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2018 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour | Contents 3

LIQUI-MOLY BATHURST 12 HOURFEBRUARY 2 - 4, 2018

Editors:Dan HerreroMat CochTom Howard

Contributors:Tom HowardBrett Murray

Design: Justin MurrayRachel Cherry

Sales/Marketing:Justin Murray

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The Bathurst 12 Hour continues to grow from strength to strength and 2018 is set to be no exception when one of the best-credentialed fields ever takes on Mount Panorama.

Entering its eighth year as a GT3 race, the 12 Hour is already developing a rich history to place alongside its more established cousin, the Bathurst 1000.

Just last year, Craig Lowndes was taken out under Safety Car but survived, Toni Vilander drove that stint, and Shane van Gisbergen laid it all on the line.

In fact, ‘The Giz’ was central to plenty of big moments in 2017, including a high-risk battle with a man who is usually in his camp, Jamie Whincup.

Then things really exploded, first on the track – twice – and then in the pits. Maro Engel’s pain at his co-driver crashing out of the race was plain for all to see. That’s what the 12 Hour means.

It was also the year that Matt Campbell gave the world its first glimpse of what he was capable of. Could he help Competition Motorsports go one better this time around and pull off a big upset?

Why not? This is Bathurst.

That brings us to 2018. Van Gisbergen is back in a McLaren, just as he was two years ago when he broke lap records on his way to victory

By his side, his legendary Supercars team-mate Craig Lowndes, and a handy Frenchman by the name of Come Ledogar, backed by the highly professional McElrea Racing operation. A prime opportunity for redemption.

Another 2016 winner, Alvaro Parente, has jumped ship with Strakka to campaign a Mercedes-AMG GT3. His co-drivers, Maxi Buhk and Maxi Gotz, may have never won at Bathurst but they have won the 24 Hours of Spa. Watch out for them.Team WRT and Audi Sport Customer Racing Australia will represent Audi, each of which bring some extremely talented driver line-ups.

Famous BMW squad Team Schnitzer has made the trip, while Manthey-Racing and Craft Bamboo spearhead the Porsche challenge.

Outside the Pro ranks, are Lamborghinis, Ginettas, KTMs, Dodges, and MARC Cars.

There’s so much to like about the 12 Hour, but the best part is that we’re just about to do it all over again…

Another chapter to be written at Mount Panorama

04 Meet the 2018 contenders09 The history of the Bathurst 12 Hour13 Tale of 2017 - Whincup vs van Gisbergen as tempers fray14 Results from Bathurst 12 Hour 201717 Previous Bathurst 12 Hour winners18 Bathurst circuit guide20 A lap of Mount Panorama23 By the numbers24 GT racing, on a budget27 Balance of Performance explained28 Habul: full of energy30 Strakka attack33 TV times34 Bathurst 12 Hour 2018 entry list47 Support categories lineuop48 Schedule of events

Contents

Speedcafe.com Journalist

STRAKKA ATTACK!

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MEET THE CONTENDERSThe key players of this year’s race04

T

Dan Herrero

LE MANS WINNERS PRIMED FOR MAIDEN BATHURST VOYAGE

TALE OF 2017Whincup vs van Gisbergen as tempers fray13

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The Mercedes-AMG GT3 has carried on where its predecessor left off, with one notable exception; it is yet to win the Bathurst 12 Hour. Released in 2016 and scoring its first race win at Albert Park, five of the eight-cylinder beasts will tackle this year’s 12 Hour across two classes.

Sporting the same thumping V8 as the SLS, the Mercedes-AMG GT3 has maintained the famous, grumbling engine note. Strong under brakes, balanced through the corners and no slouch down the straights, it’s one of the best all-round cars on the grid.

Strakka Racing has made the long journey from the UK for its first appearance at the Mountain. Having switched to the German marque since the end of last season, the team is finding its feet with the new machines, but boasts former race winner Alvaro Parente among its driving talent.

Parente will share with the two Maxs, Buhk and Gotz, in the all-Pro entry while Strakkas second car will see team boss Nick Leventis joined by Lewis Williamson, David Fumanelli and Sandown 500 race winner Cam Waters.

Regarded by Mercedes as the leading team in the region, Scott Taylor Motorsport will run two cars, though its name appears on only that of Max Twigg, Craig Baird and Tony D’Alberto in the Pro-Am Class. The second car is the SunEnergy1 Racing entry, which has recruited part of last year’s race winning team in Jamie Whincup, alongside Kenny Habul, Tristan Vautier and Mercedes factory ace Raffaele Marciello.

The final Mercedes is that of Mark Griffith, who has linked up with fellow Australian GT drivers John Martin and Liam Talbot, and welcomed back David Reynolds for his second appearance with the team.

Mercedes-AMGCar: GT3Teams: Strakka Racing, SunEnergy1 Racing, Scott Taylor Motorsport and Nineteen Corp

MEET THE 2018 CONTENDERS


2018 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour | Meet the Contenders 5

AudiCar: R8 LMS GT3Teams: Jamec Pem Racing, Audi Sport WRT, International Motorsport and Audi Sport Customer Racing Australia

Twice victorious at the iconic Mount Panorama, Audi claimed the honours in both 2011 and 2012 and is tied with Ferrari for the winningest marque since the event’s switch to GT3 regulations in 2011.

A member of both winning Audi teams, Christopher Mies returns this year with Jamec Pem Racing, where he’ll be joined by fellow factory drivers Christopher Haase and Markus Winkelhock. The second Jamec Pem Audi sees former Supercars champ Garth Tander alongside Australian GT winner Kelvin van der Linde and Belgian Frederic Vervisch. Only Tander has prior experience at Bathurst, though van der Linde has won the Nurburgring 24 Hours.

The only other all-Pro Audi belongs to Team WRT, which has made the voyage from Europe for the event. Their lead car will be piloted by former F1 tester Robin Frijns, Dries Vanthoor and Stuart Leonard.

The second Team WRT car is the Pro-Am entry steered by Paul Dalla Lana, Mathias Lauda, son for three-time F1 champ Niki, Pedro Lamy and Will Davison, the two-time Bathurst 1000 winner was a late addition to the team.

Lee Holdsworth rejoins Marc Cini and Dean Fiore in an Audi Sport Customer Racing Australia Pro-Am entry.

In Am Class, Australian GT regular Ash Samadi has young hot-shot Dylan O’Keeffe in his camp along with the highly rated Daniel Gaunt. Rounding out the Australian entries are the Koundouris brothers of James and Theo, who welcome back Ash Walsh and Duvashen Padayachee.

The final Audi in the field is that of Andrew Bagnall, Matt Halliday and Jonny Reid, a trio of Kiwis in a team with half a century of racing experience, and an almost brand-new Audi R8 LMS, who will compete for Pro-Am honours.

BMWCar: M6 GT3Teams: BMW Team SRM, BMW Team Schnitzer

A brace of teams from BMW pose a threat at the top end of the Pro class, with entries from Australia and Germany on the grid.

A force in Europe, the M6 GT3 is yet to show its full potential on Australian soil, though we got an idea when all three cars entered last year appeared in the Top 10 Shootout.

Representing Australia is Richards’ BMW Team SRM outfit, making its second appearance at the 12 Hour this year. Having banked a year with the car racing in the Australian GT Championship in 2016, Richards recruited his 2013 Bathurst 1000 winning co-driver in Mark Winterbottom to join the team, with factory driver Marco Wittmann rounding out the trio which finished 14th.

This year Timo Glock joins Richards, having last year partnered Russell Ingall, Mark Skaife and Tony Longhurst in the second BMW Team SRM entry, with Philipp Eng completing the driving roster.

Meanwhile Wittman has joined BMW Team Schnitzer as the German sqaud makes its first appearance at the Mountain. Experienced Brazilian Augusto Farfus is a familiar face at the team, which also welcomes Chaz Mostert, who last year competed in a MARC GT run M6 GT3, a performance which has led to a promising GT career alongside his Supercars commitments.

MEET THE 2018 CONTENDERS

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PorscheCar: 911 GT3-RTeam: Manthey-Racing, Craft Bamboo Racing, Competition Motorsports, Black Swan Racing

Porsche is the established giant of sportscar racing, with the 911 a stalwart of the sport stretching back to the early 1980s. However, it has never succeeded in Australia’s largest sportscar event.

Last year Competition Motorsports raced their way to second overall, an incredible feat from a Pro-Am entry, with three of its four drivers returning in 2018. Aussie Porsche star Matt Campbell rejoins David Calvert-Jones and Patrick Long, while Marc Lieb has been replaced by Alex Davison for this year’s event.

Lieb has jumped ship to another American squad, Black Swan Racing, where he’s joined Tim Pappas, Jeroen Bleekemolen, and Luca Stolz in a Pro-Am entry.

Looking to do the honours in the Pro class is Manthey-Racing. Two-time Le Mans winner Romain Dumas will share the car with Frederic Makowiecki and Dirk Werner.

Craft Bamboo Racing also boasts a two-time Le Mans winner with New Zealander Earl Bamber at the wheel, sharing with Kevin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor in the team’s first appearance at the 12 Hour since finishing third in 2015 (with an Aston Martin).

McLarenCar: 650S GT3Teams: YNA Autosport, Objective Racing

Set to be replaced by the 720S GT3 for the 2019 season, the 650S GT3 is running out of chances to repeat the success it enjoyed at Bathurst in 2016, where it scored both a record-setting pole and the race win.

Having led the charge in 2016, Shane van Gisbergen has returned from a stint at Mercedes to join YNA Autosport alongside Craig Lowndes and Come Ledogar. It will be Lowndes’ first appearance in a McLaren, having claimed his two 12 Hour wins with Ferrari power, while Ledogar claimed the Blancpain Endurance Series title with van Gisbergen when the pair raced together in Europe in 2016.

YNA’s all-Pro assault is backed up by an equally strong Pro-Am lineup, headlined by Scott McLaughlin. The New Zealander will make just his second appearance at the 12 Hour, and the first in a Class A car. He joins Australian GT race winner Fraser Ross, Alexander West, and Englishman Andrew Watson, who have both competed extensively with McLaren in Europe.

The third McLaren entry is that of Tony Walls, who has once more recruited Warren Luff and Tim Slade, with the addition of rising star Jaxon Evans.

BentleyCar: Continental GT3Team: M-Sport

Making its Bathurst 12 Hour debut in 2014, Bentley has come within touching distance of the event on three occasions.

Run by the famed M-Sport operation, the team returns with two of the iconic Bentley Continental GT3s with strong all-Pro lineups in both.

In the lead car, Steven Kane and Guy Smith are now old-hands around Mount Panorama, and are joined by Frenchman Jules Gounon who is set to receive his first taste of the famous circuit.

Kane and Smith ran fourth in the 2015 event, having led with two laps remaining, while the duo last year partnered Oliver Jarvis to a second successive podium after claiming third in both 2016 and 2017.

The lineup in the team’s second car remains unchanged, with Andy Soucek, Maxime Soulet, and Vincent Abril looking to improve on last year’s 12th place finish.


2018 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour | Meet the Contenders 7

LamborghiniCar: Huracan GT3, R-EX, Gallardo GT3Team: Trofeo Motorsport, Lago Racing, Buik Motorworks, Safe-T-Stop

The famous Italian marque will be targeting Pro-Am victory in this year’s race, with three cars in the class representing its two most recent GT3 machines.

