AUSTRALIAN GT stalwarts Mike Sheargold and Garth Walden have revealed a Daft Punk-inspired 2024 livery for their Mercedes-AMG.
Team owner Sheargold tasked motorsport graphic artist Tim Pattinson with weaving the cover design of Daft Punk’s Alive album into the #45 RAM Motorsport entry’s DNA.
Pattinson proceeded to deliver a striking black and green pattern showing off the backing of Oilstar Racing Brake Fluid and Jayco Caravans Sydney.
“Daft Punk’s ‘Alive’ was one of those iconic albums that I listened to growing up and thought that it could play into an interesting livery,” said Sheargold.
“You have to have some fun with these things, and I’m pretty happy with how it has turned out.”
Having finished second and third in GT World Challenge Australia before, the Sydneysider has top prize in his sights.
“We had some challenges with my health last year, but I feel that my driving has progressed,” said Sheargold.
“We went to the test day (at The Bend) with some expectations and we feel like we achieved that and we are happy with the result.
“My progress probably comes down to a switch in mindset. When you are faced with something like cancer, there’s all that ‘life’s too short’ stuff, but this past year, I’ve really set out with that mentality of having fun, but also having a dip.
“The team has really helped me along as well. Garth, JP Messenger as the engineer, they’ve made strong improvements with both the car and me after we seemed to plateau last year.”
Walden, whose GWR Australia organisation will run the car, is also seeing gains.
“Mike is really improving a lot. He went faster and is coming on strong since the backend of last year,” he said.
“We want to have a good crack at the Am this year. Our aim is to win the class. That’s the goal.
“For us, Mike wants to improve, and wants to win races, and we are all aligned. These cars are a bloody cool thing to drive with all of its aero and braking performance. It’s a mega piece of kit to drive.
“For me, it’s all about getting the most out of Mike. It’s our third season together. We know each other really well, and with the way he has been improving, it will be exciting to see what we can do this year.”
The opening sprint round of the GTWC Australia season will unfold at Phillip Island on April 12-14.
