AU4: Treble podium for Imogen Radburn on season opener at The Bend

Imogen Radburn opened the 2025 AU4 Australian Championship with a remarkable treble podium at The Bend, claiming two second places and a third to clinch third in the standings. Fellow female drivers Georgia Morgan and Chloe Lane made promising series debuts with solid improvements across the weekend.

Photo credits: AGI Sport

The opening round of the 2025 AU4 Australian Championship – which replaces the Australian F4 Championship – saw returning driver Imogen Radburn secure a triple podium at The Bend in a remarkable weekend for the young AGI Sport racer, who topped her best F4 result to date.

Radburn, 18, made her debut in the new-gen Tatuus F4 car in 2024 and quickly collected a streak of top-five finishes, as well as her first podium at Sydney Motorsport Park with a third-place finish in Race 3. She completed a learning season with another rookie podium in Sepang, ultimately finishing sixth in the championship standings.

Radburn is joined on the 2025 AU4 Australian Championship grid by two more female drivers – Georgia Morgan, 18, and Chloe Lane, 16 – both competing for Tim Macrow Racing.

Morgan began her karting career in 2021 and rapidly progressed, securing third place in the GKCV championship before stepping up to the senior category the following season. In 2024, she started a testing program in race cars, including Formula Ford and Formula 4, in preparation for her 2025 racing debut in the Tatuus T421 machine.

Sixteen-year-old Chloe Lane is also transitioning to race cars after competing in state and national karting competitions. In 2025, she races in the first-generation Mygale F4 car in the G1 class of the AU4 Australian Championship.

The technical Bend Motorsport Park hosted the season opener on the International circuit layout – the first of five scheduled rounds. Track action began with Saturday practice, and Imogen Radburn immediately showed strong pace, clocking a 1:52.187 lap time to go third fastest overall.

Georgia Morgan was seventh fastest with a 1:54.647 lap, while Chloe Lane recorded a 2:00.187, placing her fourth among the Gen-1 class competitors – also showing good one-lap potential.

In the first qualifying session, Harrison Duske secured pole by one tenth over Noah Killion. Just another tenth behind, Imogen Radburn qualified third and would start from the second row, alongside her AGI Sport teammate Isaac McNeill.

Georgia Morgan's 1:54.157 placed her seventh, while teammate Chloe Lane qualified fifth in the G1 class and 12th overall. Lane made great progress across the session, improving by almost two seconds from practice.

Q2 delivered an AGI Sport 1-2-3, with Killion taking pole ahead of Radburn in a strong showing for the team. Morgan was again seventh overall and sixth in class with a 1:55.852, while Lane encountered an issue and ended up 14th overall and seventh in class.

Photo credits: AGI Sport

The best placed returnee, Imogen Radburn started P3 for the opening race of the season.

She had an outstanding launch, taking the outside line to go around Killion for second place, with the two battling side by side until Killion ran wide and off into the gravel. Morgan held P7, and Lane ran 12th in the older-spec car. By the end of Lap 1, Morgan had moved up to sixth overall. Lane dropped one position to 13th and sixth in the Gen-1 class.

Radburn came under pressure from McNeill, who eventually passed her for second. Duske led and managed to pull over a one-second gap while the battle for second unfolded.

Morgan ran sixth overall and fifth among the T421 cars, while Lane slipped to seventh in the older class.

McNeill, now in second, began closing in on leader Duske, while Radburn remained comfortable in third. She then closed back in on McNeill, and by Lap 4, made a move stick for second into Turn 1 and set off in pursuit of Duske.

Morgan was passed by a recovering Killion and chased the Gen-1 class leader for sixth overall.

Radburn was now all over the back of Duske, applying pressure with ten minutes to go. She was quicker, needing to pass Duske to also stay ahead of McNeill. With five minutes remaining, Morgan overtook the Gen-1 leader and moved up to seventh overall. Lane, a few seconds behind the next car, Filipetto, was able to catch up and passed him for sixth in the Gen-1 class and P14 overall.

As the leaders began lapping traffic from the Gen-1 field, Duske gained a couple of seconds over Radburn and McNeill. Despite traffic, Duske pulled away. Radburn took the chequered flag in second after a strong drive, marking her best result in the series.

Morgan was seventh but, unfortunately, didn't take the chequered flag after falling back on the final lap and was classified 12th. Lane finished sixth in Gen-1 and 13th overall.