Trofeo Motorsport will sport the race’s only Huracan GT3 in the hands of ex-Ferrari F1 driver Ivan Capelli, Supercars co-driver Dean Canto, Australian GT race winner Ryan Millier, and team boss Jim Manolios.

Sharing much of its running gear with the Audi R8 LMS, the Huracan should be strong across the top of the Mountain,

though has historically struggled in a straight line.The opposite is true for the older generation R-EX, which was the last developed by Reiter Engineering before the GT3 project came back under the control of Lamborghini itself. Roger Lago, David Russell and Steve Owen all have vast experience in the car, and ended last year’s race just two laps adrift of the overall race winners.

Buik Motorworks also boasts an R-EX, with Yasser Shahin joined by Luke Youlden and former Prost F1 driver Tomas Enge.

The final Raging Bull on the grid is that of Richard Gartner, Hadrian Morrall, David Wall and 2014 race winner John Bowe. The quartet will share a Gallardo LP560, which was campaigned in the Australian GT Trophy Series in 2017 by Gartner, running in the Am class.

Best of the RestGT4, or Class C, is set to be a fascinating battle between major marques, with solid entries for BMW, Ginetta and KTM in the ten-car field.

Tony Longhurst, Matt Brabham and Aaron Seton make a formidable combination in a BMW M4, but experience could pay off for Justin McMillan in the KTM X-Bow, who’s joined by Gold Star winner Tim Macrow, David Crampton, and rising sportscar racer Caitlin Wood.

Of the five Class B entries, the father and son duo of Stephen and Brenton Grove always show well, and with the experienced Ben Barker they head into the race as early favourites in the all-Porsche class.

Among the ten Invitational Class entries it’s hard to look beyond Jake Camilleri and Aaron Cameron, alongside the extremely well credentialed Morgan Haber who spearhead the MARC Cars’ challenge against two Daytona Sportscars.

POWERED BY:


POWERED BY:

2018 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour | The history of the Bathurst 12 Hour 9

2011: Team Joest Conquers the MountainGT3 Era

The history of the Bathurst 12 Hourhe Bathurst 12 Hour first sprang to life in 1991 with Allan Grice, Peter Fitzgerald, and Nigel Arkell guiding a Toyota Supra turbo to victory.

Manufacturer interest gathered momentum following the initial staging of the event with Mazda putting in a concerted effort that reaped wins with a factory backed RX-7 rotary winning from 1992 to 1995.

Due to rising costs, the promoter was forced to retreat from hold-ing the race at Mount Panorama with the race running at Eastern Creek in 1995, won by Dick Johnson and John Bowe, before it was discontinued the following year.

While the future of reviving the 12 Hour remained in limbo, the idea of an endurance race saw the staging of the Ross Palmer-run 24 Hour races which were held for two years; 2002 and 2003.

Both instalments were won by the all-conquering Holden Monaros built and prepared by Garry Rogers Motorsport.

The 12 Hour for production cars bounced back in 2007 when it was part of the Bathurst Motor Festival before moving away from that event from 2009.

Moves to introduce GT3 specifications into the race were made in 2011, before another shot in the arm when an all-pro subclass within Class A was introduced last year, making the event an even greater drawcard for international squads.

This year there are set to be 28 GT3 cars, including 13 Pro and 12 Pro-Am entries, taking on Mount Panorama.

The Team Joest Audi R8 GT3s dominated the first of a new era of Bathurst 12 Hour contests headlined by the GT3 regulations.

Allowing GT3 machinery to compete for outright victory upset the production car fraternity but a modest entry of 26 cars lined up for the blast around the revered Mount Panorama circuit.

It was the German Team Joest squad which shined the brightest with its two Audi R8s dominating the race, leading 223 of the 292 laps.

The all-Australian R8 entry of triple Supercar champion Craig Lowndes, Warren Luff and Mark Eddy pipped the Christopher Mies, Marc Basseng, and Darryl O’Young sister car to pole posi-tion by just 0.3s.

Following an intriguing tactical battle between the cars it was Mies/Basseng/O’Young which prevailed with a margin of 0.7s over team-mates Lowndes/Luff/Eddy.

The Porsche GT3-R of Tony Quinn, Klark Quinn and Craig Baird secured the final place on the podium despite being a lap behind the Audi’s after losing ground under a Safety Car.

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2012: Audi triumphs again with Phoenix Racing 2013: Mercedes become the mountain masters

2014: Emotions run high as Maranello Motorsport strikes

The Bathurst 12 Hour was once again an Audi affair when Phoe-nix Racing took out the 2012 edition of the growing endurance classic.

The squad were one of three new international crews, who flocked to the race alongside the British United Autosports entry and the renowned Black Falcon Mercedes SLS team.

The race also welcomed the Australian Mercedes SLS crew from Erebus Motorsport.

After starting from pole position, the #1 Phoenix Racing Audi of 2011 winners Mies, O’Young and German debutant Christer Jons led the majority of the contest of which eight of the 12 hours were held in wet weather.

The tricky conditions provided a high attrition rate with just three Class A cars reaching the finish.

The previous year’s runners-up Lowndes, Luff and Eddy were one of the casualties when their race unravelled after seven hours. A spin on the entry to the pits and a penalty saw the #2 Phoenix Audi lose four laps before Eddy crashed at the top of the mountain, ending their race prematurely.

The lead Phoenix entry suffered its own drama in Hour 7 when Mies spun into the gravel trap at Murray’s Corner. Luckily, he was able to recover and resume the lead of the race.

In the end Mies/O’Young/Jons came through to take the victory by 1:13s from Erebus Motorsport’s Jeroen Bleekemolen, Peter Hackett, Tim Slade and American Bret Curtis.

Despite being unsuited to the conditions, the Clearwater Racing Ferrari 458 was third in the hands of Craig Baird, Irishman Matt Griffin and Mok Wen Sun.

An all-star German line up of Touring Car legend Bernd Schnei-der, GT ace Thomas Jager and Alexander Roloff helped Austral-ia’s Erebus Motorsport win the 2013 Bathurst 12 Hour.

The race continued to grow on the international stage receiving a record entry of 53 cars. The field included a couple of familiar faces from Formula 1 with Mika Salo and Ivan Capelli joining the Maranello Motorsport and Trofeo Motorsport entries.

The 2013 edition of the race also doubled as the Australian GT Championship season opener.

However, it was the lead Erebus Mercedes SLS of Schneider, Jager and Roloff that grabbed the headlines with the trio emerg-ing from a deluge in the final two hours of the race to take victory by a lap.

It was contest full of incidents prompting a record amount of Safety Cars periods with 15 in total. A crash inside the first hour ruled out the Lago Racing Lamborghini and the VIP Petfoods Aston Martin of Tony Quinn.

The Team Engstler BMW Z4 and the Maranello Ferrari of Salo, Allan Simonsen, John Bowe, and Peter Edwards also retired before the halfway point.

At the front, the race developed into a battle between the two Erebus Motorsport entries with little separating the #36 and #63 cars. However steering damage to the latter with V8 Supercar driver Lee Holdsworth at the wheel ended their victory hopes, finishing the race in sixth.

In the end, the lead Erebus Mercedes SLS of Schneider, Jager and Roloff took the chequered flag.

Despite receiving three drive-through penalties and a mechani-cal black flag, Clearwater Racing finished second piloted by Baird/Griffin/Sun.

The VIP Petfoods Porsche of Shane van Gisbergen/Klark Quinn/Matt Kingsley came home in third with the latter a late replace-ment for Tony Quinn, who injured himself earlier in the race at the wheel of his Australian GT Aston Martin.

Craig Lowndes led Maranello Motorsport to an emotional vicotry in the 2014 Bathurst 12 Hour

Lowndes combined with co-drivers Mika Salo, John Bowe and car owner Peter Edwards to recover from two drive-through penalties to win the race.

The five-time Bathurst 1000 winner had to survive a Safety Car restart with 13 minutes to go that saw a 15 second lead evaporate.

Maxi Buhk in the HTP Mercedes raging up along the outside of

the Ferrari with the just minutes remaining, but Lowndes hung on to win by just 0.4s

Will Davison and Shane van Gisbergen were third and fourth in the #63 Erebus Mercedes and the Quinn McLaren respectively; the top four separated by just three seconds at the finish.

It would prove an amotional tripump for Maranello Motorsport with victory arriving just months after the death of regular driver Allan Simonsen, who perished at the 2013 Le Mans 24 Hours. The Dane was part of the previous year’s team, and as a mark of respect organisers renamed the pole position award in his honour”


2018 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour | The history of the Bathurst 12 Hour 11

2015: Nismo Godzilla claims tense 12 Hour

2016: van Gisbergen leads McLaren to victory

Nissan claimed a remarkable victory in the 2015 edition, surviv-ing a Safety Car-strewn race which revisited Bathurst history.Brought home by diminutive Japanese driver Katsumasa Chiyo, the GT-R sliced its way from third position and into the lead after the restart from a 20th Safety Car period with just over four minutes remaining.

GT superstar and pole-sitter Laurens Vanthoor claimed second for Phoenix Audi while Stefan Mucke finished third in the Craft Bamboo Aston Martin.

It was the first win by the Japanese manufacturer since Jim Richards and Mark Skaife took a second successive Bathurst 1000 victory in the R32 Skyline GT-R in 1992.

Wolfgang Reip pitted the GT-R from the lead with 1:43s remain-ing handing it to Florian Strauss who did a quick-fire 40-minute stint before Chiyo completed a tense final hour.

The #10 Bentley almost took an against-the-odds win after be-ing hit with two drive-through penalties and a dehydrated Matt Bell before claiming fourth.

Bell’s drink bottle malfunctioned in his initial stint causing him to vomit in the car and seek medical treatment before recover-ing to negotiate the final stint and give team-mates Guy Smith and Steven Kane a sniff of victory.

David Brabham was taken to the medical centre in a neck brace and subsequently to nearby Orange Hospital for precautionary x-rays after an incident with Stefan Mucke at The Cutting.

Mucke later described the late-race incident, where he attempt-ed to drive through a gap left by Brabham but ended up making side-to-side contact with the Flying B Bentley and putting it into the wall, as a “misunderstanding”.

Reigning event winners Maranello Motorsport withdrew from the event early after suffering a car destroying crash in practice.

Shane van Gisbergen, Alvaro Parente, and Jonathon Webb com-bined to give McLaren its first win in a major GT3 endurance race in 2016.

After Portuguese Parente and Webb drove the Tekno Autos-ports-entered 650S for the majority of the day, van Gisbergen hopped into the cockpit with two hours remaining.

Despite a drive-through penalty for pit lane speeding which nearly put the McLaren off the lead lap, van Gisbergen’s sizzling pace and a strategy play put the New Zealander back into the lead with 40 minutes remaining.

While Katsumasa Chiyo closed the gap in the dying stages, van Gisbergen prevented a repeat of the Japanese driver’s 2015 heroics as he eased to a 1.3s win.

The day had not been without drama for the orange #59 McLaren, with van Gisbergen setting the current lap record (2:01.567s) early on before a technical problem which he de-scribed as a “heart in my mouth” moment saw Parente lose 45 seconds on the side of pit straight power cycling the car.

The Chiyo/Rick Kelly/Florian Strauss Nissan GT-R took second as the big guns of Supercars joined the field following the con-troversial test day clash of a year earlier.

