3 2019 Liqui-Moly | Contents LIQUI-MOLY BATHURST 12 HOUR JAN 31 - FEB 3, 2019 EDITORS: Daniel Herrero Contents Mat Coch 04 Meet the 2019 contenders 11 The history of the Bathurst 12 Hour CONTRIBUTORS: 15 Tale of 2018 Tom Howard 16 Results from Bathurst 12 Hour 2018 MEET THE CONTENDERS Brett Murray The key players of this year’s race 19 Previous Bathurst 12 Hour winners 04 Slade Perrins 20 A lap of Mount Panorama 23 By the numbers DESIGN: Justin Murray 24 Bathurst dream team to take on GT elite Rachel Cherry 27 Balance of Performance explained 29 In-car warning system TALE OF 2018 claims third victory in red-flagged race SALES/MARKETING: 30 Changing of the guard 15 Justin Murray 32 Walkenhorst’s redemption 35 TV times PARTNERS: 36 Habul returns to the scene of his ARMOR ALL boyhood dream realised Castrol EDGE 38 2019 entry list Mercedes-Benz 40 Team profiles Michelin 49 Support line-up PIRTEK 50 Introducing the AMG GT4 DREAM TEAM! Preston Hire 52 Track schedule TRIPLE EIGHT TRIO JOIN TyrePlus 23 FORCES TO TAKE ON THE MOUNTAIN

Superstars ready to climb the mountain again

his year’s Bathurst 12 Hour is, on paper, the most At , Matt Campbell has a chance to show his talent in a enthralling in its almost decade-long GT3 era. factory entry, having impressed so much in a privately-entered 911 in the last two years, while the 488, GT-R T While the entry list is skinnier than in past years, and Vantage make their returns to Bathurst. the number of Pro class entries is up slightly on 2018, and the rollcall of teams and drivers screams ‘quality’. Even the Pro-Am ranks, which bring the number of distinct GT3 models in the race to a neat 10, boast a former Bathurst 12 The megastar combination, at least in the eyes of the local Hour winner. crowd, is that of , , and , in a Mercedes-AMG GT3 run by Supercars Ironically, the wealth of talent that has assembled in 2019 powerhouse Triple Eight Race Engineering in partnership with numbers only six past winners in ’s international well-credentialled Australian GT outfit Scott Taylor Motorsport. enduro, meaning that we could well see new faces writing their names into Mount Panorama’s rich, 80-year history. Audi is also stacked with talent across its pair of factory representatives, including last year’s provisional pole-sitter Make no mistake, this is a race that has already developed a and three-time Supercheap Auto Bathurst proud history all of its own. The men and women that take it 1000 winner . on know what the prize is, and how much it means to all those who seek it. BMW fired several shots last year but ultimately came up short, and we eagerly anticipate what impact Walkenhorst and To win the Bathurst 12 Hour means beating some of the very Schnitzer will have in 2019. best sportscar teams in the world, at one of the very best race tracks in the world. ventures Down Under with its new Continentals for the first time, and the big British cars are surely due better fortune Who will it be this year? We’re about to find out. Daniel Herrero than last time around. Speedcafe.com Journalist

mercedes-benz.com.au 4 MEET THE 2019 CONTENDERS

Mercedes-AMG Car: Mercedes-AMG GT3 Teams: Team Vodafone/Triple Eight, The Bend Motorsport Park/, SunEnergy1 Racing/Scott Taylor Motorsport, Craft-Bamboo Racing/Black Falcon, Nineteen Corp Black Falcon, GruppeM Racing

A Mercedes-AMG GT3 has never won the Bathurst 12 Hour, Pro-Am class (with Whincup at the wheel). but with six entries to its name spread across Pro and Pro- Am classes in 2019 it stands a very real chance of changing Craft Bamboo/Black Falcon has a fearsome all-Pro entry with that fact. , Luca Stolz and DTM champ while GruppeM Racing are similarly strong with Maxi Buhk, Maxi Goetz, Among these are local favourites Craig Lowndes, Jamie and . Whincup, and Shane van Gisbergen, the Triple Eight Supercars drivers united for the first time in a single entry – The final entry is for local racer Mark Griffith, who has highly all three have won the race on at least one occasion before. credentialed racers and alongside him in another Pro-Am entry. They’ll be run out of the Scott Taylor Motorsport garage, as will the Erebus entry of David Reynolds, , and The Mercedes-AMG GT3 is a strong all round car, and has won Yasser Shahin. The third car in that shed is the SunEnergy1 a number of the world’s biggest races and championships, entry of , , and Thomas Jaeger, including the Australian Endurance Championship for the last two which last year finished on the outright podium and won the years. 2019 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour | Meet the Contenders 5 MEET THE 2019 CONTENDERS

Audi BMW Car: R8 LMS GT3 Car: M6 GT3 Teams: Audi Sport Team Valvoline, Hallmarc, Audi Sport Teams: Walkenhorst Motorsport, BMW Team Schnitzer Team MPC, /Aussie Driver Search Supremely fast in the early stages of last year’s race, the There are fewer on the grid this year than last, but the quality Bathurst 12 Hour ultimately ended in disappointment for the runs deep throughout. German marque 12 months ago.

The two Audi Sport Team Valvoline entries boast incredible depth starred but was involved in a mid-race tangle that with Audi factory drivers , , and ultimately ended the day for his car. Mostert returns with BMW among the favourites. Team Schnitzer – a powerhouse squad for the Bavarian brand. and will join him in the team’s Mies set the outright Bathurst lap record late last year, though that single entry. was when the team took all the Balance of Performance measures off his car and let the German run rampant across the Mountain. Another BMW M6 GT3 will be steered by Christian Krognes, Its performance won’t be that strong in the race, but it’ll certainly Nick Catsburg, and Mikkel Jensen and while it doesn’t have the be front running. star power, the Walkenhorst Motorsport entry should still be a factor as the big Beemer tends to suit the Mount Panorama Garth Tander shares the sister car with Kelvin van der Linde, who is circuit. incredibly fast but also erratic, and Frederic Vervisch.

Three Pro-Am entries see two BTCC champs pair up with Pete Storey; Matt Neal making his Bathurst return after nearly two decades and Gordon Shedden joining the fray. Ferrari Car: 488 GT3 Elsewhere, Supercars youngster and Pirtek Teams: HubAuto Corsa, Spirit of Race/AF Corse co-driver David Russell will share with Roger Lago, who has ditched the for an LMS GT3, while Marc Ferrari has claimed honours at Bathurst with its 488 when Cini will race with and as he did a year driven by Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes, together with ago. , in 2017.

However that car, entered by , is not racing this year and instead the Prancing Horse is relying on entries out of Asia to represent it. Of them, the HubAuto Corsa entry of Nick Foster, , and looks strongest. Both Foster and Slade campaigned for the team in the 2018 Blancpain GT Series Asia, while Nick Percat has had multiple GT3 outings, though never before in a . The other entry, for Spirit of Race, will see ex-F1 racer with Mathias Lauda, son of Mercedes F1’s , partner with Paul Dalla Lana, an accomplished gentleman driver.

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McLaren Porsche Car: 650S GT3 Team: Objective Racing Car: 911 GT3 R Teams: Porsche Motorsport/EBM, Black Swan Racing, It’s the swansong event for the McLaren 650S GT3 with just Competition Motorsports/McElrea Racing a sole example of the machine which three years ago claimed victory at the Mountain set to compete. Though not racing himself, has sent two cars under his Earl Bamber Motorsport umbrella with a trio of accomplished The 650S GT3 will be replaced this year by the all-new 720S drivers in both. GT3, and as a result interest in running the older spec car has been comparatively weak. World Endurance Champion heads the first car with Sven Müller and , while , Dennis Olsen, and Australian Porsche superstar Matt Campbell are in the sister Tony Walls will be joined by once more, while GT car. Academy driver Andrew Watson steps into the car as the third driver – last year it had been Jaxon Evans though he’s since been McElrea Racing will sport a car for Competition Motorsports, with snapped up as a star of the future by Porsche. David Calvert-Jones, Kevin Estre and the latest Porsche junior Jaxon Evans filling its ranks in what will be a Pro-Am entry. The final Regarded as one of the fastest GT3 cars ever produced, the GT3 R is the Pro-Am entry of Black Swan Racing with 650S GT3 was always somewhat of a beast – incredibly fast Tim Pappas, , and in a four-pronged but needed to be pushed to the very limit to extract that attack for Porsche that spans Pro and Pro-Am classes. performance. The successful marque has never won the Bathurst 12 Hour, As a result it has typically underperformed in anything other than with luck having played against it in recent years. With the same the hands of a professional driver, though Tony Walls has nabbed specification car as last year it stands as good a chance as ever this a few wins in Australian GT competition with it in recent years. time around.

Bentley Car: Continental GT3 Team: Bentley Team M-Sport

Operated by M-Sport, one of the most credentialed outfits in world motorsport, the Bentley squad this year boasts an all-new car for the Bathurst 12 Hour.

Debuted in Europe in 2018, the Mount Panorama event marks the first time the latest spec Bentley Continental will be seen on our shores.

The team’s two entries boast accomplished racers throughout, with leading and in the #107 entry, and with and in the sister car.

With no prior experience at the Mountain with the new cars, it will be a slightly more difficult weekend to begin with, but M-Sport should not be underestimated, nor its two cars written off. 2019 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour | Meet the Contenders 7

Lamborghini Car: Huracan GT3 Teams: Wall Racing, Trofeo Motorsport

One of the most dominant cars in Europe last year, the Nissan Lamborghini Huracan GT3 has not yet had the same success in Australia. Car: GT-R NISMO GT3 Team: KCMG Underneath its carbon fibre skin is the same running gear as powers the Audi R8 LMS GT3, the two cars part of the A cult car, the Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 is now fairly long in the Audi Group after all, though over the top is the tooth, though the Balance of Performance regulations should keep usual aggressive Lambo styling. it somewhat competitive.

Two examples, both Pro-Am entries, will race this year with This year privateer squad KCMG has entered a pair of cars, and Wall Racing preparing one car and Trofeo Motorsport the recruited former race winner to share one of its other. Both have four drivers installed, with car owner Adrian cars with Matsuda Tsugio and Aussie racer Joshua Burdon. Deitz joined by Jules Westwood, and ex-Supercars racers Cam McConville and Tony D’Alberto. The team’s other car will be steered by Alexandre Imperatori, Edoardo Liberati, and , who has raced in A1GP, Super The latter is the 2018 Australian Endurance Champion, though GT, DTM, the World Endurance Championship and more. in a Mercedes, with this set to be his first outing in a Huracan. In the other example, Australian GT boss Jim Manolios will race There’s no doubting the driving line-up, but with an older spec car with , Ben Porter, and former Ferrari F1 racer Ivan compared to others in the field it will need something truly brilliant Capelli. for Nissan to claim another 12 Hour this year.

Aston Martin Car: Vantage GT3 Team: R-Motorsport

Though at the end of its competitive life, the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 remains potent, and R-Motorsport has been one of the driving forces of its longevity in Europe.

There were victories at the start of last season’s Blancpain GT Series despite its age, though this year’s Bathurst 12 Hour is its swansong as a current spec machine. Its driving ranks lack a big name star, though is on the payroll as Red Bull’s Formula 1 test driver.

While it should be capable of running with the pace at the head of the field, the issue will come down to fuel economy – the V12 engine under the bonnet of the Aston is famously thirsty.

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9 2019 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour | Meet the Contenders

Best of the rest Battling it out behind the Class A cars will be Class C, specifically for GT4 machinery. three other class-based races with trophies and bragging rights on the line in each. The little brothers of the GT3 cars of Class A, a trio of KTM X-Bows, with their unique lift Class B is the exclusive domain of Porsche, up roof, will take on a pair of Ginetta G55s with the current-spec Porsche Cup Car set to and a sole BMW M4 GT4 flying the flag for duke it out on the Mountain for the first time. the Bavarians.

