With the old Porsche 911 GT3 R (#912), Matt Campbell, Mathieu Jaminet, and Thomas Preining of Team Manthey EMA became second-placed with less than a second distance. Both BMW M4 GT3 (#32 and #46) are – also like the Porsche – equipped with KW Solid Piston dampers and became fourth and sixth.
The 12h race of Bathurst was intence: The long-distance classic at the Mount Panorama circuit has hardly any run-off zones and therefore requires full focus.
The 6.2-kilometer race has a height difference of 174 meters. Race cars need to overcome gradients of up to 16 percent. Some parts of the racetrack are even public roads exclusively closed for motorsport events.
At the Australian Mount Panorama, maximum concentration and professionalism are required when the pilots are trying to drive maneuvers such as attacking competitors or overtaking.
When having a look at the Top 3 positions, it occurs that the 12 hours of Bathurst were a very close race. The Porsche 911 GT3 R (991.2) by our motorsport customer team Manthey EMA (#912) with the pilot Matt Campbell and the winner Jules Gounon in the Mercedes-AMG GT (#75) had a gap of only 0.9267 seconds after a total of 323 laps. Third became Marco Engel in the Mercedes-AMG GT3 (#999).
The BMW M4 GT3 (#32) by the BMW M team WRT became fourth. The cockpit was shared by Sheldon Van Der Linde, Dries Vanthoor, and Charles Weerts. In the meantime, the BMW team even was in the Top 3 position.
The M4 GT3 (#46) driven by Augusto Farfus, Maxime Martin, and Valentino Rossi needed a repair of its brake lights and was in position six in the end.
After the race, the former motorcycle professional and ninefold champion Valentino Rossi said: “My first Bathurst experience has been very good because it’s a great place. For us Europeans, it is a legendary place because we always play it on the simulator. To have the chance to race here and experience the real track is great. It is a fantastic circuit. You have to maintain attention but it is very enjoyable when you drive. “
“I think that also my speed and performance were good. I feel good in the car; it is very good to drive, but during the race, especially in the hot conditions, we need a bit more pace. We could have been in the top five but overall it was a good race, and being the first experience, it was very positive.”
Sadly, the Porsche 911 GT3 R (991.2) (#4) by Grove Racing did not finish the race. After 56 laps, the Porsche had an accident in the route section “Skyline”. Fortunately, the driver Stephan Grove wasn’t harmed. The Mercedes-AMG GT4 (#19) by Team Nineteen Corporation was eliminated ahead of schedule after 210 laps.
Photos by Gruppe C Photography, BMW Motorsport, and Grove Racing