The Steven Kane/Guy Smith/Matt Bell Bentley Continental rounded out the podium, while the fourth-placed Phoenix Audi of Laurens Vanthoor/Markus Winkelhock/Alex Davison also beat the previous race record of 296 laps (set in 2014) by a single lap.


2018 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour | Tale of 2017 13

errari and Maranello Motorsport won the Bathurst 12 Hour for the second time in four years last year in a race which featured more star

power than ever before.

The race is best remembered, however, for two major Shane van Gisbergen errors and co-driver Maro Engel’s seething reaction on live television.

The ultimately victorious #88 Ferrari 488 of GT3 debutant Jamie Whincup, 2014 winner Craig Lowndes, and Finnish Prancing Horse specialist Toni Vilander, battled for much of the day with the factory-backed #22 Scott Taylor Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3 of van Gisbergen, Engel, and Craig Baird,

In the end, the race came down to a final hour showdown between Triple Eight Supercars team-mates Whincup and van Gisbergen.Whincup came in for a final service for fuel and new tyres with around an hour to go, leaving van Gisbergen with a lead of 54.4s.The Kiwi still needed to pit himself and did so with 45 minutes remaining, but the team opted to take on fuel only and the Mercedes rejoined with a five-second advantage.On fresher rubber, Whincup caught van Gisbergen within a couple of laps and managed to survive despite putting two

wheels in the dirt when the pair bumped as he tore past down Conrod Straight.

The desperate defending champ would soon shunt an Am class Porsche into the wall exiting The Chase as he attempted to keep in touch with the leader, bringing about the 15th Safety Car period of the race.

Stewards had no sooner issued van Gisbergen with a penalty on the restart than he lost control exiting The Dipper, slewing into the concrete and bringing car #22’s day to an end inside the final 20 minutes.

Engel stormed off to his transporter before reappearing for a terse television interview.

“It is not motorsport in my book. I have to be careful what I say. All I have seen is a lot mistakes by Shane. It is a tough one,” the German stated.

He would later express his regret at what he agreed was a ‘heat of the moment’ comment.

There had also been controversy earlier in the day when Baird made an error at a Safety Car restart early in the fourth hour and turned Lowndes around before the pair had even made the green flag.

Recovery crews admirably managed to extricate the Ferrari before it would have lost a lap, another escape for the trio after Vilander was issued a drive-through for weaving after the Safety Car lights had gone out and dropped out of the top 10.

The eventual runners-up David Calvert-Jones, Patrick Long, Marc Lieb, and Matt Campbell had a similarly eventful day in the #12 Competition Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3-R.Running as a Pro-Am entry, they finished a lap adrift of the winners despite each driver incurring a pit lane penalty at some stage, three for turning around other competitors and one for pit lane speeding.

The #17 M-Sport Bentley Continental of Oliver Jarvis/Steven Kane/Guy Smith rounded out the podium, ahead of the Am class #912 Walkinshaw Porsche 911 GT3-R of Liam Talbot/John Martin/Duvashen Padayachee.Fifth went to the defending race-winning entry, the #1 Tekno Autosports McLaren 650S of Alvaro Parente/Rob Bell/Come Ledogar.

Another notable retirement was the high-profile #7 Castrol/Vodafone BMW M6 of Timo Glock/Russell Ingall/Tony Longhurst/Mark Skaife; in which Ingall came to grief exiting The Esses.

The tale of 2017 Whincup vs van Gisbergen as tempers fray

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Pos Car Competitor/Team Drivers Vehicle Cap Class Laps Fastest Lap1 88 Maranello Motorsport C.Lowndes/J.Whincup/

T.VilanderFerrari 488 GT3 3.9 APP 290 2:02908

2 12 Competition Motorsports

D.Calvert-Jones/P.Long/M.Lieb/M.Campbell

Porsche 911 GT3 R 4.0 APA 289 2:03.873

3 17 Bentley Team M-Sport O.Jarvis/S.Kane/G.Smith Bentley Continental GT3 4.9 APP 289 2.04.484

4 912 Walkinshaw GT3 L.Talbot/J.Martin/D.Padayache Porsche 911 GT3 R 4.0 AAM 289 2:06.337

5 1 Tekno Autosports A.Parente/R.Bell/C.Ledogar McLaren 650S GT3 3.8 AAP 289 2:03.369

6 32 Lago Racing R.Lago/S.Owen/D.Russell Lamborghini Gallardo R-EX 5.2 AAM 288 2:04.638

7 3 Team ASR A.Smadi/D.Gaunt/M.Halliday Audi R8 LMS 5.2 APA 288 2:04.573

8 24 Nissan Motorsport J.Mardenborough/T.Kelly/F.Strauss

Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 3.8 APP 288 2:03.309

9 9 Hallmarc Developments

M.Cini/D.Fiore/L.Holdsworth Audi R8 LMS 5.2 APA 287 2:05.832

10 29 Trofeo Motorsport I.Capekki/J.Manolios/R.Millier/D.Canto

Lamborghini Huracan GT3 5.2 AAM 285 2:05.832

11 44 Supabarn Supermar-kets

J.Koundouris/T.Koundouris/M.Marshall/S.Evans

Audi R8 LMS 5.2 AAM 284 2:06.968

12 8 Bentley Team M-Sport A.Socek/M.Soulet/V.Abril Bentley Continental GT3 4.0 APP 283 2:03.181

13 75 Jamec Pem Racing C/Haase/C.Mies/G.Tander Audi R8 LMS 5.2 APP 281 2:04.427

14 60 BMW Team SRM S.Richards/M.Wittmann/M.Winterbottom

BMW M6 GT3 4.4 APP 281 2:04.166

15 21 Steve Richards Motor-sport

D.Grant/D.O’Keefe/X.West/D.Wall

Porsche 991 GT3 Cup 3.8 B 274 2:11.048

16 50 Synep Racing J.Cranston/A.Cranston/A.Steer/J.Winslow

Porsche 991 GT3 Cup 3.8 B 272 2:12.645

17 91 MARC Cars Australia W.Brown/K.Kassulke/R.Salmon MARC Focus V8 5.0 I 270 2:12.223

18 92 MARC Cars Australia M.Benton/H.Morrall/A.Seton/G.Seton

MARC Focus V8 5.0 I 270 2:12.808

19 14 IKAD Racing P.Major/J.Love/N.McBride Porsche 997 GT3 Cup 3.6 B 269 2:12.938

20 11 Objective Racing A.Davison/W.Luff/T.Slade/T.Walls

McLaren 650S GT3 3.8 APA 268 2:04.124

21 93 MARC Cars Australia J.Camilleri/J.Smith/R.Thomson MARC Mazda 3 V8 5.0 I 267 2:12.150

22 6 SAFE_T_STOP R.Gartner/R.Shaw/I.Padayachee/A.Zerefos

Porsche 997 GT3 Cup 3.6 B 267 2:16748

23 19 PROsport Performance M.Braams/N. Møller Madsen/J.Viebahn/H.Jones

Porsche Cayman Pro 4 3.4 C 263 2:17.552

24 40 Brookspeed A.Mason/D.Drinkwater/A.Watt Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport

3.8 C 260 2:21.231

25 95 MARC Cars Australia G.Taunton/J.Busk/B.Fullwood MARC Focus V8 5.0 I 258 2.12.938

BATHURST 12 HOUR 2017 RESULTS


2018 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour | Bathurst 12 Hour 2017 results 15

26 76 R-Motorsport M.Lungstrass/F.Kamelger/D.Turner

Aston Martin Vantage GT8 4.7 I 253 2.15.125

27 41 Brookspeed C.Cowham/L.Kearns/A.Jarvis Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport

3.8 C 249 2:19.994

28 69 RA Motorsports-Ginetta

J.Parsons/S.Sano/Z.Low/A.Read

Ginetta G55 4.7 C 247 2.20.504

29 65 Daytona Sports Cars J.Augustine/D.Lillie/B.Schoots Dodge Viper Competition Coupe

8.3 I 226 2:10.014

30 94 MARC Cars Australia T.Leahey/G.McLeod/N.Rowe/L.Tander

MARC Mazda 3 V8 5.0 I 218 2.13.707

31 38 Wall Racing D.Bilski/A.Flack/C.Pither Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 3.8 AAM 200 2:06.560

32 23 Nissan Motorsport A.Buncombe/K.Chiyo/M.Caruso Nissan GT-R Nisom GT3 3.8 APP 174 2:04.032

DNF 22 Scott Taylor Motor-sport

S.van Gisbergen/C.Baird/M.Engel

Mercedes-AMG 6.2 APP 282 2.04.093

DNF 2 DJS Racing J.Bergmuller/S.Fillmore/D.Stutt Audi R8 LMS Ultra 5.2 AAM 272 2:10.380

DNF 83 HTP Motorsport P/Dalla Lana/P.Lamy/M.Lauda/B.Schneider

Mercedes-AMG GT3 6.2 APA 263 2:04.165

DNF 48 M Motorsport J.McMillan/G.Wood/T.Enge/R.Kofler

KTM X-Bow GT4 2.0 C 220 2:16.199

DNF 54 Donut King Racing T.Alford/B.Lynton/J.Smith MARC Foucs V8 5.0 I 217 2:14.337

DNF 51 AMAC Motorsport A.Macpherson/N.Muston/T.Miles

Porsche 911 GT3 R 3.8 AAM 210 2:07.952

DNF 66 Wall Racing B.Hobson/E.Davis/F.Poordad Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 3.8 AAM 202 2:05.950

DNF 55 RA Motorsports-Ginetta

T.Berryman/P/Paddon/M.Simpson

Ginetta G55 3.7 C 172 2:19.128

DNF 5 GT Motorsport N.Antunes/E.Barbour/G.Taylor Audi R8 LMS 5.2 AAM 161 2:04.161

DNF 61 Hog’s Breath Cafe M.Griffith/D.Storey/D.Reynolds Mercedes-AMG GT3 6.2 APA 157 2:04.331

DNF 90 MARC Cars Australia C.Moster/M.Haber/M.Twigg BMW M6 GT3 4.4 AAM 136 2:02.954

DNF 7 BMW Team SRM T.Glock/R.Ingall/T.Longhurst/M.Skaife

BMW M6 GT3 4.4 AAP 134 2:03.977

DNF 47 Kiwi Racing G.Smith/K.Bell/N.Chester/J.deVeth

Lamborghini Gallardo R-EX 5.2 AAM 133 2:14.147

DNF 28 On Track Motorsport G.Mennell/B.Verryt/S.van Bellingen

BMW 335i 3.0 I 111 2:29.284

DNF 37 Keltic Racing K.Quinn/T.Quinn/G.Denyer/A.Waite

McLaren 650S GT3 3.8 AAM 95 2:03.774

DNF 35 Miedecke Stone Mot-orsport

G.Miedecke/A.Walsh/T.Bates Aston Martin Vantage GT3 6.0 AAM 75 2:03.954

DNF 911 Walkinshaw GT3 E.Bamber/E.Estre/L.Vanthoor Porsche 911 GT3 R 4.0 APP 44 2:03.988

DNF 4 Grove Motorsport S.Grove/B.Barker/A.Imperatori Porsche 991 GT3 Cup 3.8 B 32 2.10.262