We saw one race here last year, but this is Four MARC cars complete the field in the the first time the Carrera Cup field has been Invitational Class, with two examples each of allowed to roll their current cars out of the the MARC I and MARC II. shed in February, with a three car field tak- ing up the challenge. Last year we saw the debut of the Mustang- inspired MARC II V8, with IndyCar star Paul With ABS and traction control, Class B is set Tracy set to steer one of the beefy V8s this to be faster than it ever has. year with Paul Morris and Keith Kassulke in a factory effort. BMW, KTM, and Ginetta will compete in

mercedes-benz.com.au Together we have pushed to the limits. Secured countless victories. Met every challenge – and stayed on course throughout. On the racetrack, and on the road. Michelin and Porsche: connected by a successful tight teamwork for more than 50 years. With the highest demand on performance – and continuous goals. PORSCHE AND MICHELIN – OVER 50 YEARS OF SUCCESSFUL COOPERATION.

NEWM5143 Evo Magazine Ad.indd 1 24/01/2018 3:31 pm 2019 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour | The history of the Bathurst 12 Hour 11

The history of the Bathurst 12 Hour

he Bathurst 12 Hour first sprang to life in 1991 with Allan Grice, Peter Fitzgerald, and Nigel Arkell guiding a T Supra turbo to victory. Manufacturer interest gathered momentum following the initial staging of the event with putting in a concerted effort that reaped rewards with a factory backed RX-7 rotary winning from 1992 to 1995. GT3 Era Due to rising costs, the promoter was forced to retreat from hold- ing the race at Mount Panorama with the race running at Eastern 2011: Team Joest conquers the Mountain Creek in 1995, won by Dick Johnson and John Bowe, before it was discontinued the following year. The Team Joest Audi R8 GT3s dominated the first of a new era of Bathurst 12 Hour contests headlined by the GT3 regulations. While the future of reviving the 12 Hour remained in limbo, the Together we have pushed to the limits. idea of an endurance race saw the staging of the Ross Palmer-run Allowing GT3 machinery to compete for outright victory upset the Secured countless victories. Met every 24 Hour races which were held for two years; 2002 and 2003. production car fraternity but a modest entry of 26 cars lined up for the blast around the revered . challenge – and stayed on course throughout. Both instalments were won by the all-conquering Monaros On the racetrack, and on the road. built and prepared by . It was the German Team Joest squad which shined the brightest with its two Audi R8s dominating the race, leading 223 of the 292 Michelin and Porsche: connected by a successful The 12 Hour for production cars bounced back in 2007 when it laps. was part of the before moving away from tight teamwork for more than 50 years. With the highest that event from 2009. The all-Australian R8 entry of triple Supercar champion Craig demand on performance – and continuous goals. Lowndes, Warren Luff and Mark Eddy pipped the Christopher Mies, Moves to introduce GT3 specifications into the race were made , and Darryl O’Young sister car to pole position by in 2011, before another shot in the arm when an all-pro subclass just 0.3s. within Class A was introduced in 2017, making the event an even PORSCHE AND MICHELIN – OVER 50 YEARS greater drawcard for international squads. Following an intriguing tactical battle between the cars it was Mies/Basseng/O’Young which prevailed with a margin of 0.7s over OF SUCCESSFUL COOPERATION. This year there are set to be 28 GT3 cars, including 15 Pro and 13 team-mates Lowndes/Luff/Eddy. Pro-Am entries, taking on Mount Panorama. The Porsche GT3-R of Tony Quinn, Klark Quinn and secured the final place on the podium despite being a lap behind the Audis after losing ground under a Safety Car.

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2013: Mercedes become the mountain masters

An all-star German line up of Touring Car legend Bernd Schneider, GT ace Thomas Jaeger and Alexander Roloff helped Australia’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 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, Jaeger and Roloff that grabbed the headlines with the trio emerging 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 2012: Audi triumphs again with Phoenix Racing Aston Martin of Tony Quinn.

The Team Engstler BMW Z4 and the Maranello Ferrari of Salo, The Bathurst 12 Hour was once again an Audi affair when Allan Simonsen, John Bowe, and Peter Edwards also retired Phoenix Racing took out the 2012 edition of the growing before the halfway point. endurance classic. At the front, the race developed into a battle between the two The squad was one of three new international crews, who flocked Erebus Motorsport entries with little separating the #36 and #63 to the race alongside the British entry and the cars. However steering damage to the latter with V8 Supercar renowned Black Falcon Mercedes SLS team. driver Lee Holdsworth at the wheel ended their victory hopes, finishing the race in sixth. The race also welcomed the Australian Mercedes SLS crew from Erebus Motorsport. In the end, the lead Erebus Mercedes SLS of Schneider, Jaeger and Roloff took the chequered flag. After starting from pole position, the #1 Phoenix Racing Audi of 2011 winners Mies, O’Young and German debutant Christer Jons Despite receiving three drive-through penalties and a mechanical led the majority of the contest of which eight of the 12 hours black flag, Clearwater Racing finished second piloted by Baird/ were held in wet weather. Griffin/Sun. The tricky conditions provided a high attrition rate with just three The VIP Petfoods Porsche of Shane van Gisbergen/Klark Class A cars reaching the finish. Quinn/Matt Kingsley came home in third with the latter a late replacement for Tony Quinn, who injured himself earlier in the The previous year’s runners-up Lowndes, Luff and Eddy were race at the wheel of his Australian GT Aston Martin. 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 .

Despite being unsuited to the conditions, the Clearwater Racing was third in the hands of Craig Baird, Irishman Matt Griffin and Mok Wen Sun. 2019 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour | The history of the Bathurst 12 Hour 13

2014: Emotions run high as Maranello Motorsport strikes

Craig Lowndes led Maranello Motorsport to an emotional vicotry Allan Simonsen, who perished at the 2013 Le Mans 24 Hours. in the 2014 Bathurst 12 Hour The Dane was part of the previous year’s team, and as a mark Lowndes combined with co-drivers Mika Salo, John Bowe and car of respect organisers renamed the pole position award in his owner Peter Edwards to recover from two drive-through penalties honour. to win the race.

The five-time 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 ranged 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 emotional triumph for Maranello Motorsport with victory arriving just months after the death of regular driver

2015: NISMO Godzilla claims tense 12 Hour

Nissan claimed a remarkable victory in the 2015 edition, surviving a hit with two drive-through penalties and a dehydrated Matt Bell Safety Car-strewn race which revisited Bathurst history. before claiming fourth.

Brought home by diminutive Japanese driver Katsumasa Chiyo, the Bell’s drink bottle malfunctioned in his initial stint causing him to GT-R sliced its way from third position and into the lead after the vomit in the car and seek medical treatment before recovering restart from a 20th Safety Car period with just over four minutes to negotiate the final stint and give team-mates Guy Smith and remaining. Steven Kane a sniff of victory.

GT superstar and pole-sitter claimed second for was taken to the medical centre in a neck brace Phoenix Audi while Stefan Mucke finished third in the Craft Bamboo and subsequently to nearby Orange Hospital for precautionary Aston Martin. x-rays after an incident with Stefan Mucke at The Cutting.

It was the first win by the Japanese manufacturer since Jim Richards Mucke later described the late-race incident, where he and took a second successive Bathurst 1000 victory in attempted to drive through a gap left by Brabham but ended up the R32 Skyline GT-R in 1992. making side-to-side contact with the Flying B Bentley and putting it into the wall, as a “misunderstanding”. Wolfgang Reip pitted the GT-R from the lead with 1hr 43min remaining, handing it to Florian Strauss who did a quick-fire Reigning event winners Maranello Motorsport withdrew from the 40-minute stint before Chiyo completed a tense final hour. event early after suffering a car destroying crash in practice.

The #10 Bentley almost took an against-the-odds win after being

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2017: Tempers fray as Supercars team-mates battle

Ferrari and Maranello Motorsport won the Bathurst 12 Hour for the second time in four years in 2017, in a race which had a real sting in the tail for the factory-backed #22 Scott Taylor Motor- sport Mercedes-AMG entry.

The Prancing Horse’s hopes suffered a setback when Craig Lowndes was bizarrely unloaded by Craig Baird in the STM Merc at a Safety Car restart.

Tony Vilander, however, put Maranello back into a strong position with a sterling early afternoon drive in the #88 488. In the end, the race came down to a final hour showdown be- tween Triple Eight Supercars team-mates Jamie Whincup in the Ferrari and Shane van Gisbergen in the Mercedes-AMG.

Van Gisbergen emerged five seconds ahead after his final pit stop with 45 minutes remaining, but Whincup had a tyre advan- tage.

He caught the Kiwi within a couple of laps and managed to sur- vive despite putting two wheels in the dirt when the pair bumped as he tore past down Conrod Straight. A desperate van Gisbergen would soon shunt an Am class Por- sche into the wall exiting The Chase as he attempted to keep in touch with the leader, bringing about the 15th Safety Car period 2016: van Gisbergen leads McLaren to victory of the race.

Shane van Gisbergen, Alvaro Parente, and Stewards had no sooner issued the defending champion with a combined to give McLaren its first win in a major GT3 endurance penalty on the restart than he lost control exiting The Dipper, race in 2016. slewing into the concrete and bringing Car #22’s day to an end inside the final 20 minutes. After Portuguese Parente and Webb drove the - entered 650S for the majority of the day, van Gisbergen hopped It resulted in disconsolate co-driver Maro Engel stating on live tel- into the cockpit with two hours remaining. evision, “All I have seen is a lot mistakes by Shane,” a comment for which he later expressed regret. Despite a drive-through penalty for pit lane speeding which nearly put the McLaren off the lead lap, van Gisbergen’s sizzling David Calvert-Jones, , Marc Lieb, and Matt Campbell, pace and a strategy play put the New Zealander back into the were runners-up despite each driver incurring a pit lane penalty lead with 40 minutes remaining. at some stage.

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 described as a “heart in my mouth” moment saw Parente lose 45 seconds on the side of pit straight power cycling the car.