Photo credits: AGI Sport

In sunny conditions, Noah Killion started Race 2 from pole on Sunday morning, ahead of Race 1 winner Harrison Duske. Imogen Radburn lined up on the second row alongside Isaac McNeill. Georgia Morgan started from seventh and Chloe Lane from P13 overall – sixth among the Gen-1 Mygale entries.

Kokotovich stalled on the formation lap and would therefore start from the pit lane.

At lights out, Killion retained the lead while McNeill moved into second, and Radburn dropped to fourth, under pressure from the Tim Macrow Motorsport machine of Brock Burton. McNeill showed strong pace and went for the lead on Lap 2.

Georgia Morgan was running seventh but fell behind Gen-1 leader Jensen Marold; Lane made a great start, gaining several places early on to run P11 overall and fifth in her class.

Duske attacked Killion for second, but the latter defended hard; the leading trio initially pulled away from Radburn and Burton. Duske eventually overtook Killion a lap later, and the battle ahead allowed Radburn to close back in.

In Gen-1, Lane lost a position to Stewart but remained in close contention for fifth.

By Lap 4, Radburn was again one of the fastest on track. When Duske made a mistake, she seized the opportunity and reclaimed third place. With ten minutes to go, Radburn opened a small gap to the two Tim Macrow Racing drivers behind her. As the leaders lapped the back markers, Gen-1 driver Samuels spun at Turn 17, and Lane moved up to fifth in class and P11 overall, with Morgan also making progress as she cleared Gen-1 leader Marold to take sixth overall.

With five minutes remaining, Duske and Burton closed in again on Radburn. She held her ground, drove consistently, and kept a safe gap as the race entered its final lap. Ahead, Killion passed McNeill and took victory. Imogen Radburn claimed another podium finish with a mature drive to third.

Georgia Morgan finished sixth overall and took the chequered flag for the first time after her misfortune in Race 1, while Chloe Lane improved from Race 1 and finished fifth in class, on the lead lap.

Photo credits: AGI Sport

The final race of the weekend took place in the afternoon, with starting positions set by Saturday’s Q2 times. With two podiums already, Imogen Radburn started from second on the front row, alongside AGI Sport teammate Killion. Georgia Morgan lined up sixth, while Chloe Lane started seventh in the Gen-1 class and 14th overall. Morgan, however, would be forced to start from pit lane after an issue on the formation lap.

Radburn had a tricky start and was passed by McNeill, who had a lightning getaway, while Duske jumped from seventh to fourth and pressured Radburn, who quickly responded and passed him on Lap 2. Lane had an excellent start, going from seventh to fourth in Gen-1, while Morgan began her recovery drive from the back, soon catching the Mygale entries.

Once Radburn’s tyres were up to temperature, she began matching the leaders’ times and aimed to charge forward. By Lap 3, a fierce battle for the lead unfolded: Killion, facing a mechanical issue, was swallowed up by McNeill, Duske, and Radburn. McNeill thus took the lead, with Radburn moving into third.

Further down, Morgan passed Katsidis and Samuels to move into 12th overall. Lane held fourth in class, showing steady progress across the weekend. Fitzpatrick then passed her for fifth, before finding Morgan's Gen-2 Tatuus closing in. Lane, however, unfortunately ended her race in the gravel, bringing an early end to a weekend of clear progression for the 16-year-old.

With ten minutes to go, McNeill led Duske and Radburn – the trio covered by just two seconds. Duske came under increasing pressure from Radburn and Kokotovich, who had followed the #29 AGI Sport machine from the beginning. With two minutes left, Radburn engaged in a thrilling duel with Duske, executing several switchbacks as she hunted for second.

Killion’s issues worsened, and he fell further down the order, allowing Morgan to pick up another position to run sixth in the Gen-2 class and eighth overall.

On the final lap, Radburn made a bold move on the outside of Turn 1, pulling off a brilliant pass to secure second place. She quickly built a gap, but McNeill was too far ahead and claimed victory.

Radburn completed her third podium of the weekend in a standout season opener. Georgia Morgan finished sixth in class after a strong recovery drive from the back, while Chloe Lane was unlucky not to finish after a promising run.

It was a remarkable start to the season for Imogen Radburn, who was one of the most consistent drivers throughout the weekend; she now sits third in the standings, just eight points behind the championship leader. The next round will again take place at The Bend on 12–13 July, this time on the West circuit layout.