DNF 74 Jamec Pem Racing M.Winkelhock/R.Frijns/F.Stippler

Audi R8 LMS 5.2 APP 6 2:05.994

BATHURST 12 HOUR 2017 RESULTS

In 2017 Michelin extended its uninterrupted winning record at Le Mans 24 Hour to 20 outright victories since 1998 When we win on the track, you win too.

www.michelinmotorsport.com


2018 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour | Previous Bathurst 12 Hour winners

Year Drivers Entrant Car

2017Craig LowndesToni VilanderJamie Whincup

Maranello Motorsport Ferrari 488 GT3

2016Álvaro ParenteShane van GisbergenJonathon Webb

Tekno Autosports Mclaren 650S GT3

2015Katsumasa ChiyoWolfgang ReipFlorian Strauss

NISMO Global Athlete Team GT-R NISMO GT3

2014

John BowePeter EdwardsCraig LowndesMika Salo

Maranello Motorsport Ferrari 458 GT3

2013Thomas JaegerAlexander RoloffBernd Schneider

Erebus Motorsport Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3

2012Christer JonsChrsitopher MiesDarryl O’Young

Phoenix Racing Audi R8 GT3 LMS

2011Marc BassengChristopher MiesDarryl O’Young

Joest Racing Audi R8 GT3 LMS

2010John BoweGarry HoltPaul Morris

Eastern Creek International Karting BMW 335i

2009Tony LonghurstRod SalmonDamien White

TMR Australia Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X

2008Graham AlexanderRod SalmonDamien White

SKWIRK.com Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX

2007Craig BairdGarry HoltPaul Morris

Eastern Creek Karts BMW 335i

1996 -2006 Not held

1995John BoweDick Johnson*(Race held at Eastern Creek)

Mazda Motorsport Mazda RX-7

1994 Neil CromptonGregg Hansford Mazda Motorsport Mazda RX-7

1993 Alan Jones Garry Waldon Mazda Australia Mazda RX-7

1992Mark GibbsCharlie O’BrienGarry Waldon

Mazda Australia Mazda RX-7

1991Nigel ArkellPeter FitzgeraldAllan Grice

Toyota Supra Turbo

Previous Bathurst 12 Hour winners

2018 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour | Previous Bathurst 12 Hour winners

In 2017 Michelin extended its uninterrupted winning record at Le Mans 24 Hour to 20 outright victories since 1998 When we win on the track, you win too.

www.michelinmotorsport.com

17

18

PORSCHE CORNER

BOOST MOBILE CHASE

ICE BREAK BRIDGE

SHANNONS DIPPER

BP ULTIMATE BRIDGE

MEGUIAR’S CARS AND CAFFEINE

IRON JACK MOUNTAIN BAR

S10

TENT CITY

V9

BATHURST CIRCUIT GUIDE


19

PORSCHE CORNER

BOOST MOBILE CHASE

ICE BREAK BRIDGE

SHANNONS DIPPER

BP ULTIMATE BRIDGE

MEGUIAR’S CARS AND CAFFEINE

IRON JACK MOUNTAIN BAR

S10

TENT CITY

V9

2018 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour | Bathurst circuit guide

BATHURST CIRCUIT GUIDE

20

CIRCUIT GUIDE:Location: Bathurst, New South Wales Length: 6.213 kilometresDirection: Anti-ClockwiseFastest Point: Conrod StraightCorners: 23 (14 Left 9 Right)Qualifying Lap Record: 2:01.286s (Shane van Gisbergen, Tekno Autosports, McLaren 650S, 2016)Race Lap Record: 2:01.567s (Shane van Gisbergen, Tekno Autosports, McLaren 650S, 2016)

HELL CORNER:A 90-degree left-hand turn, Hell Corner is the first of 23 bends along the track. Heavy braking is required following the slight uphill climb at the end of the main straight.

MURRAY’S CORNER:Ironically, the lap is bookended by relatively tame 90-degree corners, though Murray’s is an easy place to lock a brake as it is the second of two major stops in quick succession.

The ChaseAdded in 1987 when the world came to Mount Panorama for the first time for the World Touring Car Championship, The Chase sits where another crest in Conrod Straight used to be. After nearly 80 years it remains the only major circuit modification.Cars drop into the fastest corner in the nation before a hard, uphill braking zone and then another right on exit from the complex.

CONROD STRAIGHTConrod Straight is the longest in Australia at 1.916km, and like Mountain Straight features a considerable rise midway along. While it builds to the fastest point of the circuit, it is also a rare opportunity for drivers to relax.

FORREST’S ELBOWNamed after Jack Forrest, a motorcycle racer who scraped his elbow away after dropping his bike on the corner, Forrest’s Elbow is a sharp, downhill left-hander. The exit is crucial for lap speed.

MOUNTAIN STRAIGHT:After Hell Corner, the 1.111km Mountain Straight awaits, featuring a significant hump which is steeper to driver’s right than left. Cars reach speeds up to 250km/h.

1

A LAP OF MOUNT PANORAMA

20

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2018 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour | A lap of Mount Panorama 21

THE CUTTING:The Cutting is the culmination of a narrow, double-left uphill run which requires near-perfect car placement. Overtaking is virtually impossible, while the exit is characterised by a 1:6 gradient, followed by a tricky rise after the following right-hander.

GRIFFINS BEND:Named after Mayor Martin Griffin, who opened what was then known as Mount Panorama Scenic Drive in March 1938, Griffins Bend is characterised by a relatively steep braking zone into a positively cambered corner. The camber does, however, turn dangerously negative if drivers step off the racing line through the corner.

REID PARK / SULMAN PARK / McPHILLAMY PARK:The Reid Park/Sulman Park/McPhillamy Park sequence is generally regarded as drivers’ favourite section of race track in the country.

A flowing right leads onto the climb up to Reid Park and a change of direction right up against a concrete wall which sucks cars in.The plunge towards the Metal Grate follows, where drivers aim at a drain right next to a wall before pulling left.

The crest just prior to the McPhillamy Park gates is the highest point on the circuit, 862m above sea level and a full 174m higher than the lowest point (Murray’s Corner). Here, drivers aim almost at the inside wall and let inertia carry them across to corner exit.

THE ESSESThe Esses are a tricky descent where visibility of the road surface is all but non-existent, while taking too much ripple strip through the left-hander can easily unload a car into the wall. This complex is also an important braking zone, as the drop soon becomes too steep to do so.

SKYLINESo-named because the track drops ahead and all that is visible is sky, Skyline is the chute which marks the end of the climb.

THE DIPPEREssentially a continuation of The Esses, The Dipper sees the track plunge into what is actually a sharper than 90-degree left-hander, where the left-front corner of the car picks up off the road surface.

5

A LAP OF MOUNT PANORAMA

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2018 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour | By The Numbers 23

This year represents the 16th running of a 12 Hour endurance race at Mount Panorama.

By the numbers Speedcafe.com JournalistDan Herrero

16There were 51 starters on the Sunday morning of last year’s race (55 cars took part in practice).51Number of drivers who have won the Bathurst 12 Hour.35Number of multiple winners (most recently Craig Lowndes last year).09A total of nine marques have won the Bathurst 12 Hour (Toyota, Mazda, BMW, Mitsubishi, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari, Nissan, McLaren).09There were seven different marques represented in the top eight in last year’s race.07In 2013, eight different nationalities were represented by the 10 drivers on the outright podium (2 German, 2 Australians, Hongkonger, Dutchman, American, New Zealander, Irishman, Indonesian).

08Laps completed (1802km) by last year’s winners: Craig Lowndes, Toni Vilander, and Jamie Whincup. The race record is 296 laps/1839km (set in 2014 by John Bowe, Peter Edwards, Lowndes, and Mika Salo).290The race record of 2014 therefore also represents the highest average speed, 153.15km/h. Last year’s average speed was 150.02km/h.153

The smallest winning margin in history is 0.4138s, when Craig Lowndes beat Maxi Buhk to the line in 2014.0.4138

The lap record, set by Shane van Gisbergen in a McLaren 650S in 2016.2:01.567

24

his year’s edition of the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour heralds the arrival of GT4 racing proper to Australia.

Though part of last year’s event it boasted just a handful of cars, but in the twelve months since GT4 has experienced tremendous growth globally, with 10 entries representing four brands racing this weekend.

But it begs the question; what is GT4, and where does it fit in against the mighty GT3 machinery which have dominated sportscar racing for the last decade?

Following the rise in popularity of sportscar racing in recent years came a growing urge from competitors for a lower entry point. The ongoing development and sustained interest in GT3 racing saw increases not only in the level of competition but also cost, with a new car leaving little change out of a million dollars.

It has also become increasingly professional,

Speedcafe.com JournalistMat Coch

T

GT racing, on a budgetSteven Richards gives us the inside word on the rise of GT4


2018 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour | Feature 25

relegating gentlemen drivers, which have historically been the lifeblood of sportscar racing, to little more than names at the bottom of the entry list.

Anticipating the change in attitudes, the Stephane Ratel Organisation, the body behind all major GT racing globally, created GT4, a class of racing designed specifically for amateur drivers while maintaining the fundamentals which have made sportscar racing popular.

“GT4 is based around production race cars, and when I say production race cars, factory built race cars using the road car power train,” Steven Richards explains. “Let’s face it, nowadays most performance road cars come out with quite high level componentry on them that is more than capable of being able to be used in a racing environment.

“If you said ‘what’s the difference between GT3 and GT4?’, the simplest description is a GT3 car is 80 percent race car, 20 percent road car. A GT4 car is 80 percent road car and 20 percent race car.

“From the outside in, if someone looks at a GT4 car, they look inside, it looks like a race car. But on the exterior, dimensionally, they’re very much the road car version, or the race car version of the road car.”

Though sharing a passing resemblance to their GT3 cousins, GT4 machinery more accurately reflects the road going version. It uses the same panels and cars don’t have the same aerodynamic add-ons like expensive carbon fibre front splitters, diffusers, and rear wings as GT3 machinery.

Under the skin the car is also more recognisable, unlike a GT3 car which often has the engine relocated to improve handling, and complicated suspension systems designed to maximise the car’s aerodynamics.

A GT4 car is far more straightforward, deliberately so. While incorporating all the safety equipment needed of a modern race car, and still boasting impressive performance in their own right, they’re a pared back racer built with the bottom line in mind.

“We’ve had people in race cars that have started as modified road cars and spent a lot of money to get to a position where their cars are still three to four seconds a lap slower than a GT4 car,” Richards says.

“They’re now looking at what they’ve done, they look at the GT4 car, it’s really cool inside

- the M4, it looks like the M6 inside the cabin - it looks like a race car, and yet they don’t have the mechanical issues that they do with their own modified road car.

“I guess what happens in domestic motor racing is everyone has, at amateur level, club level, a perception that professional motorsport is out of reach.

“It’s only then when you start to have a chat

to these guys to tell them the running costs, and sure the initial costs of the car might be a little bit higher, but what they’ve spent in two or three years running their other car, they get that back in spades.

“Our engine and our transmission are both out to 30,000 kilometres (between rebuilds),” he says of the BMW M4. “In Australia, that works out, if you did all of the Australian GT Championship, and the Bathurst 12 Hour, there’s three years of running before you need to worry about anything like that.

“The cars are built to go out and do testing,” he adds.