The Chiyo//Florian Strauss Nissan GT-R took second as the big guns of Supercars joined the field following the controversial 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/ also beat the previous race record of 296 laps (set in 2014) by a single lap. 2019 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour | Tale of 2018 15

2017: Tempers fray as Supercars team-mates battle

The tale of 2018 Audi claims third victory in red-flagged race

udi Sport Team WRT and its trio of anticlimactic end to the contest at the front of two Class A competitors at Forrest’s Elbow on , , and the field. Lap 217. A , each became first- time winners in a Bathurst 12 Hour The top seven outright finished on the lead That was the end of the day for Mostert cut short by a shocking crash. lap, but several had been nervous about their and co-drivers Augusto Farfus and Marco fuel status as the 12th hour wound down. Wittmann, while the then-third-placed #17 The accident, which gave Audi its third victory Jamie Whincup stood on the podium for a Bentley lost six laps as a result. in total at Mount Panorama, saw the race red second year in a row when the Mercedes- flagged and ultimately called with just over AMG he shared with Tristan Vautier, Kenny Either of the Jamec-Pem Audis might have 20 minutes left on the clock, and two drivers Habul, and Raffaele Marciello, finished won but Markus Winkelhock was cruelled by hospitalised. second. a transmission problem while leading in Car #74 on Lap 239. Frijns, Leonard and Vanthoor took the victory Third went to Pro-Am class winners Black following a brief red flag suspension after a Swan Racing and their Porsche piloted by Kelvin van der Linde put Car #22 in the wall at three-car shunt involving the #95 MARC Car, Marc Lieb, Luca Stolz, Jeroen Bleekemolen, The Dipper when he attempted an excessively #69 Audi and the #19 Mercedes-AMG. and Tim Pappas. ambitious move around a lapped car while trying to stick with the front-running sister in the MARC Car and Ash Competition Motorsports bagged another #74 R8. Walsh in the Audi slammed into the wall at strong result, namely second in class and McPhillamy Park, before the latter was hit fourth outright, for Matt Campbell, Alex Luke Youlden was mixing it with the factory hard in the passenger side by John Martin in a Davison, Patrick Long and David Calvert- drivers in an ageing Lamborghini when he was Mercedes-AMG. Jones. taken out by a backmarker around an hour into the race. Both Martin and Walsh escaped serious Many others had the Bathurst-standard sorry injuries, and Walsh even received his trophy tales to tell. Meanwhile, overheating accounted for the for winning the Am class with brothers James McLaren of Craig Lowndes, Shane van and Theo Koundouris in hospital. Pole-sitter Chaz Mostert had thoroughly Gisbergen, and Come Ledogar, in a car which dominated the very early hours in the Team never really hit the heights expected of such a As spectacular, and frightening, as the Schnitzer BMW but caused a four-car crash driving crew. race-ending crash may have been, it was an when he tried to round up a backmarker and

mercedes-benz.com.au 16 BATHURST 12 HOUR 2018 RESULTS Pos Car Competitor/Team Drivers Vehicle Class Laps Fastest Lap 1 37 Audi Sport Team WRT R.Frijns/S.Leonard/D.Vanthoor Audi R8 LMS APP 271 2:03.5244 2 75 Mercedes-AMG Team SunEnergy1 K.Habul/T.Vautier/J.Whincup/R.Marciello Mercedes-AMG GT3 APP 271 2:03.4767 3 540 Boston Athletic Club T.Pappas/J.Bleekemolen/L.Stolz/M.Lieb Porsche 911 GT3 R APA 271 2:04.6146 4 12 Ice Break & Virgin Australia D.Calvert-Jones/P.Long/M.Campbell/A.Davison Porsche 911 GT3 R APA 271 2:04.1733 5 991 EuroMechanica L.Vanthoor/K.Estre/E.Bamber Porsche 911 GT3 R APA 271 2:03.5828 6 911 Manthey-Racing R.Dumas/F.Makowiecki/D.Werner Porsche 911 APP 271 2:04.3196 7 55 N.Leventis/L.Williamson/C.Waters/D. Mercedes-AMG GT3 APA 271 2:04.0080 Fumanelli 8 29 Haemokinisis/Trofeo Estate J.Manolios/R.Millier/I.Capelli/D.Canto Lamborghini Huracan APA 270 2:04.7601 9 100 Laser Plumbing and Electrical S.Richards/T.Glock/P.Eng BMW M6 GT3 APP 270 2:03.1978 10 69 Supabarn J.Koundouris/T.Koundouris/A.Walsh/D. Audi R8 LMS AAM 269 2:03.9421 Padayachee 11 47 YNA Autosport S.McLaughlin/F.Ross/A.Watson/A.West McLaren 650S GT3 APA 269 2:03.1893 12 8 WM Waste M.Twigg/C.Baird/T.D’Alberto Mercedes-AMG GT3 APA 268 2:04.4711 13 32 JBS Australia R.Lago/D.Russell/S.Owen Lamborghini R-EX APA 267 2:04.4119 14 39 Audi Sport Team WRT P.Lamy/P.Dalla Lana/M.Lauda/W.Davison Audi R8 LMS APA 267 2:04.5235 15 19 Daimler Trucks D.Reynolds/J.Martin/L.Talbot/M.Griffith Mercedes-AMG GT3 APA 266 2:04.9346 16 17 Bentley Team M-Sport S.Kane/G.Smith/J.Gounon Bentley Continental APP 265 2:03.4424 17 4 Grove Group S.Grove/B.Grove/B.Barker/D.Gaunt Porsche GT3 Cup B 260 2:08.5288 18 91 MARC Cars Australia K.Kassulke/R.Salmon/W.Brown MARC II V8 I 258 2:09.0794 19 85 Paul Reed Smith Guitars C.Putman/C.Espenlaub/J.Foster Porsche 911GT3 Cup B 257 2:11.8874 20 21 The Porsche Broker D.Stutterd/S.Fillmore/A.Fawcet Porsche 911 B 256 2:11.0161 21 6 Safe-T-Stop R.Gartner/H.Morrall/D.Wall/J.Bowe Lamborghini Gallardo AAM 256 2:06.1451 22 30 The Boat Works Racing A.Seton/M.Brabham/T.Longhurst BMW M4 C 250 2:17.8146 23 77 Ginetta Australia M.Simpson/C.Cowham/L.Kearns Ginetta G55 C 246 2:18.1028 24 49 Interlloy G.Wood/T.Harrison/C.Hill KTM X-Bow GT4 C 245 2:17.2154 25 93 MARC Cars Australia G.Denyer/T.Everingham/G.Jacobson MARC Mazda V8 I 244 2:11.7650 2019 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour | Bathurst 12 Hour 2018 results 17 BATHURST 12 HOUR 2018 RESULTS

26 33 MARC Cars Australia R.Thomson/Z.Goddard/D.Ridge MARC Mazda V8 I 243 2:12.3046 27 22 Valvoline / Jamecpem G.Tander/K.van der Linde/F.Vervisch Audi R8 LMS APP 241 2:03.1857 28 56 Mercedes-AMG Team Strakka M.Buhk/M.Gotz/A.Parente Mercedes-AMG GT3 APP 237 2:03.4156 29 13 JET Battery Services D.Jorgensen/C.Lawrence/B.Strom/K.Wittmer BMW M4 GT4 C 188 2:16.8854 30 44 BP Ultimate D.Grant/X.West/C.Hill BMW M4 GT4 C 162 2:16.5396 31 66 Daytona Sportcars B.Schoots/A.Macrow/M.Caine Dodge Viper I 162 2:06.6697 32 65 Daytona Sportcars J.Augustine/D.Thomas/R.Howell Dodge Viper I 145 2:10.5182 DNF 95 Eastgate Engineering G.Taunton/J.Busk/B.Fullwood MARC Focus V8 I 244 2:11.5614 DNF 74 Valvoline Jamecpem C.Mies/C.Haase/M.Winkelhock Audi R8 LMS APP 238 2:02.9321 DNF 777 The Bend Y.Shahin/L.Youlden/T.Enge Lamborghini Gallardo APA 219 2:03.6052 DNF 43 BMW M Power A.Farfus/C.Mostert/M.Wittmann BMW M6 GT3 APP 217 2:01.9575 DNF 40 On Track Motorsport G.Mennell/K.Booker/A.Zerefos/M.Caine Porsche 997 GT3 Cup B 193 2:17.9585 DNF 88 Ginetta Australia W.Tregurtha/J.Robson/B.Walsh Ginetta G55 C 133 2:20.1976 DNF 54 MARC Cars Australia P.Morris/K.Alford/C.Parrish MARC II V8 I 123 2:10.5087 DNF 58 YNA Autosport S.van Gisbergen/C.Lowndes/C.Ledogar McLaren 650S GT3 APP 119 2:04.3694 DNF 67 Gotzinger Smallgoods M.Haber/J.Camilleri/A.Cameron MARC II V8 I 87 2:10.5087 DNF 46 Prosport Performance GABH J.Viebahn/M.Schelp/M.Braams Porsche Cayman PRO4 C 84 2:20.1976 DNF 23 Team Carrera Cup Asia P.Tresidder/C.van der Drift/A.Tang/C.Yi-Fan Porsche GT3 Cup B 82 2:09.0422 DNF 3 Audi Sport Customer Racing A.Samadi/D.O’Keeffe/D.Gaunt Audi R8 LMS AAM 66 2:05.6726 DNF 18 Bentley Team M-Sport M.Soulet/V.Abril Bentley Continental AAP 58 2:04.4739 DNF 82 “Bolt Masters, Castrol” A.Bagnall/M.Halliday Audi R8 LMS APA 41 2:04.2569 DNF 9 Hallmarc M.Cini/D.Fiore Audi R8 LMS APA 41 2:05.1707 DNF 48 Interlloy J.McMillan/D.Crampton KTM X-Bow GT4 C 31 2:19.7345 DNF 96 GAP Solutions / SEKTOR Jon Goodacre MARC Focus V8 I 75 2:07.5527

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2019 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour | Bathurst 12 Hourwinners 19

Previous Bathurst 12 Hour winners Year Drivers Entrant Car Robin Frijns 2018 Stuart Leonard Audi Sport Team WRT Audi R8 LMS GT3 Dries Vanthoor Craig Lowndes 2017 Toni Vilander Maranello Motorsport Ferrari 488 GT3 Jamie Whincup Álvaro Parente 2016 Shane van Gisbergen Tekno Autosports McLaren 650S GT3 Jonathon Webb Katsumasa Chiyo 2015 Wolfgang Reip NISMO Global Athlete Team Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 Florian Strauss John Bowe Peter Edwards 2014 Maranello Motorsport Ferrari 458 GT3 Craig Lowndes Mika Salo Thomas Jaeger 2013 Alexander Roloff Erebus Motorsport Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 Bernd Schneider Christer Jons 2012 Christopher Mies Phoenix Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 Darryl O’Young Marc Basseng 2011 Christopher Mies Audi R8 LMS GT3 Darryl O’Young John Bowe 2010 Garry Holt Eastern Creek International Karting BMW 335i Paul Morris 2009 Rod Salmon TMR Australia Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X Damien White Graham Alexander 2008 Rod Salmon SKWIRK.com Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX Damien White Craig Baird 2007 Garry Holt Eastern Creek Karts BMW 335i Paul Morris 1996 -2006 Not held John Bowe 1995 Dick Johnson Mazda Motorsport Mazda RX-7 *(Race held at Eastern Creek) 1994 Mazda Motorsport Mazda RX-7 Gregg Hansford Alan Jones 1993 Mazda Australia Mazda RX-7 Garry Waldon Mark Gibbs 1992 Charlie O’Brien Mazda Australia Mazda RX-7 Garry Waldon Nigel Arkell 1991 Peter Fitzgerald Turbo Allan Grice

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CIRCUIT GUIDE: A LAP OF MOUNT PANORAMA Location: Bathurst, Length: 6.213 kilometres Direction: Anti-Clockwise FORREST’S ELBOW Fastest point: Conrod Straight Named after Jack Forrest, a Corners: 23 (14 Left 9 Right) motorcycle racer who scraped his Qualifying lap record: 2:01.286s (Shane van Gisbergen, elbow away after dropping his bike Tekno Autosports, McLaren 650S, 2016) on the corner, Forrest’s Elbow is Race lap record (12Hr): 2:01.567s (Shane van Gisbergen, a sharp, downhill left-hander. The Tekno Autosports, McLaren 650S, 2016) exit is crucial for lap speed.

THE CHASE CONROD STRAIGHT Added in 1987 when the world came to Mount Panorama At 1.916km, Conrod Straight is the for the first time for the World Touring Car Championship, longest in Australia and like Mountain The Chase sits where another crest in Conrod Straight Straight features a considerable rise used to be. In just over 80 years, it remains the only major midway along. While it builds to the circuit modification. fastest point of the circuit, it is also a rare opportunity for drivers to relax. Cars drop into the fastest corner in the nation before a hard, uphill braking zone and then another right on exit from the complex.

MURRAY’S CORNER: Ironically, the lap is bookended by relatively tame 90-degree corners, though Murray’s is an easy place to lock 20 a brake as it is the second of two major 21 stops in quick succession. 22

23

HELL CORNER: The first of 23 bends, Hell Corner begins the lap with a 90-degree left-hand turn. 1 Heavy braking is required following the slight uphill climb at the end of the main straight..

