2018 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour | Contents 3 LIQUI-MOLY BATHURST 12 HOUR Contents FEBRUARY 2 - 4, 2018 Editors: 04 Meet the 2018 contenders Dan Herrero 09 The history of the Bathurst 12 Hour Mat Coch 13 Tale of 2017 - Whincup vs van Tom Howard Gisbergen as tempers fray 14 Results from Bathurst 12 Hour 2017 17 Previous Bathurst 12 Hour winners MEET THE CONTENDERS Contributors: The key players of this year’s race Tom Howard 18 Bathurst circuit guide 04 20 A lap of Mount Panorama Brett Murray 23 By the numbers 24 GT racing, on a budget Design: 27 Balance of Performance explained Justin Murray 28 Habul: full of energy 30 Strakka attack Rachel Cherry TALE OF 2017 33 TV times Whincup vs van Gisbergen as tempers fray 34 Bathurst 12 Hour 2018 entry list 13 Sales/Marketing: 47 Support categories lineuop Justin Murray 48 Schedule of events Partners: ARMOR ALL Castrol EDGE Jobstop.com Mercedes-Benz Michelin STRAKKA ATTACK! PIRTEK Preston Hire LE MANS WINNERS Supercheap Auto PRIMED FOR MAIDEN 30 BATHURST VOYAGE Another chapter to be written at Mount Panorama The Bathurst 12 Hour continues to grow from That brings us to 2018. Van Gisbergen is back in a McLaren, just strength to strength and 2018 is set to be no as he was two years ago when he broke lap records on his way exception when one of the best-credentialed fields to victory T ever takes on Mount Panorama. By his side, his legendary Supercars team-mate Craig Lowndes, Entering its eighth year as a GT3 race, the 12 Hour is already and a handy Frenchman by the name of Come Ledogar, backed developing a rich history to place alongside its more established by the highly professional McElrea Racing operation. A prime cousin, the Bathurst 1000. opportunity for redemption. Just last year, Craig Lowndes was taken out under Safety Car but Another 2016 winner, Alvaro Parente, has jumped ship with survived, Toni Vilander drove that stint, and Shane van Gisbergen Strakka to campaign a Mercedes-AMG GT3. His co-drivers, Maxi laid it all on the line. Buhk and Maxi Gotz, may have never won at Bathurst but they have won the 24 Hours of Spa. Watch out for them. In fact, ‘The Giz’ was central to plenty of big moments in 2017, Team WRT and Audi Sport Customer Racing Australia will including a high-risk battle with a man who is usually in his camp, represent Audi, each of which bring some extremely talented Jamie Whincup. driver line-ups. Then things really exploded, first on the track – twice – and then Famous BMW squad Team Schnitzer has made the trip, while in the pits. Maro Engel’s pain at his co-driver crashing out of the Manthey-Racing and Craft Bamboo spearhead the Porsche race was plain for all to see. That’s what the 12 Hour means. challenge. It was also the year that Matt Campbell gave the world its first Outside the Pro ranks, are Lamborghinis, Ginettas, KTMs, glimpse of what he was capable of. Could he help Competition Dodges, and MARC Cars. Motorsports go one better this time around and pull off a big upset? There’s so much to like about the 12 Hour, but the best part is that we’re just about to do it all over again… Dan Herrero Why not? This is Bathurst. Speedcafe.com Journalist mercedes-benz.com.au 4 MEET THE 2018 CONTENDERS Mercedes-AMG Car: GT3 Teams: Strakka Racing, SunEnergy1 Racing, Scott Taylor Motorsport and Nineteen Corp The Mercedes-AMG GT3 has carried on where its Parente will share with the two Maxs, Buhk and Gotz, in the predecessor left off, with one notable exception; it is yet all-Pro entry while Strakkas second car will see team boss to win the Bathurst 12 Hour. Released in 2016 and scoring Nick Leventis joined by Lewis Williamson, David Fumanelli and its first race win at Albert Park, five of the eight-cylinder Sandown 500 race winner Cam Waters. beasts will tackle this year’s 12 Hour across two classes. Regarded by Mercedes as the leading team in the region, Scott Sporting the same thumping V8 as the SLS, the Mercedes- Taylor Motorsport will run two cars, though its name appears AMG GT3 has maintained the famous, grumbling engine on only that of Max Twigg, Craig Baird and Tony D’Alberto in note. Strong under brakes, balanced through the corners the Pro-Am Class. The second car is the SunEnergy1 Racing and no slouch down the straights, it’s one of the best all- entry, which has recruited part of last year’s race winning team round cars on the grid. in Jamie Whincup, alongside Kenny Habul, Tristan Vautier and Mercedes factory ace Raffaele Marciello. Strakka Racing has made the long journey from the UK for its