“You’re not going to put a lot of cost on your car by going out and doing four or five test days a year, or in six months, so I think where it’s attractive is for the people that want to go and up the ante and go and do a grand prix and race on all the good tracks, even to a point go and do a Bathurst Motor Festival at Easter. This is the perfect car to go and dip your toe in the water because for time poor people, that love their motor racing, it’s a car that doesn’t require a lot of maintenance between test days or events.”

While financially and mechanically the cars might be easier to live with than a thoroughbred GT3 machine, their design also makes them easier to race. The relative lack of aerodynamics means they’re more accessible for amateur drivers, and easier to push towards the limit.

“We’ve noticed in the testing that we’ve done that our amateur drivers find it a lot easier to get close to the professional drivers,” Richards

reveals. “The gap between the amateur and professional is a lot less because you just don’t have to take the brave pills to go through the corners fast. The car moves a little bit, it gives plenty of communication and it therefore allows the amateur drivers to drive closer to where the professional is.”

It’s a formula that has proved popular, with a host of championships springing up across the globe. Cars have begun trickling into Australia too, with a host of cars from KTM, BMW, McLaren and Aston Martin, already on our shores – and Richards expects more to follow suit.

“We seem to take a little while to catch onto things in Australia, but once they do the options available to people to come and drive and purchase these cars is plentiful,” he suggests. “You can have your choice on what type of car you want, most manufacturers now that are involved in the GT arena make a car for GT4.

“When BMW announced that they were building a GT4 and they put the orders in, the first 80 cars were sold within two months. So I think once Australia realises what this is about there will be plenty of interest.”

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2018 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour | Balance of Performance explained 27

GT racing is a playground for the world’s automotive manufacturers and a shop window for consumers. Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Audi, Mercedes, BMW, Nissan and more have all embraced the GT racing concept in recent years.

Keeping that in check and the sport firmly connected to its roots is the Balance of Performance, a measure by which all cars are equalised.

“Balance of Performance is simple,” explains Claude Surmont, SRO’s Motorsport Technical Director. Surmont’s role, aside from ensuring all teams are playing by the rules on race weekends, is to carefully define key performance components to ensure close racing without it becoming a parity series.

“In GT3 all cars are different,” he says. “There can be cars with engines in the front, back

Balance of Performance explainedand centre. Weights can go from 1330kg to 1220kg so you have to balance all of these cars to make sure they can produce the same performance on track and do the same lap times.

“You work around the strong points of the cars which are aero, weight, power and torque.

“You analyse those points and you try to make an equation where in the end everybody is doing the same lap times with a 0.3s difference at a maximum.”

Surmont pores over data from every car, taken from track data, engine and dyno testing, before feeding the information into simulation software.

Each car is considered both in isolation and in comparison to the rest of the field, helping to

maintain the characteristics of each.

Different performance figures are applied at different circuits, with Surmont producing four variations to suit the range of circuit styles. Mount Panorama, with its two long straights blasting up and down the Mountain, is considered in the same vein as Monza and Macau.

It’s a process he works through at the beginning of every season, and the result is then shared among GT categories globally from the Blancpain GT Series in Europe, to Super GT in Japan, and Australian GT.

“It is a lot of work. It is not just the figures but you have to give interpretation to those figures and then you have to make a final decision on the BoP figure,” he asserts.

Speedcafe.com JournalistMat Coch

28

hile there will be more than 20 international drivers in this year’s Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 hour there will be at least one ‘import’ with a bit of

local flavour. Kenny Habul arrives for his first outing at Bathurst’s famous Mount Panorama this weekend in a Mercedes-AMG GT3 he will share with Supercars champion Jamie Whincup, his regular US sportscar counterpart Tristan Vautier and Mercedes factory driver Raffaele Marciello. Habul has flown directly to Australia from Florida where he finished 28th in the Rolex Daytona 24 hour in his SunEnergy1 Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 with Thomas Jaeger, Maro Engel and Mikael Grenier.

“Every Australian race car driver wants to compete at Mount Panorama and I cannot wait to get out there,” said Habul. “We are going there with a solid Mercedes-AMG team and I guess I could not ask to have a better co-driver than a seven-time Supercars champion in Jamie Whincup. “The 12 Hour has really grown in status internationally in recent years and has become a bucket-list thing for competitors around the world.”

Habul grew up on the Queensland’s Gold Coast and completed a law degree at Bond University before going into the property business with his brothers - just down the road from Scott Taylor Motorsport who are supplying the car for this year’s 12 Hour. During a semester break from Bond, Habul travelled to Melbourne and lived out of the back of his car while buying and selling everything from cars and boats to used tyres to try and give his motorsport career a shot. It was during that time that he secured a job with Peter Brock at Advantage Racing, sweeping the floors, cleaning wheels and anything that needed doing. Habul returned to the Gold Coast where he teamed up with his brothers to start building eco-friendly homes, which allowed him to pursue his racing ambition part-time in Formula Ford, Formula 3 and the Super2 Series Racing was shelved for a little while before he moved to Canada in 2005 and then sparked up again when he landed in North Carolina, the home of NASCAR, a couple of years later. Habul has flown under the radar in the

business world despite becoming a multi-millionaire many times over at the age of just 43 - all on the other side of the world, where he has become a leader in the field of solar energy. Ironically, his personal profile is bigger in motorsport where he tries to satisfy his lifelong passion for racing and cars with regular starts in both the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the IMSA Sportscar Championship where he campaigns a Mercedes-AMG GT3 in the GT Daytona category. His extensive personal car collection includes more 100 classic and modern vehicles, including a 30 year-old Australian-born and bred Brock Commodore as his daily commute. Until recently his pride and joy was one of only

Habul: Full of energyAmerican-based Aussie taking on the world of business, and racing

W


292018 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour | Habul: Full of energy

12 HDT VL Director Commodore road cars that were controversially launched by Peter Brock in 1987 - a decision that basically severed the long-term relationship between the Bathurst legend and Holden. That car sits in the foyer of his Mooresville office in North Carolina, but was recently replaced as his sentimental favourite when he secured Brock’s last winning Bathurst car - the #10 1987 Mobil Commodore from David Bowden on the Sunshine Coast. In the US, Habul was keen to build similar luxury eco-friendly houses that he had managed to make a decent living out of on the Gold Coast with his brothers, Reno and Sam. Not long after arriving in North Carolina, the world was hit with the Global Financial Crisis and the access to credit with US banks all but dried up. While residential solar integration was always on his radar with his personal developments, the GFC saw his focus shift to commercial and utility-scale installations. At the same time, North Carolina tax incentives for solar investment were opening up more and more opportunities and Habul started thinking even bigger. While he enjoys the use of his own aircraft and designer suits, Habul is just as at home up to his knees in mud and driving dozers in the US backblocks checking out potential sites for future projects. His company, SunEnergy1, now builds some of the largest solar systems on the planet with sites of 2,000 acres (810 hectares), producing some 168 Megawatts, now a minimum size requirement. Last year Habul’s company filed for the largest solar system in the United States at 945 Megawatts on 5,500 acres (2,225 hectares). The company sources and secures the land, gets all the required permits, sets up the supply infrastructure and then designs and constructs the facilities all in house. During this process, Habul and his team will negotiate to sell the entire project or keep the facility themselves and pay-off their investment through the on-going supply of electricity in a deal with utilities or corporate customers. North America’s largest power retailer, Duke Energy, has been one of Habul’s biggest long-term clients and it would seem there are no shortage of others lining up for his solar assets.

SunEnergy1 also has a commercial rooftop division, which completed the largest roof-top installation in the US at the Shoeshow building in Charlotte which covers a roof top area 25 acres (9.2 hectares) and produces 5.4 megawatts of power from more than 21,000 Solar panels. “We have been prepared to do the hard work and we have been rewarded for it,” said Habul. “There are so many variables to every deal, but we have a great core group of managers and when we are constructing we try and use local labor and spend money in the towns where they come from. “It has to be a win-win for everyone and at the end of the day it is the environment which benefits more at the completion of each project.” And what advice would Habul have for any young entrepreneur looking to become a local solar king in Australia? “If you love the industry you can achieve anything you set your mind to, if you have a

never-quit attitude,” said Habul. “Of the more than 50 major projects we have built, there has not been one that did not have a major roadblock threatening it. We put our heads down and ran through brick walls to make them a reality. A lot of blood, sweat and tears. “My Bond University law degree has been invaluable. I have just used it more in the field than in the courtroom. It has also come in handy with a couple of racing contracts.” Habul will put away his suit and tie several more times this year as he continues to compete in the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship throughout the US. “I just have a passion for the sport and the challenges it offers,” said Habul. “To be at Bathurst this year for the first time is fantastic and to be there in a Mercedes-AMG is the icing on the cake. “As Brock would have said, ‘we will give it a red hot go’.”

30

he Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour continues to grow in stature and as a result so do the calibre of teams vying to win one of the

most prestigious GT3 races in the world.

Strakka Racing is among the latest wave of top European GT racing outfits that have been lured by Mount Panorama’s unique challenge.

Founded by a former downhill skier turned racing driver Nick Leventis, the Silverstone-based team has committed to a two pronged Mercedes-AMG GT3 attack for their maiden Bathurst appearance.

Having earned widespread respect and honours in just 10 years of competition, including an LMP2 class victory at the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2010, Strakka will head down under to represent Mercedes-AMG as one of the German marque’s Performance teams.

In fact the race will be the Blancpain GT Series team’s first with Mercedes race cars

and support after choosing to cut ties with McLaren last year, further adding to the daunting task of tackling the Bathurst 12 Hour.

However, the former FIA World Endurance Championship LMP2 squad is resolute in its decision to line up for the Bathurst 12 Hour.

“I think because we have come from a history running in the WEC we are used to doing the

flyaway races and it was definitely something we missed last year,” racing director Jay Davenport said.

“The Intercontinental GT Challenge, of which Bathurst is one of the races, appealed to us as a team. We have stopped running in the Blancpain GT Sprint Series and we are focussing more on the longer races.

“Bathurst is a great event and it is a very

Strakka AttackLe Mans winners primed for maiden Bathurst voyage

Speedcafe.com JournalistTom Howard

T


312018 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour | Strakka Attack

unique and iconic circuit, so it is one that everybody has got on their bucket list to go and race at.

“We are really looking forward to going there and it’s a great way to start off our year.”

While Strakka faces plenty of unknowns, the outfit has done its homework in the months since committing to the event.

Test sessions have been conducted with its new Mercedes machinery at Silverstone and Barcelona to allow the team to adjust to its new race cars, although Davenport admits heading to Bathurst with relatively unknown machinery is not ideal.

“Heading to Bathurst with new un-raced cars is probably not something you would normally choose to do but we have managed to get a couple of days testing (Barcelona and Silverstone) in pre-Christmas,” he added.

“We have got a good understanding of the car. The baseline set up that came with the car from Mercedes was very good straight away so that makes life a lot easier.

“I think from that side of things we don’t have any concerns that we are going to be under prepared or anything like that.

“We will know the car better in a couple of races’ time but I think we are still in position where we can do a good job.”

The transition should be eased by a crack squad of drivers that have been secured for Bathurst, featuring a blend of speed, experience and local knowledge.

Founder Leventis is joined by former McLaren factory driver Lewis Williamson, young Italian GT racer David Fumanelli and Tickford Racing Supercars ace Cameron Waters.

It is perhaps the sister car which will worry the top teams in pit lane with the #56 Mercedes-AMG GT3 spearheaded Alvaro Parente, who won the Bathurst 12 Hour with Tekno Autosports in 2016.