MOUNTAIN STRAIGHT: Cars exit Hell Corner onto the 1.111km Mountain Straight, which features a significant hump that is steeper to driver’s right than left. Cars reach speeds up to 250km/h. 2019 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour | A lap of Mount Panorama 21 A LAP OF MOUNT PANORAMA SKYLINE So-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 ESSES A tricky descent where visibility of the road surface is all but non-existent, The Esses can bite hard, 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 before the drop soon becomes too steep to do so.

THE DIPPER REID PARK / SULMAN PARK / Essentially a continuation of The Esses, The Dipper McPHILLAMY PARK: sees the track plunge into what is actually a sharper The Reid Park/Sulman Park/McPhillamy than 90-degree left-hander, where the left-front corner Park sequence is generally regarded as of the car picks up off the road surface. drivers’ favourite section of race track in the country.

A flowing right leads onto the climb up to 18 Reid Park and a change of direction right up 19 against a concrete wall which sucks cars in. The plunge towards the Metal Grate follows, 17 where drivers aim at a drain right next to a wall before pulling left. 16 The highest point on the circuit is the crest 15 just prior to the McPhillamy Park gates; 862m above sea level and a full 174m higher than 14 the lowest point (Murray’s Corner). Here, 13 drivers aim almost at the inside wall and let inertia carry them across to corner exit. 12 11

2

10

7 3 5 6 8 9

4 THE CUTTING: A blind corner on approach, The Cutting is the GRIFFINS BEND: culmination of a narrow, Turn 2, named after Mayor Martin Griffin who double-left uphill run which opened what was then known as Mount Panorama requires near-perfect car Scenic Drive in March 1938, Griffins Bend is placement. Overtaking is characterised by a relatively steep braking zone virtually impossible, the exit into a positively cambered corner. The camber is characterised by a 1:6 does, however, turn dangerously negative if drivers gradient, and there exists a step off the racing line through the corner. tricky rise after the following right-hander.

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Daniel Herrero By the numbers Speedcafe.com Journalist

This year represents the 17th running of a 12 Hour 17 endurance race at Mount Panorama. Robin Frijns, Stuart Leonard, and Dries Vanthoor became the 36th, 37th, and 38th different Bathurst 12 38 Hour winners last year Number of multiple winners (most recently Craig 09 Lowndes in 2017) A total of nine marques have won the Bathurst 12 Hour (Toyota, Mazda, BMW, Mitsubishi, Audi, Mercedes- 09 Benz, Ferrari, Nissan, McLaren) Number of Bathurst 12 Hour-winning drivers in this year’s field (Christopher Mies 2, Craig Lowndes 2, 06 Thomas Jaeger, Katsumasa Chiyo, Shane van Gisbergen, Jamie Whincup)

Number of different nationalities on last year’s outright podium (2 Dutchmen, 2 Australians, 2 Germans, Briton, 08 Belgian, Frenchman, Italian, American) The #888 Triple Eight/Scott Taylor Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3 is the only car in the field with 01 multiple race winners Number of different GT3 models entered in this year’s 10 race The race record number of laps, set in 2016 by Shane van Gisbergen, Alvaro Parente and Jonathon Webb. That count equates to 1845km at an average of 153.54km/h. Last year’s winners completed 271 laps in a race which ran just over 297 20 minutes short. The race record of 2016 therefore also represents the highest average speed, 153.54km/h. Last year’s 153.5 average speed was 144.72km/h. 0.4138 The smallest winning margin in history is 0.4138s, when Craig Lowndes beat Maxi Buhk to the line in 2014 The official outright lap record which Christopher Mies set in an unrestricted Audi in last November’s Challenge Bathurst meeting (The Bathurst 12 Hour race lap record, set by Shane van Gisbergen in a 1:59.291 McLaren 650S in 2016, is 2:01.567)

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Bathurst dream team to take on GT’s elite Tom Howard Speedcafe.com Editor

oasting a combined 15 major wins at Bathurst it is easy to see why Triple Eight’s 12 Hour driver line-up B has been described as the dream team.

The prospect of previous race winners Craig Lowndes, Jamie Whincup and Shane van Gisbergen combining in a Triple Eight/Scott Taylor Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3 has seen the trio listed among the hot favourites to take out the Mount Panorama GT classic.

While the race will welcome the cream of GT racing from across the globe, on paper the experience and success at Bathurst the Triple Eight drivers have accrued at Australia’s iconic 6.2km ribbon of tarmac is unrivalled.

Lowndes heads into the race a two-time Bathurst 12 Hour winner having triumphed in for Maranello Motorsport in 2014 and 2017.

His last victory saw the seven-time Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 winner combine with Whincup and Finn Toni Vilander in a dominant Ferrari 488 that was run largely by Triple Eight.

That win arrived on Whincup’s Bathurst 12 2019 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour | Bathurst dream team to take on GT’s elite 25

Hour debut which the seven-time Supercars champion then followed up with a second place finish last year behind the wheel of an almost identical Mercedes-AMG GT3 to what he will race this year.

Adding to the already potent roster is van Gisbergen, who is arguably the most adept to GT3 machinery having won the Blancpain Endurance Series as a factory driver for McLaren in 2016 alongside a win at the Bathurst 12 Hour.

The Kiwi was also in the mix to claim back-to- back Bathurst 12 Hour wins before becoming involved in a late race tangle while ironically hunting down the eventual race winning Lowndes/Whincup/Vilander Ferrari. before so I’m a little bit guided by them in not diminished the desire to triumph again this It was to become one of the most iconic the sense the characteristics of the car, trail year. moments in the race’s GT3 history helped by braking, the traction control, where all the an explosive television interview from then dash instruments are, because obviously it’s “The 2017 race was a bit of an eye opener team-mate Maro Engel, who criticised van a different layout to the Ferrari. and that was good,” Triple Eight team manager Gisbergen’s driving. Mark Dutton told Speedcafe.com. “Because they’ve driven it before they sort of Funnily enough Engel will return the race this have been working on more of the set-up and “To go there and roll with and work with year after sitting out 2018, and will also be characteristics of the car. the Ferrari boys and get the win, that was among the six car Mercedes-AMG Bathurst immensely rewarding. assault. “We know each other extremely well. “We had good results, so the expectations are In a bizarre twist it will also be the first time “We always remember that battle between high for the team for this one and we’re really Lowndes, Whincup and van Gisbergen will Jamie and Shane in the closing stages a excited. have driven together despite having been at couple of years ago, so it’s ... at least we’re the same Triple Eight stable for the last three now all in one car. “The cars are good and we’ve got arguably for years. Bathurst in particular, the three best (drivers). “There’s going to be some huge, strong Piecing together such a formidable driver competition from Europe and America, and I “The cream of the crop (form Europe, America line-up will inevitably raise expectations and think it’s going to come down to staying out and Asia) rolling out with big teams, like Audi, pressure to live up to the mantle come race of trouble. they spare no expense. week. “Twelve hours is a long day in the seat, and “So we feel like we’re representing Australia, While their Bathurst records are exemplary, one thing I’ve learned about the12 Hour is as well as Triple Eight in those instances, when a mix of experience and skill is not always basically to take it easy, just to really not try you get to do that. So hopefully we can do the enough to conquer the mountain which has a and ... like I do in the Bathurst 1000, is not same this year.” habit of biting back. trying to be the leader, you just want to be on the lead lap, and stay out of trouble. The sight of Triple Eight’s tantalising trio could Likewise, GT racing is seldom predictable with be a familiar one for years to come which will reliability, strategy and Balance of Performance “There’s huge closing speeds, with different make grim reading for the opposition. all variables that can change the outcome of a cars in different categories, so you’ve just got race. to make sure you just stay out of trouble.” “GT racing is just growing and growing, all around the world in different countries and the “Yes, we go to Bathurst as hopefully one of the Meanwhile, the strength of the Triple Eight Bathurst program in particular, it’s bringing big favourites,” Lowndes, who drove the Mercedes- line-up once again highlights how important name drivers, big name teams, it’s an awesome AMG GT3 for the first time at Phillip Island last and serious the 12 Hour has become on a event,” Dutton added. week, told Speedcafe.com. global stage since it adopted GT3 regulations in 2011. “So I believe it’ll be something we do on a more “With the three of us, it’s the first time we’ve consistent basis.” driven together. In recent years, winning the and the Bathurst 1000 has Triple Eight’s Bathurst 12 Hour program will “All three of us are talking the same language been the squad’s focus but the 12 Hour begin on Friday with the opening practice in the sense of what the car behaviour is, so has well and truly infiltrated the team’s session. that’s a good sign. objectives. “Both Shane and Jamie have driven the car Having won in 2017 the squad knows how to conquer the event, but that victory has

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JOIN THE FAMILY tyreplus.com.au/jointhefamily The difference is more than a sign! 2019 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour | Balance of Performance explained 27

Balance of Performance explained Mat Coch Speedcafe.com Journalist

Behind the scenes of every GT race lies aerodynamics are put through the wringer. the nuances that make them unique. It’s why a delicate, and at times controversial, Every car is considered both in isolation and we can close our eyes and pick the guttural equalisation process designed to make in comparison to the rest of the field, helping growl of the Mercedes-AMG GT3, or the the array of racing philosophies perform to maintain the characteristics of each. slightly muted shrill of the Ferrari. It’s why the fundamentally the same. That’s not to say a Different performance figures are applied at Porsche 911 GT3 R with its engine behind the Mercedes will drive like a Porsche, but the different circuits, with Surmont producing rear wheels can go toe to toe with the front- intent is to produce a formula where, over a four variations to suit the range of circuit mounted donk in the BMW M6 GT3. race stint, the myriad of approaches taken styles. Mount Panorama, with its two long by the world’s automotive manufacturers straights blasting up and down the Mountain, In short, the Balance of Performance is produces the same result no matter the is considered in the same vein as Monza, and the reason GT racing globally has become badge on the bonnet. Macau. so competitive, all the while ensuring they look, sound, and perform like the car they’re It’s a process called Balance of Performance, What comes out of the process is an ability designed to be. with each and every car being put through for the best cars in the world to compete on a rigorous test each and every year to make an even playing field, all the while retaining sure that it doesn’t hold an advantage over its rivals. The sport’s boffins, headed by SRO Motorsport Technical Director Claude Surmont, set about testing all the cars in a Make Model Weight Restrictor Ride Height Fuel Rig Restrictor back to back process before determining Aston Martin Vantage Gt3 1310 2x 41.5mm 75mm/180mm 34mm how to make a normally aspirated 12-cylinder Audi R8 LMS 1275 2x39mm 65.5mm/128mm 30mm engine equate to a turbo-charged unit with Bentley Continental GT3 1290 134mm/132mm 35mm half the number of pots. BMW M6 GT3 1325 93mm/93mm 36mm

To achieve the desired result there are a Ferrari 488 GT3 1290 73mm/98mm 32.5mm number of methods employed which all Lamborghini Huracan GT3 1290 2x39mm 65.5mm/128mm 30mm target different areas. Mechanical grip can be McLaren 650S GT3 1265 2x36mm 67mm/74mm 36mm managed by specifying the size of wheel and tyre the car can use. Turbo-charged engines Mercedes AMG GT3 1340 2x36mm 81mm/87mm 33mm get boost pressure limits, and normally Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 1295 124mm/165mm 34mm aspirated cars have airflow restrictors. Weight can also be added, even the cars’ Porsche 911 GT3 R 1245 2x41.5mm 72.mm/1244mm 30mm

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2019 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour | In-car warning system 29

12 Hour to run in-car warning system Tom Howard Speedcafe.com Editor

An in-car warning system designed to alert If a danger is spotted race control can drivers of upcoming hazards will be used for activate the system which will trigger the the first time in Australia during the 2019 warning light inside the car to warn the driver Bathurst 12 Hour. of any impending hazards ahead.