first appearance at the Mountain. Having switched The final Mercedes is that of Mark Griffith, who has linked up to the German marque since the end of last season, the with fellow Australian GT drivers John Martin and Liam Talbot, team is finding its feet with the new machines, but boasts and welcomed back David Reynolds for his second appearance former race winner Alvaro Parente among its driving talent. with the team. 2018 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour | Meet the Contenders 5 MEET THE 2018 CONTENDERS BMW Car: M6 GT3 Teams: BMW Team SRM, BMW Team Schnitzer A brace of teams from BMW pose a threat at the top end of the Pro class, with entries from Australia and Germany on the grid. A force in Europe, the M6 GT3 is yet to show its full potential on Australian soil, though we got an idea when all three cars entered last year appeared in the Top 10 Audi Shootout. Car: R8 LMS GT3 Teams: Jamec Pem Racing, Audi Sport WRT, International Representing Australia is Richards’ BMW Team SRM outfit, Motorsport and Audi Sport Customer Racing Australia making its second appearance at the 12 Hour this year. Having banked a year with the car racing in the Australian Twice victorious at the iconic Mount Panorama, Audi claimed GT Championship in 2016, Richards recruited his 2013 the honours in both 2011 and 2012 and is tied with Ferrari Bathurst 1000 winning co-driver in Mark Winterbottom for the winningest marque since the event’s switch to GT3 to join the team, with factory driver Marco Wittmann regulations in 2011. rounding out the trio which finished 14th. A member of both winning Audi teams, Christopher Mies This year Timo Glock joins Richards, having last year returns this year with Jamec Pem Racing, where he’ll be partnered Russell Ingall, Mark Skaife and Tony Longhurst joined by fellow factory drivers Christopher Haase and in the second BMW Team SRM entry, with Philipp Eng Markus Winkelhock. The second Jamec Pem Audi sees former completing the driving roster. Supercars champ Garth Tander alongside Australian GT winner Kelvin van der Linde and Belgian Frederic Vervisch. Meanwhile Wittman has joined BMW Team Schnitzer as the Only Tander has prior experience at Bathurst, though van der German sqaud makes its first appearance at the Mountain. Linde has won the Nurburgring 24 Hours. Experienced Brazilian Augusto Farfus is a familiar face at the team, which also welcomes Chaz Mostert, who last The only other all-Pro Audi belongs to Team WRT, which year competed in a MARC GT run M6 GT3, a performance has made the voyage from Europe for the event. Their lead which has led to a promising GT career alongside his car will be piloted by former F1 tester Robin Frijns, Dries Supercars commitments. Vanthoor and Stuart Leonard. The second Team WRT car is the Pro-Am entry steered by Paul Dalla Lana, Mathias Lauda, son for three-time F1 champ Niki, Pedro Lamy and Will Davison, the two-time Bathurst 1000 winner was a late addition to the team. Lee Holdsworth rejoins Marc Cini and Dean Fiore in an Audi Sport Customer Racing Australia Pro-Am entry. In Am Class, Australian GT regular Ash Samadi has young hot-shot Dylan O’Keeffe in his camp along with the highly rated Daniel Gaunt. Rounding out the Australian entries are the Koundouris brothers of James and Theo, who welcome back Ash Walsh and Duvashen Padayachee. The final Audi in the field is that of Andrew Bagnall, Matt Halliday and Jonny Reid, a trio of Kiwis in a team with half a century of racing experience, and an almost brand-new Audi R8 LMS, who will compete for Pro-Am honours. mercedes-benz.com.au 6 McLaren Porsche Car: 650S GT3 Teams: YNA Autosport, Objective Racing Car: 911 GT3-R Team: Manthey-Racing, Craft Bamboo Racing, Competition Set to be replaced by the 720S GT3 for the 2019 season, the Motorsports, Black Swan Racing 650S GT3 is running out of chances to repeat the success it enjoyed at Bathurst in 2016, where it scored both a record- Porsche is the established giant of sportscar racing, with the setting pole and the race win. 911 a stalwart of the sport stretching back to the early 1980s. However, it has never succeeded in Australia’s largest sportscar Having led the charge in 2016, Shane van Gisbergen has event. returned from a stint at Mercedes to join YNA Autosport alongside Craig Lowndes and Come Ledogar. It will be Last year Competition Motorsports raced their way to second overall, an incredible feat from a Pro-Am entry, with three of its Lowndes’ first appearance in a McLaren, having claimed his four drivers returning in 2018.