The Portuguese GT superstar is joined by a pair of factory Mercedes drivers in 2014 Bathurst 12 Hour runner-up Maxi Buhk and DTM star Maxi Gotz.

All drivers have been busily preparing for the race utilising the team’s impressive Base Performance simulator facility at its Silverstone workshop, where several hundred virtual Mount panorama laps have been cut.

Hard work behind the scenes running through various race strategies have been undertaken with countless hours of previous races watched by its 30 strong team of staff.

This has left the team certain it has the ingredients to challenge the very best come race day.

“We realise that the level of the teams is very good but for sure we have the strongest driver line ups we can,” Davenport continued.“We are really hoping that we will be fighting at the front and challenging for the podium.

“I think we have got good handle on strategy and with that event you just need to be there at the end and make sure you are on the lead lap coming into the last hour.

“We want to go this year and go back in the future.

“We want to go there to do well and we are under no illusions that it is a tough event.

“With both car crews we have got a good chance of doing well.

“It is very easy to make a mistake and go in the wall or get penalties. We are preparing as best as we can, we have had the drivers in on the simulator so that will get them up to speed a bit quicker.

“We have been watching old races and seeing how they unfold from a race strategy point of view.

“We have had good help from Mercedes in terms of making sure the car set-up is where it needs to be so we can be ready straight from the off.”

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The Top 10 Shootout and all 12 hours of Sunday’s race will be broadcast live on 7mate.

Streaming in Australia will be available via the Seven Network’s 7Plus platform, while other television and/or online options are available in other countries (See the Bathurst 12 Hour website for details).

The on-screen team will be led by Mark Beretta, with Radio Le Mans’ John Hindhaugh and Jonny Palmer joined by Richard Craill in commentary.

Beretta, Chad Neylon, and Shea Adam will provide pit lane and paddock coverage along with 7 News’ Alex Hart.

Day Session Time (AEDT /GMT +11)Saturday Top 10 Shootout 1600Sunday Race 0530-1800

TV times

2018 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour | TV Times

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33

34

Class A Pro – GT 3

No Team Name Model Driver 1 Driver 2 Driver 3 Driver 417 Bentley Team M-Sprot Bentley Continental GT3 Steven Kane Guy Smith Jules Gounon

18 Bentley Team M-Sport Bentley Continental GT3 Andy Soucek Maxime Soulet Vincent Abril

22 Audi Sport Customer Racing Audi R8 LMS Garth Tander Kelvin van der Linde Fedrick Vervisch

37 Audi Sport Team WRT Audi R8 LMS Robin Frijns Stuart Leonard Dries Vanthoor

43 BMW Team Schnitzer BMW M6 GT3 Augusto Farfus Chaz Mostert Marco Wittmann

55 Mercedes-AMG Team Strakka Racing

Mercedes-AMG GT3 Nick Leventis Lewis Williamson Cam Waters David Fumanelli

56 Mercedes-AMG Team Strakka Racing

Mercedes-AMG GT3 Maximilian Buhk Maximilian Gotz Alvaro Parente

58 YNA AutoSport Mclaren 650S GT3 Shane van Gisbergen Craig Lowndes Come Ledogar

74 Audi Sport Customer Racing Audi R8 LMS Christopher Mies Christopher Haase Markus Winkelhock

75 Mercedes-AMG Team SunEnergy1 Racing

Mercedes-AMG GT3 Kenny Habul Tristan Vautier Jamie Whincup Raffaele Marciello

100 BMW Team SRM BMW M6 GT3 Steven Richards Timo Glock Philipp Eng

911 Manthey-Racing Porsche 911 Romain Dumas Frederic Makowiecki Dirk Werner

991 Craft Bamboo Racng Porsche 911 GT3-R Earl Bamber Kevin Estre Laurens Vanthoor

Class A Pro -AM– GT 3

No Team Name Model Driver 1 Driver 2 Driver 3 Driver 48 Scott Taylor Motorsport Mercedes-AMG Gt3 Max Twigg Craig Baird Tony D’Alberto

9 Audi Sport Customer Racing Audi R8 LMS Marc Cini Lee Holdsworth Dean Fiore

11 Objective Racing McLaren 650s Tony Walls Warren Luff Tim Slade Jaxon Evans

12 Competition Motorsports Porsche 991 GT3-R David Calvert-Jones Patrick Long Matt Campbell Alex Davison

19 Nineteen Corp P/L Mercedes-AMG GT3 David Reynolds John Martin Liam Talbot Mark Griffith

29 Trofeo Motorsport Lamborghini Hurracan Jim Manolios Ryan Millier Ivan Capelli Dean Canto

32 Lago Racing Lamborghini R-EX GT3 Roger Lago David Russell Steve Owen

39 Audi Sport Team WRT Audi R8 LMS Pedro Lamy Paul Dalla Lana Mathias Lauda Will Davison

47 YNA Autosport McLaren 650s GT3 Scott McLaughlin Fraser Ross Andrew Watson Alexander West

82 International Motorsport Audi R8 LMS Andrew Bagnall Matt Halliday Jonny Reid

540 Black Swan Racing Porsche 911 GT3-R Tim Pappas Jeroen Bleekemolen

Luca Stolz Marc Lieb

777 Buik Motorworks Lamborghini R-EX GT3 Yasser Shahin Luke Youlden Tomas Enge

BATHURST 12 HOUR 2018 ENTRY LIST


2018 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour | Entry List 35

Class A: Am – GT3

No Team Name Model Driver 1 Driver 2 Driver 3 Driver 43 Audi Sport Customer Racing Audi R8 LMS Ash Samadi Daniel Gaunt Dylan O’Keefe

6 Safe-T-Stop Lamborghini Gallardo Richard Gartner Hadrian Morall David Wall John Bowe

69 Audi Sport Customer Racing Audi R8 LMS James Koundouris Theo Koundouris Ash Walsh Duvashen Padayachee

Class B: Am – GT3

No Team Name Model Driver 1 Driver 2 Driver 3 Driver 44 Grove Motorsport PTY LTD Porsche GT3 Cup Stephen Grove Brenton Grove Ben Barker

21 JFC- Carter Grange Porsche 911 Danny Stutterd Sam Fillmore TBA

23 Team Carrera Cup Asia Porsche 991 Paul Tresidder Chris van der Drift Andrew Tang Chen Yi-Fan

42 On Track Motorsport Porsche 997 GT3 Cup Garry Mennell Kean Booker Aaron Zerefos Mark Caine

85 Wall Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Charles Putman Charles Espenlaub Joe Foster

Class C – GT4

No Team Name Model Driver 1 Driver 2 Driver 3 Driver 413 RHC-Lawrence/Storm

(MarcGT)BMW M4 GT4 Daren Eric

JorgensenCameron Lawrence

Brett Storm Kuno Wittmer

15 Baigent Motorsport BMW M4 GT4 Kent Baigent Neil Allport Matt Spratt Ash Blewett

30 Boat Works Racing BMW M4 GT4 Aaron Seton Matt Brabham Tony Longhurst

44 BMW Team SRM BMW M4 GT4 Dean Grant Xavier West Cameron Hill

46 Prosport Performance GABH Porsche Cayman PRO4 Jorg Viebahn Max Braams Marco Schelp

48 M Motorsport P/L KTM X-Bow GT4 Justin McMilan David Crampton Tim Macrow Caitlin Wood

49 KTM/M Sport Motorsport KTM X-Bow GT4 Glen Wood Tent Harrison Cody Hill

77 Ginetta Australia Ginetta G55 Mike SImpson Coleby Cowham Lindsay Kearns

88 Ginetta Australia Ginetta G55 Will Tregurtha Jaie Robson Ben Walsh

111 Ginetta Australia Ginetta G50 TBA TBA TBA

Class I – Invitational

No Team Name Model Driver 1 Driver 2 Driver 3 Driver 433 MARC Cars Australia MARC Mazda V8 TBA TBA TBA

54 MARC Cars Australia MARC II V8 Tony Alford Kyle Alford Chad Parish

65 Daytona Sports Cars Daytona Coupe Jamie Augustine Dylan Thomas Rhys Howell

66 Daytona Sportscars Dodge Viper Ben Schoots Adam Macrow Michael Caine

67 MARC Cars Australia MARC II V8 Jake Camilleri Morgan Haber Aaron Cameron

91 MARC Cars Australia MARC II V8 Keith Kassulke Rod Salmon Will Brown

93 MARC Cars Australia Marc Mazda V8 Zane Goddard Rob Thomson Drew Ridge

94 MARC Cars Australia Marc Mazda V8 Nick Rowe Tyler Everingham James Kaye

95 Eastgate Engineering MARC Focus V8 Geoff Taunton Jason Busk Bryce Fullwood

96 MARC Cars Australia MARC Focus V8 John Goodacre Peter Major Jordan Love

BATHURST 12 HOUR 2018 ENTRY LIST

36

STEVEN KANE (NIR) Age: 372017 series: Blancpain GTB12Hr starts: 3B12Hr podiums: 22001 British Junior Formula Ford champion

TEAM: BENTLEY TEAM M-SPORT MANUFACTURER: BENTLEYCAR: CONTINENTAL GT3

17GUY SMITH (GBR)Age: 432017 series: Blancpain GT EnduranceB12Hr starts: 3B12Hr podiums: 22003 Le Mans 24 Hours winner

JULES GOUNON (FRA)Age: 232017 series: Blancpain GTB12Hr starts: Debut2017 Spa 24 Hours winner

ANDY SOUCEK (ESP)Age: 322017 series: Blancpain GTB12Hr starts: 3Best result: 7th (2016)1 Blancpain Endurance race win (2017)

18MAXIME SOULET (BEL)Age: 342017 series: Blancpain GTB12Hr starts: 2Best result: 7th (2016)1 Blancpain Endurance race win (2017)

VINCENT ABRIL (FRA)Age: 222017 series: Blancpain GTB12Hr starts: 1Best result: 12th (2017)2015 Blancpain Sprint champion

GARTH TANDER (AUS)Age: 402017 series: SupercarsB12Hr starts: 2Best result: 8th (2016)2002 Bathurst 24 Hour winner3 Bathurst 1000 wins2007 Supercars championTEAM: AUDI SPORT CUSTOMER RACING

MANUFACTURER: AUDI CAR: R8 LMS

22KELVIN VAN DER LINDE (RSA)Age: 212017 series: Aus GT, ADAC GT MastersB12Hr starts: Debut2017 Nurburgring 24 Hour winner2014 ADAC GT Masters champion

FREDERIC VERVISCH (BEL)Age: 312017 series: TCR International SeriesB12Hr starts: Debut2008 German Formula 3 champion

ROBIN FRIJNS (NED)Age: 262017 series: Blancpain GT Sprint, VLNB12Hr starts: 1Best result: DNF (2017)2016 Sepang 12 Hours winner

TEAM: AUDI SPORT TEAM WRTMANUFACTURER: AUDI CAR: R8 LMS

37STUART LEONARD (GBR)Age: 262017 series: Blancpain GTB12Hr starts: Debut2016 Dubai 24 Hours winner

DRIES VANTHOOR (BEL)Age: 192017 series: Blancpain GTB12Hr starts: Debut2016 Nurburgring 24 Hour class winner (Cup 5)