The 41-car field at the Mount Panorama GT This will be used in addition to the traditional classic will be fitted with a Motec warning flag marshals. light device that aims to help prevent a repeat of a frightening crash that saw last year’s race “After last year’s event, obviously, there was red flagged and two driver hospitalised. a number of incidents that highlighted the potential risks across the top of the mountain “Basically, there’s communications between Ash Walsh and John Martin were lucky to in some areas,” Bathurst 12 Hour event the flag points and race control, and then avoid serious injuries when the former’s director Kurt Sakzewski told Speedcafe.com. race control themselves will set up a direct stricken Audi R8 was struck at high speed on link to the system as well, so it complements the run from Sulman Park to McPhillamy Park “Obviously, it’s challenging in what is very the existing flag marshals. by an unsighted Martin, driving a Mercedes- much a semi-permanent facility, so it is AMG GT3. mostly a public road and obviously, the “It doesn’t override anything that’s already elevation changes at Mount Panorama are in place. But basically, it’s an additional The incident triggered calls to improve safety quite unique to a racetrack in Australia. communication device which will allow a light at a section of the circuit that has been on the dash of the car to flash up to warn witness to several high profile incidents over “But working with the team at Motec, we’ve drivers when they’re coming up to a sector the years, including the death of Mark Porter established that their race management which has a change in conditions.” in 2006. intel warning light system will be able to be implemented to the 2019 Liqui-Moly Bathurst It is understood Supercars will monitor the A CAMS investigation has resulted in all cars 12 Hour. system’s performance at Bathurst as it being fitted with a warning light on the dash assesses the prospect of introducing the of each car which is linked to race control and “It will work in combination with the Balance device to its cars in the future. works in conjunction with the car’s Motec of Performance (BoP) loggers and the data loggers and telemetry. telemetry set-up that we’ve already got placed in the cars.

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Changing of the guard Mat Coch Speedcafe.com Journalist

here’s an old motorsport saying that new cars are put through their paces ahead of goes, if you’re standing still, you’re their official competition debut. Bentley went going backwards. In the white heat through that process a year ago, meaning T of competition where the difference this time around we’re going to see the latest between winning and losing is often spec Bentley for the first time. It has an all- intangible, any advantage or development could new four-litre twin turbo V8, and takes in the be the key to the next big success. And, as Continental’s new body styling, which sees a such, the sport is in a constant state of flux, of more aggressive grille and front bar. development, of change. At the other end of its lifespan are the McLaren That’s no more evident than on the grid of this 650S GT3, and the Aston Martin Vantage V12 year’s Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour where of GT3. The accomplished duo are now, in racing the 10 manufacturers represented in Class car terms, due to be put out to pasture as new A, more than half of them are racing cars in models are beginning to roll off the production a configuration we’re unlikely to see again. In line. McLaren has already raced its new- the 650S GT3, a car which added McLaren’s some instances it’s a case of a new evolution, for-2019 720S GT3, with Shane van Gisbergen stamp to the GT map. That car’s biggest single an upgrade to the current model, but two more taking the wheel in the Dubai 24 Hours. Not event win was arguably the 2016 Bathurst 12 are planning on racing all-new cars once the an official GT3 event, it was effectively a racing Hour, with van Gisbergen at the wheel along European GT season kicks off later this year. shakedown for the car which will hit tracks in an with Jonathon Webb and Alvaro Parente, and it That means we’ll see brand new cars on the official capacity from March. banked championship wins around the world. So, Mountain in early 2020. big shoes to fill there. The new car has been developed in-house at Bentley is a year early, and the Bentley Team McLaren, where the 650S was produced under Similarly Aston Martin will this year introduce the M-Sport outfit is poised to debut two of the licence. It will continue to sport a four-litre twin- successor to the Vantage V12 GT3. Successful latest spec Continentals this time around. turbo V8 making it mechanically very similar to even into its last season in 2018, the new car is We’ve never seen them Down Under before, the car it replaces, and maintains the tradition both visually and mechanically a departure from since the Bathurst 12 Hour is in effect the final of using a carbon-fibre tub as the 650S and the model which debuted in 2012. Gone is the event of the 2018 GT season, rather than the MP4-12C before it did. Around that, McLaren V12, for a start, replaced with a Mercedes-based first of 2019 (despite the fact it falls well into claims 90 percent of the car has been either four-litre twin-turbo V8. The big open mouth the new calendar year). This is an anomaly of modified or optimised from the road going grille has also disappeared, with a more tapered the homologation process that takes place in 720S on which it’s based. As a result, there is front end with a more stylised trademark grille Europe towards the end of the winter, where all just a single entry for its predecessor this year, 2019 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour | Changing of the guard 31 mounted far lower than ever before. The car was given a debut of sorts at the , running in an all-Aston Martin supporting event to the French classic last July. There’s at least one of these cars heading down under too, with former Australian GT boss Tony Quinn having already placed an order. Though it won’t be seen at the Mountain this year, as R-Motorsport will field two examples of the earth-shaking Vantage V12, look for the new Vantage GT3 from 2020.

New cars aside, rules in GT racing allow manufacturers to release one update kit during a car’s life. However, there are a number of other tweaks that find their way onto cars over the years, with tweaks up and down pit lane evident this year over last. And there are more to come, with a swathe of manufacturers poised to release comparatively major updates to their cars over the next 12 months.

Out of , Nissan has developed a new GT-R NISMO GT3. Visually it shares a number of cues with the car it replaces, the cult classic which Katsumasa Chiyo rocketed to victory at Mount the last update to the current model 911 GT3 R to most Australian circuits, but Bathurst though Panorama in 2015, but under the skin are a few before a new spec car, the 992 which is due to is unlike any other circuit. subtle changes. The twin-turbo charged engine, hit showroom floors next year, gets developed. for a start, is mounted further back to aid weight There in the last two years the M6 has proved to distribution, and it has new brakes too. It’s a Lamborghini has also been busy fettling be on the pace – who will forget Chaz Mostert’s case of evolution versus revolution. the Huracan GT3, with two examples of the stunning early stint from last year’s race? current car on the grid at this year’s 12 Hour. The current car came into being for the 2016 Also set to race in its current guise for the last Both will be run as Pro-Am entries, with the season, replacing the Z4 GT3, with a 4.4-litre time is the Audi R8 LMS GT3, with an update cars featuring much the same drivetrain as twin turbo V8. There was an Evo package pack set to be introduced post-Bathurst. In is underneath the Audi R8 LMS GT3. That available last year which means we’ll see it on fact, the two Audi Sport Team Valvoline cars, makes sense, given both cars fall under the the Mountain for the first time this weekend. which are brand new for this weekend, had to Volkswagen Audi Group, leaving primarily the That included revisions to the suspension, be spec’d back to their 2018 homologation aerodynamics as the differing point. For 2019 drivetrain, brakes and aero, which BMW claimed after Audi delivered them to the Victorian team Lamborghini is introducing an update kit, called was aimed at making the car easier to drive and in readiness for 2019. Those changes centre the EVO, to the car. more reliable. around the aerodynamics, most obviously the front bar, with the company claiming that Aerodynamically the update is a step At Mercedes it’s business as usual, with the it provides more consistent and predictable forwarded, but so too in terms of drivability and AMG GT3 more or less unchanged over the car downforce by simplifying the airflow to the rear ease of set-up. Those gains come as a result which finished second in the race a year ago. end. That too has had some attention, with a of a bigger rear wing, a new front splitter and Ferrari too is yet to release an update for the gap in the rear bumper deigned to allow heat to diffuser, and tweaks to the V10 engine mounted 488, a car which in early January chalked up its escape the mid-mounted V10 engine. in the middle of the car. 200th GT3 race win. There are also stronger components underneath, This year also marks the first year that we The Ferrari made its global debut in Australia, from the gearbox to bearings and the clutch. It’s should see the BMW M6 GT3 in its current over the weekend in an upgrade kit that, rather than making the car form. The big German brute has struggled 2016, and went on to win the Bathurst 12 Hour necessarily faster, is aimed at making the Audi competing locally, its long wheelbase not suited with Maranello Motorsport and Triple Eight in R8 LMS GT3 easier to drive, and therefore faster, 2017. Mercedes meanwhile claimed its first win for ‘privateer’ entrants. globally at that same event in 2016, but is yet to chalk up a Bathurst 12 Hour win. Porsche will this year introduce an update to the 911 GT3 R, which it claims will be more powerful With Triple Eight this year running a Mercedes and significantly better in terms of drivability. with Scott Taylor Motorsport, that could all soon The German marque last year introduced some change. As they say, if you’re standing still in aerodynamic tweaks, with the dive planes on the motorsport, you’re going backwards. front corners of the car the most obvious way to pick it. For next year the updates continue outside and in, with a bigger duct in the bonnet scooping the hot air out of the radiator mounted in the nose of the car. It’s likely that this will be

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Walkenhorst’s redemption Slade Perrins Speedcafe.com Journalist

ount Panorama has bitten its fair share of racing cars over the years. Walkenhorst Motorsport know first- M hand what it’s like; adrenaline and above all, pure excitement pumping through the veins of every team member and driver, only to have it all ripped out from underneath you within seconds by a crash.

After all, there’s no rewind or restart button in real life.

Walkenhorst Motorsport made the long haul out from Germany to Australia – 16, 439km – in 2017 to debut at the Bathurst 12 Hour with a formidable Pro-driver combination, hoping to challenge for victory in the ultra-competitive Redemption, however, is on the cards as the Dutch ace Nick Catsburg and Danish open- Class A field. team returns to the Bathurst 12 Hour in 2019 wheel star Mikkel Jensen. for another shot at conquering the Mountain. Cruelly, they would not even make the start Travelling from their base near Osnabrück of the race on Sunday after Ricky Collard Walkenhorst Motorsport arrives off the back in Germany, the team has spent months made contact with Lee Holdsworth’s Audi of an unforgettable 2018 season, highlighted preparing for their second trip to Bathurst at the Esses in qualifying on Saturday by their remarkable outright victory at the 24 with the container carrying the car and all the morning, tipping the BMW M6 GT3 into the Hours of Spa with BMW. equipment having departed in mid-November concrete wall at the Dipper. Due to not having last year. certain parts needed to complete the repair, Christian Krognes, who was part of the Spa Walkenhorst Motorsport were forced to winning combination, will also drive for the As team manager Niclas Königbauer withdraw from the event. team at this year’s Bathurst 12 Hour alongside explains, with transit times so lengthy to 2019 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour | Wlakenhorst’s redemption 33

