams and drivers with more experience.
But that didn’t stop Arise Racing from not only winning the opening race of the season at Phillip Island, the team finished one-two.
Mostert and Talbot led home Evans and Schutte to get the team off to the best possible start, and while it may have surprised outsider, it wasn’t a shock for Oon.
2024 Shannons Speed Series – Round 3 – Phillip Island
“I think we had pretty high expectations for ourselves,” the team boss told CarExpert. “We didn’t underestimate the challenge, but it was nice to see the hard work put in pay off.”
If you have never watched a GT3 race, the series is super competitive with world class drivers and great racing. The series and Arise Racing will be heading to the following events all over Australia before the end of the year:
- August 2-4 – Queensland Raceway, Ipswich, Queensland (round four)
- August 23-25 – Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, Phillip Island, Victoria (round five)
- October 18-20 – Sydney Motorsport Park, Eastern Creek, New South Wales (round six)
- November 8-10 – Mount Panorama, Bathurst, New South Wales (round seven)
Laurence Escalante is an investor in CarExpert.com.au.
MORE: Ferrari factory support coming to GT racing in Australia