PRO CLASS

TEAM: BENTLEY TEAM M-SPORT MANUFACTURER: BENTLEYCAR: CONTINENTAL GT3


2018 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour | Driver Profiles 37

17 10AUGUSTO FARFUS (BRA)Age: 342017 series: DTMB12Hr starts: Debut2015 Daytona 24 Hours class runner-up (GTLM)

TEAM: BMW TEAM SCHNITZER MANUFACTURER: BMWCAR: M6

43CHAZ MOSTERT (AUS)Age: 252017 series: SupercarsB12Hr starts: 1Best result: DNF (2017)2014 Bathurst 1000 winner

MARCO WITTMANN (GER)Age: 282017 series: DTMB12Hr starts: 1Best result: 14th (2017)2 DTM championships

NICK LEVENTIS (GBR)Age: 372017 series: Blancpain GTB12Hr starts: Debut2010 Le Mans 24 Hours class winner (LMP2)

55LEWIS WILLIAMSON (GBR)Age: 282017 series: Blancpain GTB12Hr starts: Debut2017 Blancpain Sprint class runner-up (Silver)

DAVID FUMANELLI (ITA)Age: 252017 series: Blancpain GTB12Hr starts: Debut2015 Renault Sport Endurance Trophy champion

MAXIMILIAN BUHK (GER)Age: 252017 series: Blancpain GTB12Hr starts: 2Best result: 2nd (2014)2013 Spa 24 Hours winner2015 Blancpain Sprint championTEAM: MERCEDES-AMG TEAM STRAKKA

RACINGMANUFACTURER: MERCEDES-AMGCAR: GT3

56MAXIMILIAN GOTZ (GER)Age: 312017 series: ADAC GT MastersB12Hr starts: Debut2013 Spa 24 Hours winner2014 Blancpain Sprint champion

ALVARO PARENTE (POR)Age: 222017 series: Blancpain GT Sprint, Pirelli World ChallengeB12Hr starts: 2B12Hr wins: 1 (2016)2016 Bathurst 12 Hour winner2016 Pirelli World Challenge champion

SHANE VAN GISBERGEN (NZL)Age: 282017 series: SupercarsB12Hr starts: 4B12Hr wins: 1 (2016)2016 Bathurst 12 Hour winner2016 Blancpain Endurance champion 2016 Supercars champion

TEAM: YNA AUTOSPORTMANUFACTURER: MCLARENCAR: 650S GT3

58CRAIG LOWNDES (AUS)Age: 432017 series: SupercarsB12Hr starts: 6B12Hr wins: 2 (2014, 2017)2 Bathurst 12 Hour wins6 Bathurst 1000 wins3 Supercars championships

COME LEDOGAR (FRA)Age: 262017 series: Blancpain GT, International GT OpenB12Hr starts: 1Best result: 5th (2017)2016 Blancpain Endurance champion

TEAM: MERCEDES-AMG TEAM STRAKKA RACING MANUFACTURER: MERCEDES-AMGCAR: GT3

PRO CLASS

CAMERON WATERS (AUS)Age: 232017 series: SupercarsB12Hr starts: Debut2017 Sandown 500 winner



CHRISTOPHER MIES (GER) Age: 282017 series: Blancpain GT, ADAC GT MastersB12Hr starts: 7B12Hr wins: 2 (2011, 2012)2 Bathurst 12 Hour wins2 Nurburgring 24 Hour wins2015 Australian GT champion

TEAM: AUDI SPORT CUSTOMER RACING MANUFACTURER: AUDICAR: R8 LMS

74CHRISTOPHER HAASE (GER)Age: 302017 series: Blancpain GTB12Hr starts: 3Best result: 9th (2015)2 Nurburgring 24 Hour wins2016 Sepang 12 Hours winner 2009 FIA GT3 European champion

MARKUS WINKELHOCK (GER)Age: 372017 series: Blancpain GT Sprint, Intercontinental GTB12Hr starts: 3Best result: 2nd (2015)2 Spa 24 Hours wins2017 California 8 Hours winner2012 FIA GT1 World champion

KENNY HABUL (AUS)Age: 442017 series: IMSA SportsCarsB12Hr starts: Debut2017 12 Hours of Sebring class podium (GTD)

75

TRISTAN VAUTIER (FRA)Age: 282017 series: IMSA SportsCarsB12Hr starts: Debut2012 Indy Lights champion

JAMIE WHINCUP (AUS)Age: 342017 series: SupercarsB12Hr starts: 1B12Hr wins: 1 (2017)2017 Bathurst 12 Hour winner4 Bathurst 1000 wins7 Supercars championships

STEVEN RICHARDS (NZL)Age: 452017 series: Australian GT, AECB12Hr starts: 6B12Hr class wins: 1 (B, 2012)2002 Bathurst 24 Hour winner4 Bathurst 1000 wins2012 Bathurst 12 Hour class winner (B)

TEAM: BMW TEAM SRM MANUFACTURER: BMWCAR: M6

100TIMO GLOCK (GER)Age: 352017 series: DTMB12Hr starts: 1Best result: DNF (2017)2007 GP2 champion91 Formula 1 starts

PHILIP ENG (AUT)Age: 272017 series: Blancpain GT, ADAC GT MastersB12Hr starts: Debut2015 Porsche Supercup champion

ROMAIN DUMAS (FRA)Age: 402017 series: FIA R-GT Cup, Dakar, Pikes Peak Hill ClimbB12Hr starts: Debut2 Le Mans 24 Hours wins2016 World Endurance champion3 Pikes Peak Hill Climb wins

TEAM: MANTHEY-RACINGMANUFACTURER: PORSCHE CAR: 911 GT3-R

911FREDERIC MAKOWIECKI (FRA)Age: 372017 series: WECB12Hr starts: Debut2014 WEC class runner-up (LMGTE Pro)

DIRK WERNER (GER)Age: 362017 series: IMSA SportsCarsB12Hr starts: Debut2015 Daytona 24 Hours class runner-up (GTLM)2 Grand-Am Sports Car class championships (GT)

TEAM: MERCEDES-AMG TEAM SUN ENGERGY1 MANUFACTURER: MERCEDES-AMGCAR: GT3

PRO CLASS

RAFFAELE MARCIELLO (ITA)Age: 232017 series: Blancpain GTB12Hr starts: Debut2013 FIA European F3 championGP2 race winner (2014)



EARL BAMBER (NZL) Age: 272017 series: WECB12Hr starts: 3B12Hr class wins: 2 (B, 2014, 2016)2 Le Mans 24 Hours wins2017 World Endurance champion2014 Porsche Supercup champion

TEAM: CRAFT BAMBOO RACING MANUFACTURER: PORSCHECAR: 911 GT3-R

991KEVIN ESTRE (FRA)Age: 292017 series: WECB12Hr starts: 2Best result: DNF (2015, 2017)2013 Carrera Cup Germany champion

LAURENS VANTHOOR (BEL)Age: 262017 series: IMSA SportsCarsB12Hr starts: 4Best result: 2nd (2015)2015 Nurburgring 24 Hour winner2016 Sepang 12 Hours winner2015 Bathurst 12 Hour class winner (Pro-Am)

MAX TWIGG (AUS)Age: 462017 series: Australian GT, AECB12Hr starts: 7Best result: 11th (2013)2013 Bathurst 12 Hour class runner-up (B)

8CRAIG BAIRD (NZL)Age: 472017 series: AECB12Hr starts: 10B12Hr wins: 1 (2007)2007 Bathurst 12 Hour winner2008 Bathurst 12 Hour class winner (B)

TONY D’ALBERTO (AUS)Age: 322017 series: AECB12Hr starts: 3Best result: DNF (2016)2017 Bathurst 1000 podium2007 Super2 champion

MARC CINI (AUS)Age: 562017 series: Carrera CupB12Hr starts: 6B12Hr class podiums: 2 (Pro-Am 1, Am 1)2 Bathurst 12 Hour class

TEAM: AUDI SPORT CUSTOMER RACING MANUFACTURER: AUDI CAR: R8 LMS

9LEE HOLDSWORTH (AUS)Age: 342017 series: SupercarsB12Hr starts: 4B12Hr class podiums: 1 (Pro-Am)2009 Bathurst 1000 podium

DEAN FIORE (AUS)Age: 342017 series: Pirtek Enduro CupB12Hr starts: 3B12Hr class podiums: 1 (Pro-Am)2014 Gold Coast 600 Sunday race podium

TONY WALLS (AUS)2017 series: Australian GTB12Hr starts: 2Best result: 20th (2017)2 Australian GT race wins (2016)

TEAM: OBJECTIVE RACINGMANUFACTURER: MCLAREN CAR: 650S GT3

11WARREN LUFF (AUS)Age: 412017 series: Pirtek Enduro CupB12Hr starts: 8Best result: 2nd (2011)2011 Bathurst 12 Hour runner-up4 Bathurst 1000 podiums

TIM SLADE (AUS)Age: 322017 series: SupercarsB12Hr starts: 5Best result: 2nd (2012)2012 Bathurst 12 Hour runner-up

PRO CLASS

TEAM: SCOTT TAYLOR MOTORSPORT MANUFACTURER: MERCEDES-AMGCAR: GT3

PRO-AM CLASS

JAXON EVANS (NZL)Age: 212017 Series: AEC, Carrera CupB12Hr starts: Debut2 AEC race wins (2017)

DAVID CALVERT-JONES (AUS) Age: 482017 series: Bathurst 12 HourB12Hr starts: 4Best result: 2nd (2017)2017 Bathurst 12 Hour runner-up2017 Bathurst 12 Hour class winner (Pro-Am)

TEAM: COMPETITION MOTORSPORTS MANUFACTURER: PORSCHECAR: 911 GT3-R

12PATRICK LONG (USA)Age: 362017 series: Pirelli World ChallengeB12Hr starts: 3Best result: 2nd (2017)2017 Bathurst 12 Hour runner-up2 Le Mans 24 Hours class wins (GT 1, GT2 1)

MATT CAMPBELL (AUS)Age: 222017 series: Porsche SupercupB12Hr starts: 1Best result: 2nd (2017)2017 Bathurst 12 Hour runner-up4 Porsche Supercup race wins (2017)

DAVID REYNOLDS (AUS)Age: 322017 series: SupercarsB12Hr starts: 3Best result: 5th (2016)2017 Bathurst 1000 winner

19JOHN MARTIN (AUS)Age: 332017 series: AECB12Hr starts: 1B12Hr class wins: 1 (Pro-Am)2006 Australian Formula Ford champion2017 Bathurst 12 Hour class winner (Pro-Am)

LIAM TALBOT (AUS)2017 series: Australian GT, AECB12Hr starts: 3B12Hr class wins: 2 (Pro-Am 1, C 1)2017 Bathurst 12 Hour class winner (Pro-Am)2013 Bathurst 12 Hour class winner (C)TEAM: NINETEEN CORP P/L

MANUFACTURER: MERCEDES-AMGCAR: GT3

PRO-AM CLASS

ALEX DAVISON (AUS)Age: 382017 series: SupercarsB12Hr starts: 4B12Hr class podiums: 1 (B)2014 Bathurst 12 Hour class runner-up (B)

MARK GRIFFITH (AUS)2017 series: Australian GT, AECB12Hr starts: 3B12Hr class podiums: 1 (I)2016 Bathurst 12 Hour class podium (I)2 Australian GT class championships