and from events especially concerning the “That was also quite tricky to really make “So, it’s exactly the same car. For Bathurst, Intercontinental GT Challenge, some European sure where can we position the car in the I’m quite positive that this livery will stay. We teams go to the extent of effectively building container, or do we need a second container? have everything (resources wise) with us to up two race teams to ensure they are properly What can we do to ensure in a very short create a new livery on site, but for Bathurst, I organised. time to get that container and get everything guess 95 percent the livery we will stay. We’re set-up? And that was more or less the initial just talking a little bit and have one or two “The main problems are always the period preparations.” different ideas, but I don’t think that we will do of time (when it comes to preparation),” it. So yeah, it will stay the Spa 24 livery.” Königbauer told Speedcafe.com. Agreeing that the Intercontinental GT Challenge is the one of the biggest logistical Speaking of their win, the “So that means we have to start getting final feats in motorsport, Königbauer said the risks German described the experience for him and agreement with the drivers, the manufacturer, such as their 2017 heartbreak do play on his the entire Walkenhorst Motorsport team as a and everything like that. This is quite tough mind, but it makes the decision to return to once in a lifetime and a changing moment in to really finalise this that we can say ‘yes, Bathurst easier. its history. we’re going that way’. As soon as this is done, actually even before we have to think about “It didn’t make the situation harder, it makes “It was crazy, I think there’s just a few race how we can manage it, and for us it was it easier,” he reasoned of the team’s early weekends like that in the whole lifetime in a clear if we do that, we want to keep our own withdrawal from the 2017 event. racing team. So that means, with one car you container. do not have any issues from the start to the “We just said there’s still a challenge open, we end, every driver; every team member was “The problem is then the whole equipment have to accept it and, I mean, the whole race feeling so comfortable,” he said. more or less stays away for one year, so that weekend, the whole race by itself we really means we had to build up a second racing enjoyed it so much, for the whole team, that “It was great, we did a zero-mistake job with team, equipment wise and so on; just in a we said we will come back at one point. the pit crew, the drivers, with everything. We couple of weeks. We bought a container, “After one year, with a break, it’s even better didn’t get penalised or any penalty. It was just we came up with an idea how we can use that we can join two years later and hopefully amazing. We knew that we had the pace; we like a second level in the container and the have a little more luck this time.” knew that one time we can win. flight cases; we built special flight cases,” he continued. Paying homage to Walkenhorst Motorsport’s “Now it’s the preparation for Bathurst. I mean, 24 Hours of Spa win in July last year, the team the guys are practicing a lot for the pit stops “We did everything that if you’re arriving at have sent over their Spa winning chassis to and for everything. It’s not like ‘yeah, we can Bathurst or wherever, we can set up our things compete in the Bathurst 12 Hour wrapped in do it. We’re okay’. We won Spa, which could quite easy and quick. And also, if something a similar livery to that with which they claimed happen at Bathurst, so now everyone of those happens like we have a damaged car or victory in the Ardennes. guys are super keen on showing even better whatever, that we always have the chance to “The livery of the car is more or less exactly results, better pit stops, everything should bring the car back. the same as in Spa; the chassis is the Spa improve.” winning chassis,” Königbauer explained.

mercedes-benz.com.au tough on dirt easy on your car

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Bathurst 2018 Full page.indd 1 29/8/18 1:40 pm 2019 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour | TV Times 35 tough on dirt easy on your car

TV broadcast and times Seven’s coverage will commence with Saturday afternoon’s Pirelli Top 10 Shootout at 1600 local time/AEDT on .

The race will be live on the same channel all day on Sunday from 0530 AEDT.

Mark Beretta will again host the telecasts, while the commentary line-up of John Hindhaugh, Richard Craill and Jonny Palmer is also the same as in 2018. Introducing a new addition to our Wipes family. ® In pit lane, Beretta will be joined by Seven’s Alex Hart, Supercars’ Chad Neylon, and Shea Adam, while Briony Ingerson is a new addition as a NEW ARMOR ALL BUG WIPES helps remove colour reporter. insect stains, tree sap and bird droppings from The telecast will also be streamed on 7plus in Australia and via the event’s website for overseas markets, while will provide live the exterior surfaces of your car. audio commentary of each 12 Hour session. It’s tough on stains but safe for car Saturday 1600 AEDT 7mate Top 10 Shootout exteriors including clear coats. Sunday 0530 AEDT 7mate Bathurst 12 Hour

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Bathurst 2018 Full page.indd 1 29/8/18 1:40 pm 36

Habul returns to the scene of his boyhood dream realised Brett Murray Speedcafe.com Contributor

S-based Australian racer Kenny Habul took one step to realise a U boyhood dream last year and it was onto the podium at the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour.

He had just teamed with Jamie Whincup, Tristan Vautier and Raffaele Marciello to bring the SunEnergy1 Mercedes-AMG home in second place outright and tears of pride were washed away by the spray of the champagne.

The result was the best of Habul’s career and provided the foundation for a memorable year which resulted in him clinching the Intercontinental GT Challenge Bronze Drivers title at Laguna Seca in October.

Habul will share his SunEnergy1 Mercedes- AMG Pro-Am entry in the 2019 Bathurst 12 Hour with his long-time French team-mate Vautier and 2013 outright race winner Thomas Jaeger.

The car will be prepared by Scott Taylor Motorsport, which is also working with Triple Eight Race Engineering on a sister car for Whincup, Craig Lowndes and Shane van Gisbergen. 2019 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour | Habul returns to the scene of his boyhood dream realised 37

STM will additionally be preparing a was boyhood dream stuff,” said Habul. carries a logo on the front of his car and his Mercedes-AMG in the Pro-Am class for David “It’s a feeling I definitely would like to helmet which combines a grinning crocodile Reynolds, Luke Youlden, and Yasser Shahin, in experience again. and an Australian flag. collaboration with Erebus Motorsport. “A good result at Bathurst would provIde a The 46-year-old used the Mercedes-AMG “Last year was pretty amazing really. We ticked foundation on which we could hopefully build customer program to full advantage with a lot of boxes,” said Habul. an Intercontinental GT Challenge drivers title different teams preparing his car throughout defence over the next 10 months or so.” the year at the international events. “To finish on the podium at the Bathurst 12 Hour last year was probably the highlight Following Bathurst last year, Habul took a “It is a privilege to be a part of the Mercedes- of my career and then to go on and win the Bronze Driver podium in the 24 Hours of Spa, AMG family and to enjoy the support they Intercontinental GT Challenge drivers title was Round 2 of the Intercontinental GT Challenge, provide,” said Habul. the icing on the cake. and another class win at the . “I don’t have the time to run my own car “Thomas and Tristan are both terrific drivers full-time, but Mercedes-AMG do a terrific job and have a lot of laps under their belts at The final round at Laguna Seca was marked through their customer network to hook me Bathurst and that is always a big asset to have by on-track drama caused by a slower up with professional teams, like Scott Taylor going into a 12 Hour.” competitor which saw Habul lose valuable Motorsport, to help us get the job done.” time for repairs, but he managed to get back Habul’s career started in in on track with minutes to spare and clinch the Bathurst is once again the start of what is now Australia in the late 1990s and was reignited Bronze Drivers title. an expanded Intercontinental GT Challenge with NASCAR and sportscar events in the US which Habul will take on in 2019, culminating after several years devoted to building his Habul, who has built SunEnergy1 into the in the 9 Hour on November 21-23. successful solar energy business. fifth largest developer of utility-scale solar projects in the US, is a proud Australian and His passion for motorsport was ignited when he worked as part of ’s operation as a youngster.

Habul was a massive Brock fan and has come to own several Brock Special road cars, plus the famous #10 1987 Bathurst 1000 winner as part of his US-based collection.

“It was a pretty amazing feeling to be standing on the podium at Mount Panorama last year. It

mercedes-benz.com.au 38 BATHURST 12 HOUR 2019 ENTRY LIST

Class A Pro – GT3 No Team Name Model Driver 1 Driver 2 Driver 3 2 Audi Sport Team Valvoline Audi R8 LMS Christopher Mies Christopher Haase Markus Winkelhock 18 KCMG Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 Alexandre Imperatori Oliver Jarvis Edoardo Liberati 22 Audi Sport Team Valvoline Audi R8 LMS Kelvin van der Linde Garth Tander Frederic Vervisch 27 HubAuto Corsa Ferrari 488 GT3 Nick Foster Tim Slade Nick Percat 34 Walkenhorst Motorsport BMW M6 GT3 Christian Krognes Mikkel Jensen 35 KCMG Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 Katsumasa Chiyo Matsuda Tsugio Joshua Burdon 42 BMW Team Schnitzer BMW M6 GT3 Augusto Farfus Chaz Mostert Martin Tomczyk 77 Mercedes-AMG Team Craft Mercedes-AMG GT3 Maro Engel Luca Stolz Gary Paffett Bamboo Black Falcon 107 Bentley Team M-Sport Bentley Continental GT3 Steven Kane Jules Gounon Jordan Pepper 108 Bentley Team M-Sport Bentley Continental GT3 Andy Soucek Maxime Soulet Vincent Abril 760 R-Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Jake Dennis Matthieu Vaxiviere Marvin Kirchhoefer 888 Mercedes-AMG Team Vodafone Mercedes-AMG GT3 Craig Lowndes Jamie Whincup Shane van Gisbergen 911 EBM Porsche 911 GT3 R Romain Dumas Sven Muller Mathieu Jaminet 912 EBM Porsche 911 GT3 R Dirk Werner Dennis Olsen Matt Campbell 999 Mercedes-AMG Team MANN FILTER Mercedes-AMG GT3 Raffaele Marciello Maximilian Goetz GruppeM Racing 2019 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour | Entry List 39 BATHURST 12 HOUR 2019 ENTRY LIST

Class A Pro -AM– GT3 No Team Name Model Driver 1 Driver 2 Driver 3 Driver 4 3 Audi Sport Team MPC Audi R8 LMS Pete Storey Gordon Shedden Matthew Neal 6 Wall Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Adrian Deitz Julian Westwood Cameron McConville Tony D’Alberto 9 Audi Sport Team MPC Audi R8 LMS Marc Cini Lee Holdsworth Dean Fiore 11 Objective Racing McLaren 650S GT3 Tony Walls Warren Luff Andrew Watson 12 Competition Motorsports / McElrea Porsche 911 GT3 R David Calvert-Jones Kevin Estre Jaxon Evans Racing 19 Griffith Corp. Team Nineteen. Black Mercedes-AMG GT3 Mark Griffith Yelmer Buurman Christina Nielsen Falcon 29 Trofeo Motorsport Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Jim Manolios Ben Porter Ivan Capelli Dean Canto 51 Spirit of Race Ferrari 488 GT3 Paul Dalla Lana Pedro Lamy Mathias Lauda 62 R-Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Florian Kamelger Andreas Baenziger Peter Leemhuis Mathew Parry 75 SunEnergy1 Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Kenny Habul Tristan Vautier Thomas Jaeger 98 Matt Stone Racing Audi R8 LMS Todd Hazelwood Roger Lago David Russell 540 Black Swan Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R Tim Pappas Jeroen Bleekemolen Marc Lieb 777 The Bend Motorsport Park Mercedes-AMG GT3 Yasser Shahin David Reynolds Luke Youlden

Class B: GT3 Cup No Team Name Model Driver 1 Driver 2 Driver 3 Driver 4 4 Grove Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Stephen Grove Brenton Grove Ben Barker 23 Team Carrera Cup Asia Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Paul Tresidder Jinlong Bao Philip Hamprecht 43 Ashley Seward Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Danny Stutterd Sam Fillmore

Class C – GT4 No Team Name Model Driver 1 Driver 2 Driver 3 Driver 4 13 RHC-Jorgensen/Strom by BMW M4 GT4 Daren Eric Jorgensen Brett Strom Gerard McLeod MarcGT 48 KTM / M Motorsport KTM X-Bow GT4 Justin McMillan Glen Wood Dean Lillie Peter Major 50 KTM / M Motorsport KTM X-Bow GT4 David Crampton Trent Harrison Tim Macrow Caitlin Wood 55 Ginetta Australia Ginetta G55 GT4 TBA TBA TBA 56 Ginetta Australia Ginetta G55 GT4 TBA TBA TBA 71 KTM / M Motorsport KTM X-Bow GT4 Dean Koutsoumidis Jake Parsons James Winslow

Class I – Invitational No Team Name Model Driver 1 Driver 2 Driver 3 Driver 4 20 T2 Racing by Liajen Motorsport Marc Car Marc II V8 Adam Hargraves Daniel Jilesen TBA 91 MARC Cars Australia Marc Car Marc II V8 Keith Kassulke Paul Morris Paul Tracy 92 Liajen Motorsport Marc Car Marc I Jason Busk Geoff Taunton Bryce Fullwood 96 MARC Cars Australia Marc Car Marc I Hadrian Morrall TBA TBA

mercedes-benz.com.au 40 PRO CLASS

CHRISTOPHER CHRISTOPHER MARKUS MIES (GER) HAASE (GER) WINKELHOCK (GER) Age: 29 Age: 31 Age: 38 2 B12Hr starts: 8 B12Hr starts: 4 B12Hr starts: 4 B12Hr wins: 2 (2011, Best result: 9th (2015) Best result: 2nd (2015) 2012) 2 Nurburgring 24 Hour 2 Spa 24 Hours wins 2 Bathurst 12 Hour wins wins 2017 2 Nurburgring 24 Hour 2016 winner wins winner 2012 FIA GT1 World 2015 Australian GT 2009 FIA GT3 European champion TEAM: AUDI SPORT TEAM VALVOLINE champion champion MANUFACTURER: AUDI CAR: AUDI R8 LMS

ALEXANDRE OLIVER JARVIS EDOARDO IMPERATORI (SUI) (GBR) LIBERATI (ITA) Age: 31 Age: 35 Age: 26 18 B12Hr starts: 1 B12Hr starts: 1 B12Hr starts: Debut Best result: DNF (2017) Best result: 3rd (2017) 2016 GT Asia champion 2012 Porsche Carrera 2017 Le Mans 24 Hours Cup Asia champion class winner (LMP2) 4 Le Mans 24 Hours outright podiums

TEAM: KCMG MANUFACTURER: NISSAN CAR: GT-R NISMO GT3

GARTH TANDER KELVIN VAN DER FREDERIC (AUS) LINDE (RSA) VERVISCH (BEL) Age: 41 Age: 22 Age: 32 22 B12Hr starts: 3 B12Hr starts: 1 B12Hr starts: 1 Best result: 8th (2016) Best result: 27th (2018) Best result: 27th (2018) 2002 Bathurst 24 Hour 2017 Nurburgring 24 2008 German Formula 3 winner Hour winner champion 3 Bathurst 1000 wins 2014 ADAC GT Masters 2007 Supercars champion champion TEAM: AUDI SPORT MANUFACTURER: AUDI CAR: R8 LMS

NICK FOSTER TIM SLADE (AUS) NICK PERCAT (AUS) Age: 33 (AUS) Age: 26 B12Hr starts: 6 Age: 30 27 B12Hr starts: 1 Best result: 2nd (2012) B12Hr starts: 1 B12Hr class podiums: 2012 Bathurst 12 Hour Best result: DNF (2016) 1 (B) runner-up 2011 Bathurst 1000 2016 Bathurst 12 Hour winner class podium (B) 2015 Carrera Cup Australia champion TEAM: HUBAUTO CORSA MANUFACTURER: FERRARI CAR: 488 GT3 2019 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour | Driver Profiles 41 PRO CLASS

CHRISTIAN NICKY MIKKEL JENSEN KROGNES (NOR) CATSBURG (NED) (DEN) 10 2 Age: 28 Age: 30 Age: 24 34 B12Hr starts: Debut B12Hr starts: Debut B12Hr starts: Debut 2018 24 Hours of Spa WTCC race winner 1 ELMS race win winner

TEAM: WALKENHORST MOTORSPORT MANUFACTURER: BMW CAR: M6 GT3

KATSUMASA MATSUDA JOSHUA BURDON CHIYO (JPN) TSUGIO (JPN) (AUS) Age: 32 Age: 39 Age: 26 35 B12Hr starts: 4 B12Hr starts: Debut B12Hr starts: Debut B12Hr wins: 1 (2015) 2 Super GT 2016 Asian Formula 2015 Bathurst 12 Hour championships Renault champion winner 2018 China Endurance 2015 Blancpain Series champion Endurance Pro Cup champion TEAM: KCMG MANUFACTURER: NISSAN GT-R CAR: GT-R NISMO GT3

AUGUSTO CHAZ MOSTERT MARTIN FARFUS (BRA) (AUS) TOMCZYK (GER) Age: 35 Age: 26 Age: 37 42 B12Hr starts: 1 B12Hr starts: 2 B12Hr starts: Debut Best result: DNF (2018) Best result: DNF (2017, 2011 DTM champion 2015 Daytona 24 Hours 2018) class runner-up (GTLM) 2014 Bathurst 1000 winner

TEAM: BMW TEAM SCHNITZER MANUFACTURER: BMW CAR: M6 GT3

MARO ENGEL LUCA STOLZ GARY PAFFETT (GER) (GER) (GBR) Age: 33 Age: 23 Age: 37 77 B12Hr starts: 3 B12Hr starts: 1 B12Hr starts: Debut Best result: 7th (2014) B12Hr class wins: 1 2 DTM championships 2018 Blancpain (2018) Endurance Cup champion 2018 Bathurst 12 Hour outright podium 2016 Blancpain Sprint class champion (Silver TEAM: MERCEDES-AMG TEAM CRAFT BAMBOO BLACK FALCON Cup) MANUFACTURER: MERCEDES CAR: AMG GT3

mercedes-benz.com.au

2019 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour | Driver Profiles 43 PRO CLASS

STEVEN KANE JORDAN PEPPER JULES GOUNON (NIR) (RSA) (FRA) Age: 38 Age: 22 Age: 24 107 B12Hr starts: 5 B12Hr starts: Debut B12Hr starts: 1 B12Hr podiums: 2 2014 Volkswagen Best result: 16th (2018) 2001 British Junior Scirocco R Cup Germany 2017 Spa 24 Hours Formula Ford champion champion winner

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

ANDY SOUCEK MAXIME SOULET VINCENT ABRIL (ESP) (BEL) (FRA) Age: 33 Age: 35 Age: 23 108 B12Hr starts: 4 B12Hr starts: 1 B12Hr starts: 2 Best result: 7th (2016) Best result: 7th (2016) Best result: 12th (2017) 1 Blancpain Endurance 1 Blancpain Endurance 2015 Blancpain Sprint race win (2017) race win (2017) champion

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

JAKE DENNIS MATTHIEU MARVIN (GBR) VAXIVIERE (FRA) KIRCHHOEFER (GER) Age: 23 Age: 24 Age: 24 760 B12Hr starts: Debut B12Hr starts: Debut B12Hr starts: Debut 2012 Formula Renault 2011 French F4 3rd in 2014, 2015 GP3 2.0 NEC champion champion Series

TEAM: R-MOTORSPORT MANUFACTURER: ASTON MARTIN CAR: VANTAGE GT3

CRAIG LOWNDES JAMIE WHINCUP SHANE VAN (AUS) (AUS) GISBERGEN (NZL) Age: 44 Age: 35 Age: 29 888 B12Hr starts: 7 B12Hr starts: 2 B12Hr starts: 5 B12Hr wins: 2 (2014, B12Hr wins: 1 (2017) B12Hr wins: 1 (2016) 2017) 2017 Bathurst 12 Hour 2016 Bathurst 12 Hour 2 Bathurst 12 Hour wins winner winner 7 Bathurst 1000 wins 4 Bathurst 1000 wins 2016 Blancpain 3 Supercars 7 Supercars Endurance champion championships championships 2016 Supercars TEAM: MERCEDES-AMG TEAM champion VODAFONE MANUFACTURER: MERCEDES CAR: AMG GT3

mercedes-benz.com.au 44 PRO CLASS

ROMAIN DUMAS SVEN MULLER MATHIEU (FRA) (GER) JAMINET (FRA) Age: 41 Age: 26 Age: 24 911 B12Hr starts: 1 B12Hr starts: Debut B12Hr starts: Debut Best result: 6th (2018) 2016 2016 Carrera Cup France 2 Le Mans 24 Hours wins champion champion 2016 World Endurance 2018 ADAC GT Masters champion champion 3 Pikes Peak Hill Climb wins TEAM: EBM MANUFACTURER: PORSCHE CAR: 911 GT3 R

DIRK WERNER DENNIS OLSEN MATT CAMPBELL (GER) (NOR) (AUS) 912 Age: 37 Age: 22 Age: 23 B12Hr starts: 1 B12Hr starts: Debut B12Hr starts: 5 Best result: 6th (2018) 2017 Carrera Cup Best result: 2nd (2017) 2015 Daytona 24 Hours Germany champion 2017 Bathurst 12 Hour class runner-up (GTLM) runner-up 2 Grand-Am Sports Car 2018 Le Mans 24 Hours class championships (GT) class winner (LMGTE Am)

TEAM: EBM MANUFACTURER: PORSCHE CAR: 911 GT3 R

MAXIMILIAN RAFFAELE MAXIMILIAN BUHK (GER) MARCIELLO (ITA) GOETZ (GER) Age: 26 Age: 24 Age: 32 999 B12Hr starts: 3 B12Hr starts: Debut B12Hr starts: 1 Best result: 2nd (2014) 2018 Blancpain Sprint Best result: 28th (2018) 2013 Spa 24 Hours Cup champion 2013 Spa 24 Hours winner 2018 Suzuka 10 Hours winner 2015 Blancpain Sprint winner 2014 Blancpain Sprint champion champion

TEAM: MERCEDES-AMG TEAM MANN FILTER GRUPPEM RACING MANUFACTURER: MERCEDES CAR: AMG GT3

PRO-AM CLASS PETE STOREY GORDON MATTHEW NEAL (GBR) SHEDDEN (GBR) (GBR) Age: TBA Age: 39 Age: 52 3 B12Hr starts: 2 B12Hr starts: 2 B12Hr starts: Debut Best result: 23rd (2015) Best result: 23rd (2015) B12Hr starts: 2 2012 24H Barcelona 3 British Touring Car Best result: 23rd (2015) class winner (A5) Championships

TEAM: AUDI SPORT TEAM MPC MANUFACTURER: AUDI CAR: R8 LMS 45 2019 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour | Driver Profiles PRO-AM CLASS

ADRIAN DEITZ JULIAN CAMERON (AUS) WESTWOOD (GBR) MCCONVILLE (AUS) 911 Age: TBA B12Hr starts: Debut Age: 44 6 B12Hr starts: Debut 2015 Blancpain B12Hr starts: 5 1 Australian Endurance Endurance Am Cup Best result: 3rd (201¬0) Championship podium champion 2002 Bathurst 24 Hour winner TONY D’ALBERTO class winner (Am Cup) (AUS) Age: 33 B12Hr starts: 4 TEAM: WALL RACING Best result: 12th (2018) MANUFACTURER: LAMBORGHINI 2017 Bathurst 1000 podium CAR: HURACAN GT3 2007 Super2 champion

MARC CINI (AUS) LEE HOLDSWORTH DEAN FIORE 912 Age: 57 (AUS) (AUS) B12Hr starts: 7 Age: 35 Age: 35 9 B12Hr class podiums: 2 B12Hr starts: 5 B12Hr starts: 4 (Pro-Am 1, Am 1) B12Hr class podiums: 1 B12Hr class podiums: 1 2 Bathurst 12 Hour class (Pro-Am) (Pro-Am) podiums 2009 Bathurst 1000 2018 Bathurst 250 podium (Super2) winner

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

999 TONY WALLS WARREN LUFF ANDREW (AUS) (AUS) WATSON (GBR) 11 Age: TBA Age: 42 Age: 24 B12Hr starts: 3 B12Hr starts: 9 B12Hr starts: 2 Best result: 20th (2017) Best result: 2nd (2011) Best result: 11th (2018) 2 Australian GT race wins 2011 Bathurst 12 Hour 1 International GT Open (2016) runner-up race win (2015) 5 Bathurst 1000 podiums

TEAM: OBJECTIVE RACING MANUFACTURER: MCLAREN CAR: 650S GT3

DAVID CALVERT- KEVIN ESTRE JAXON EVANS JONES (AUS) (FRA) (NZL) 3 Age: 49 Age: 30 Age: 22 12 B12Hr starts: 5 B12Hr starts: 3 B12Hr starts: 1 Best result: 2nd (2017) Best result: 5th (2018) Best result: DNF (2018) 2017 Bathurst 12 Hour 2018 Le Mans 24 Hours 2018 Carrera Cup Australia runner-up class winner (LMGTE Pro) champion 2017 Bathurst 12 Hour 2018 Bathurst 12 Hour 2018 Carrera Cup Shootout class winner (Pro-Am) class podium (Pro) winner