JIM MANOLIOS (AUS)2017 series: Australian GT, AECB12Hr starts: 3Best result: 10th (2017)2017 Bathurst 12 Hour class podium (Am)

TEAM: TROFEO MOTORSPORT MANUFACTURER: LAMBORGHINICAR: HURACAN GT3

29RYAN MILLIER (AUS)2017 series: Australian GT, AECB12Hr starts: 2Best result: 10th (2017)2017 Bathurst 12 Hour class podium (Am)

DEAN CANTO (AUS)Age: 372017 series: Pirtek Enduro CupB12Hr starts: 2Best result: 5th (2015)2012 Bathurst 1000 runner-up

IVAN CAPELLI (ITA)Age: 542017 series: Australian GTB12Hr starts: 3Best result: 10th (2017)93 Formula 1 starts

42


12

29

ROGER LAGO (AUS)2017 series: Australian GT, AECB12Hr starts: 8B12Hr class wins: 1 (B)2011 Bathurst 12 Hour class winner (B)

32DAVID RUSSELL (AUS)Age: 362017 series: AECB12Hr starts: 8B12Hr class wins: 2 (B 1, C 1)2 Bathurst 12 Hour class wins (B 1, C 1)

STEVE OWEN (AUS)Age: 432017 series: Pirtek Enduro CupB12Hr starts: 9B12Hr class podiums: 2 (Am 1, B 1)2 Bathurst 1000 runner-up finishes

PEDRO LAMY (POR)Age: 452017 series: WECB12Hr starts: 1Best result: DNF (2017)5 Nurburgring 24 Hour wins2 World Endurance class championships (LMGTE Am)

TEAM: AUDI SPORT TEAM WRT MANUFACTURER: AUDI CAR: R8 LMS

39PAUL DALLA LANA (CAN)Age: 512017 series: WECB12Hr starts: 1Best result: DNF (2017)2017 World Endurance class champion (LMGTE Am)

MATHIAS LAUDA (AUT)Age: 362017 series: WECB12Hr starts: 1Best result: DNF (2017)2017 World Endurance class champion (LMGTE Am)

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN (NZL)Age: 242017 series: SupercarsB12Hr starts: 1B12Hr class wins: 1 (B)2016 Bathurst 12 Hour class winner (B)Bathurst Supercars practice record holder

TEAM: YNA AUTOSPORTMANUFACTURER: MCLAREN CAR: 650S GT3

47FRASER ROSS (AUS)Age: 272017 series: Australian GT, AECB12Hr starts: Debut1 Australian GT race win (2017)

ANDREW WATSON (GBR)Age: 232017 series: Blancpain GTB12Hr starts: 2016Best result: 9th (2016)1 International GT Open race win (2015)

TEAM: LAGO RACING MANUFACTURER: LAMBORGHINICAR: R-EX

WILL DAVISON (AUS)Age: 352017 series: SupercarsB12Hr starts: 3B12Hr podiums: 12 Bathurst 1000 wins (2009, 2016)2014 Bathurst 12 Hour podium

ALEXANDER WEST (SWE)2017 series: International GT OpenB12Hr starts: Debut3 International GT Open race wins (2016, 2017)

PRO-AM CLASS432018 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour | Driver Profiles

44

ANDREW BAGNALL (NZL)Age: 702017 series: AECB12Hr starts: 1Best result: 11th2016 Bathurst 12 Hour class podium (Am)2014 New Zealand Endurance champion

TEAM: INTERNATIONAL MOTORSPORT MANUFACTURER: AUDICAR: R8 LMS

82MATT HALLIDAY (NZL)Age: 382017 series: VariousB12Hr starts: 3B12Hr class podiums: 2 (Pro-Am 1, Am 1)2017 Bathurst 12 Hour class runner-up (Pro-Am)

JONNY REID (NZL)Age: 342017 series: AECB12Hr starts: 1B12Hr class wins: 1 (B, 2013)2013 Bathurst 12 Hour class winner

TIM PAPPAS (USA)Age: 442017 series: Pirelli World ChallengeB12Hr starts: Debut2 ALMS class championships (GTC)

540JEROEN BLEEKEMOLEN (NED)Age: 362017 series: ISMA SportsCars, Pirelli World ChallengeB12Hr starts: 1Best result: 2nd (2012)2013 Nurburgring 24 Hour winner2008 Le Mans 24 Hours class winner (LMP2)

LUCA STOLZ (GER)Age: 222017 series: Blancpain GT EnduranceB12Hr starts: Debut2016 Blancpain Sprint class champion (Silver Cup)

YASSER SHAHIN (AUS)2017 series: Carrera CupB12Hr starts: Debut1 Australian GT race win (2016

TEAM: BUIK MOTORWORKS MANUFACTURER: LAMBORGHINICAR: R-EX

777LUKE YOULDEN (AUS)Age: 392017 series: Pirtek Enduro CupB12Hr starts: 4B12Hr class wins: 2 (F)2 Bathurst 12 Hour class wins (F)

TOMAS ENGE (CZE)Age: 412017 series: Blancpain GTB12Hr starts: 1Best result: DNF (2017)2003 Le Mans 24 Hours class winner (GTS)

PRO-AM CLASS

TEAM: BLACK SWAN RACING MANUFACTURER: PORSCHECAR: 911 GT3-R

MARC LIEB (GER)Age: 372017 series: Pirelli World ChallengeB12Hr starts: 1Best result: 2nd (2017)2016 Le Mans 24 Hours winner2016 World Endurance champion2017 Bathurst 12 Hour class winner


452018 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour | Driver Profiles

82 ASH SAMADI (AUS) Age: 482017 Series: Australian GT,B12Hr starts: 2B12Hr class podiums: 1 (Pro-Am)2017 Bathurst 12 Hour class runner-up (Pro-Am)

TEAM: AUDI SPORT CUSTOME RACING MANUFACTURER: AUDICAR: R8 LMS

3DANIEL GAUNT (NZL)Age: 322017 series: VariousB12Hr starts: 3B12Hr class podiums: 2 (Pro-Am 1, B 1)2017 Bathurst 12 Hour class runner-up (Pro-Am)

DYLAN O’KEEFFE (AUS)2017 series: Carrera CupB12Hr starts: 1B12Hr class wins: 1 (B, 2017)2017 Bathurst 12 Hour class winner (B)

RICHARD GARTNER (AUS)2017 series: Australian GT TrophyB12Hr starts: 8B12Hr class wins: 2 (E 1, F 1)2 Bathurst 12 Hour class wins (E 1, F 1)

6HADRIAN MORALL (AUS)2017 series: Australian Production CarB12Hr starts: 5B12Hr class wins: 1 (C, 2010)2010 Bathurst 12 Hour class winner (C)

DAVID WALL (AUS)Age: 352017 series: Carrera CupB12Hr starts: 7B12Hr class wins: 2 (B 1, I1 1)2017 Carrera Cup champion

JAMES KOUNDOURIS (AUS)Age: 51B12Hr starts: 8B12Hr class wins: 1 (B, 2015)2015 Bathurst 12 Hour class winner (B)

TEAM: AUDI SPORT CUSTOMER RACING MANUFACTURER: AUDI CAR: R8 LMS

69THEO KOUNDOURIS (AUS)Age: 49B12Hr starts: 8B12Hr class wins: 1 (B, 2015)2015 Bathurst 12 Hour class winner (B)

ASH WALSH (AUS)Age: 30B12Hr starts: 2B12Hr class podiums: 1 (E)2011 Bathurst 12 Hour class podium (E)

AM CLASS

TEAM: SAFE-T-STOP MANUFACTURER: LAMBORGHINICAR: GALLARDO GT3

JOHN BOWE (AUS)Age: 632017 series: Touring Car MastersB12Hr starts: 11B12Hr wins: 2 (2010, 2014)2 Bathurst 1000 wins2 Bathurst 12 Hour wins1995 Australian Touring car champion

DUVASHEN PADAYACHEE (AUS)Age: 27B12Hr starts: 2B12Hr class wins: 1 (Am, 2017)2017 Bathurst 12 Hour class winner (Am)

castroledge.com.au@CastrolRacingAU CastrolRacingAUCastrolRacingAU

MARK WINTERBOTTOM SUPERCAR CHAMPION, SUPERCARS, FORMULA 4, KARTING.

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MARK WINTERBOTTOM, SUPERCARS CHAMPION AND BATHURST 1000 WINNER


A diverse range of support categories will again help to entertain the crowd on the Friday and Saturday at Mount Panorama.

The Radical Australia Cup has become a mainstay of the Bathurst 12 Hour undercard, and the Le Mans-style sportscars again open their season at the mountain.

Skye Sands Combined Sedans brings together a wide variety of cars, including ex-Supercars which have competed in the Bathurst 1000.The new addition in 2018 is Group S Classic Sports Cars, incorporating vehicles from the 1950s to the 1970s.

Support line-up for 2018

2018 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour | Support lineup for 2018 47

48

EVENTSSCHEDULE OF

Friday February 2Start Duration Category Session7:15 0:25 Skye Sands Sedans Practice/Qualifying

0:05

7:45 0:30 Group S Racing Practice/Qualifying8:25 0:30 Bathurst 12 Hour Practice 1 (Amateurs only)

0:05

9:00 0:45 Bathurst 12 Hour Practice 20:05

9:50 0:10 Manufacturer Sport On Circuit Session at Speed0:05

10:05 0:30 Radical Aus Cup Practice/Qualifying0:05

10:45 0:45 Bathurst 12 Hour Practice 311:45 0:50 Resident Access Time Certain12:50 0:35 Skye Sands Sedans Race 1 - 10 laps

0:10


14:30 0:30 Group S Racing Race 1 - 8 Laps0:10

15:10 0:45 Radical Aus Cup Race 1 - 16 Laps0:10

16:05 0:30 Sponsor Ride Session Entertainment Session0:15

16:50 1:00 Porsche Sports Driving Experience

Sunday February 4Start Duration Category Session4:45 0:15 Commence Circuit Closure5:10 Circuit Closed

0:05

5:15 0:10 Bathurst 12 Hour Pit Exit Opens5:25 Bathurst 12 Hour Pit Exit Closes5:45 17:45 Bathurst 12 Hour Race - 12 Hours

0:10 Podium Presentation

Saturday February 3Start Duration Category Session7:15 0:45 Porsche Sports Driving Experience

0:10

8:10 0:35 Skye Sands Sedans Race 2 - 10 Laps0:10



10:20 0:30 Sponsor Ride Session10:50 11:00 Manufacturer Sport On Circuit Session at Speed

0:05

11:05 0:45 Bathurst 12 Hour Qualifying 1 (All Except Class A)

0:05

11:55 0:30 Bathurst 12 Hour Qualifying 2 (Class A Only)12:45 0:50 Resident Access Time Certain13:50 14:35 Radical Aus Cup Race 2 - 16 Laps

0:10

14:45 0:35 Skye Sands Sedans Race 3 - 10 Laps0:10


16:15 0:45 Bathurst 12 Hour Top 10 Shootout (Class A)0:05

17:05 0:30 Sponsor Ride Entertainment17:35 0:45 Porsche Sports Driving Experience

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LIQUI-MOLY BATHURST 12 HOUR - Speedcafe · by the highly professional McElrea Racing operation. ... 2018 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour | Meet the Contenders 5 Audi ... This year Timo