TEAM: COMPETITION MOTORSPORTS MANUFACTURER: PORSCHE CAR: 911 GT3 R

mercedes-benz.com.au 46 PRO-AM CLASS

MARK GRIFFITH YELMER CHRISTINA (AUS) BUURMAN (NED) NIELSEN (DEN) Age: TBA Age: 31 Age: 27 19 B12Hr starts: 4 B12Hr starts: Debut B12Hr starts: Debut B12Hr class podiums: 1 (I) 3rd in 2012 GT1 World 2 IMSA Sportscar class 2016 Bathurst 12 Hour Championship championships (GTD class podium (I) 2016, 2017) 2 Australian GT class championships

TEAM:TEAM: GRIFFITH COMPETITION CORP. MOTORSPORTS TEAM NINETEEN. BLACK FALCON MANUFACTURER:MANUFACTURER: MERCEDES PORSCHE CAR:CAR: AMG GT3 RGT3

JIM MANOLIOS BEN PORTER IVAN CAPELLI (AUS) (AUS) (ITA) Age: TBA Age: TBA Age: 55 29 B12Hr starts: 4 B12Hr starts: Debut B12Hr starts: 4 Best result: 8th (2018) 2018 Blancpain GT Best result: 8th (2017) 2017 Bathurst 12 Hour Series Asia competitor 93 Formula 1 starts class podium (Am) DEAN CANTO (AUS) Age: 38 TEAM: TROFEO MOTORSPORT B12Hr starts: 3 MANUFACTURER: LAMBORGHINI Best result: 5th (2015) CAR: HURACAN GT3 2012 Bathurst 1000 runner-up

PAUL DALLA PEDRO LAMY MATHIAS LAUDA LANA (CAN) (POR) (AUT) Age: 52 Age: 46 Age: 37 B12Hr starts: 2 51 B12Hr starts: 2 B12Hr starts: 2 Best result: 14th (2018) Best result: 14th (2018) Best result: 14th (2018) 2017 World Endurance 5 Nurburgring 24 Hour 2017 World Endurance class champion (LMGTE wins class champion (LMGTE Am) 2 World Endurance class Am) championships (LMGTE Am) TEAM: SPIRIT OF RACE MANUFACTURER: FERRARI CAR: 488 GT3

FLORIAN ANDREAS PETER KAMELGER (AUT) BAENZIGER (SUI) LEEMHUIS Age: TBA Age: TBA (AUS) 62 B12Hr starts: 3 B12Hr starts: 3 Age: TBA Best result: 26th (2015, Best result: 26th (2015, B12Hr starts: 7 2017) 2017) B12Hr class wins: 3 (C 2 Bathurst 12 Hour class 2 Bathurst 12 Hour class 2012, 2014, 2015) podiums (C 2013, 2015) podiums (C 2013, 2015) 3 Bathurst 12 Hour class wins MATTHEW PARRY (GBR) TEAM:TEAM: SPIRIT R-MOTORSPORT OF RACE MANUFACTURER: FERRARI Age: 25 MANUFACTURER: ASTON MARTIN B12Hr starts: Debut CAR: 488 GT3 CAR: VANTAGE GT3 2013 Formula Renault 2.0 NEC champion winner 2019 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour | Driver Profiles 47 PRO-AM CLASS

KENNY HABUL TRISTAN THOMAS JAEGER (AUS) VAUTIER (FRA) (GER) Age: 45 Age: 29 Age: 42 75 B12Hr starts: 1 B12Hr starts: 1 B12Hr starts: 3 Best result: 2nd (2018) Best result: 2nd (2018) B12Hr wins: 1 (2013) 2018 Bathurst 12 Hour 2018 Bathurst 12 Hour 2013 Bathurst 12 Hour runner-up runner-up winner 2018 IGTC Bronze 2018 IGTC Drivers’ Drivers’ champion champion

TEAM: SUNENERGY1 RACING MANUFACTURER: MERCEDES CAR: AMG GT3

TODD HAZELWOOD ROGER LAGO DAVID RUSSELL (AUS) (AUS) (AUS) 29 Age: 23 Age: TBA Age: 37 98 B12Hr starts: Debut B12Hr starts: 9 B12Hr starts: 9 2017 Super2 champion B12Hr class wins: 1 (B) B12Hr class wins: 2 (B 2011 Bathurst 12 Hour 1, C 1) class winner (B) 2 Bathurst 12 Hour class wins (B 1, C 1)

TEAM: MATT STONE RACING MANUFACTURER: AUDI CAR: R8 LMS

TIM PAPPAS JEROEN MARC LIEB (GER) (USA) BLEEKEMOLEN (NED) Age: 38 Age: 37 540 Age: 45 B12Hr starts: 2 B12Hr starts: 2 B12Hr starts: 1 Best result: 2nd (2017) Best result: 2nd (2012) B12Hr class wins: 1 2016 Le Mans 24 Hours 2013 Nurburgring 24 (2018) winner Hour winner 2018 Bathurst 12 Hour 2016 World Endurance 2008 Le Mans 24 Hours podium champion class winner (LMP2) 2 ALMS class 2017 Bathurst 12 Hour class championships (GTC) winner (Pro-Am) TEAM: BLACK SWAN RACING MANUFACTURER: PORSCHE CAR: 911 GT3 R

YASSER SHAHIN DAVID LUKE YOULDEN (AUS) REYNOLDS (AUS) (AUS) 777 62 Age: TBA Age: 33 Age: 40 B12Hr starts: 1 2017 series: Supercars B12Hr starts: 5 Best result: DNF (2018) B12Hr starts: 4 B12Hr class wins: 2 (F) 1 Australian GT race win Best result: 5th (2016) 2 Bathurst 12 Hour class wins (2016) 2017 Bathurst 1000 (F) winner

TEAM: THE BEND MOTORSPORT PARK MANUFACTURER: MERCEDES CAR: AMG GT3

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Support line-up for 2019

A wide variety of support categories will take to the Mount Panorama Circuit on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Formula Ford has joined the program in conjunction with the event’s expansion to four days.

The Radical Australia Cup once again open its season at the Mountain, joined by Combined Sedans, which includes ex-Supercars, as well as CASTROL EDGE WITH FLUID TITANIUM. IT’S MOREIT’S MORE THAN JUSTTHAN OIL. JUST IT’S OIL. LIQUID IT’S LIQUID ENGINEERING. ENGINEERING. Group S Historic Sportscars, incorporating cars from the 1950s to the 1970s. STRONGER UNDER PRESSURE.

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Introducing Mercedes-AMG’s latest GT4 weapon Brett Murray Speedcafe.com Contributor

he Mercedes-AMG GT4 is one of The car will retail in Australia for AU$320,000 a host of cars on display in Harris and can be purchased directly from AMG in Park at this year’s Liqui-Moly Germany. T Bathurst 12 Hour. “This is a natural progression for most of our With the catchcry ‘Join the World’s Fastest customers,” said Mercedes-AMG chief driving Family’, the car was launched to a select group instructor Peter Hackett, who was on hand to of special guests at the Mercedes me store in unveil the car. Melbourne last week. “The GT4 is a perfect stepping stone for Following its visit to the spiritual home of people who have explored the limits of high- Australian motor racing, it will become part performance road cars like the GT R and want of the local AMG Driving Academy where more. potential customers will have the opportunity to try before the buy. “It provides an opportunity to learn about the components of the car like adjustable ABS and Featuring an extended focus on safety, traction control as well as aerodynamics. it is eligible for the CAMS Australian GT Championship and has been earmarked for “In a GT3, learning that stuff comes at mind- both gentlemen racers and aspiring young numbing speeds and can be quite confronting, drivers looking to make the step to GT3 racing but with the introduction of the GT4 you and beyond. can learn about that with a similar amount of exhilaration, but with the speed at which The new Mercedes-AMG GT4 is powered by everything is coming at you being numbed a a twin-turbo 4.0 litre V8 engine with direct little.” injection that will produce up to 375 kW (510 hp) and up to 600 Nm of torque with a top Hackett spruiked that the new Mercedes- speed in excess of 250km/h. AMG is the safest GT car now available, a trait 51 2019 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour |Introducing Mercedes-AMG’s latest GT4 weapon

which is one of the highest priorities for the Hackett believes the car will be attractive company’s customer base. to serious circuit racers as well as weekend enthusiasts. “Most of our customers are businessmen with families and safety is a major priority,” “The car is a more accessible car and a more he explained. understanding car,” he added.

“There is no safer GT car than the AMG GT4. “It’s more achievable and a logical step if you “The safety system and cell is exactly the are an enthusiast or an avid driver; this a car same as what we have in the GT3 car. you can buy and own.

“The driver is basically mounted in the car “You can take it to the track without a heap of and the pedal box and steering wheel come support staff with you and an engineer looking back to them. at data on a laptop. You could take this car club sprinting if you wanted. “So instead of having a seat that is on runners, which is a weak point in a car in “You don’t need to go racing, but it is an any accident, we have a situation where the extremely capable race car as well with the driver is centralised and stable.” all-important safety features.”

Mercedes-AMG GT4 technical overview

Engine AMG 4.0 litre V8 biturbo engine (3,982 cm3) Power/maximum torque Up to 375 kW (510 hp)*/up to 600 Nm* Transmission Sequential AMG 6-speed racing transmission Electronics Motorsport electronics including adjustable ABS and AMG traction control Wheels/tyres AMG alloy wheels, 11×18″, forged (VA 305/660-18 / HA 305/680-18) Weight < 1,390 kg* Tank capacity 120 litre motorsport safety tank Acceleration 0 –100 km/h under 4 sec* Maximum speed Over 250 km/h* Sales price 198,850 euros (excluding sales taxes) / AU$316,000* Subject toapprox. Balance of Performance

mercedes-benz.com.au 52

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Thursday January 31 Saturday February 2 Start Duration Category Session Start Duration Category Session 8:30 0:20 Combined Sedans Practice 7:15 0:30 Formula Ford Race 3 8:55 0:20 Formula Ford Practice 7:55 0:30 Group S Race 3 9:25 0:20 Group S Practice 8:35 1:00 Bathurst 12 Hour Practice 5 9:55 0:20 Radical Practice 9:45 0:45 Radical Race 2 10:25 0:20 Combined Sedans Qualifying 11:20 0:45 Bathurst 12 Hour Qualifying 1 (all classes) 10:55 0:20 Formula Ford Qualifying 12:10 0:30 Bathurst 12 Hour Qualifying 2 (Class A only) 11:35 0:20 Group S Qualifying 15:50 0:35 Combined Sedans Race 3 13:15 0:20 Radical Qualifying 16:40 Bathurst 12 Hour Top 10 Shootout 13:45 0:35 Combined Sedans Race 1 14:30 0:30 Formula Ford Race 1 15:10 0:30 Group S Race 1

Friday February 1 Sunday February 4 Start Duration Category Session Start Duration Category Session 7:15 0:45 Radical Race 1 5:45 12:00 Bathurst 12 Hour Race 8:05 0:35 Combined Sedans Race 2 All times in local/AEDT 8:50 0:30 Bathurst 12 Hour Practice 1 (excluding Class A Platinum and Gold drivers) 9:25 1:00 Bathurst 12 Hour Practice 2 10:30 0:30 Formula Ford Race 2 11:10 1:00 Bathurst 12 Hour Practice 3 13:30 14:00 Group S Race 2 15:15 1:00 Bathurst 12 Hour Practice 4