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GT Racing
GT: Bathurst 12H Preview
SPEED.com previews this weekend’s around-the-clock enduro on the famed Mount Panorama...
Audi scored a 1-2 finish in last year's Bathurst 12 Hour. Can the German manufacturer do it again in 2012, despite facing increased competition? (Photo: Bathurst 12H)
While Mount Panorama may be best known for the annual Bathurst 1000, the famed Australian circuit comes to life this weekend for another test of endurance, this one lasting one entire rotation around the clock.
Sunday’s Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour will bring out some of the leading domestic GT and touring car teams, plus a notable amount of international stars, to do battle in what’s become Australia’s leading sports car race.
Originally run as a touring car-only enduro in 1991, the race saw the introduction of GT cars for the first time last year, with the Australian debut of the Audi R8 LMS cars yielding a 1-2 finish.
This time around, three of the German mid-engined sports cars, along with an increased field of fellow GT3 machinery, including Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG’s and Ferrari F458 Italia’s, will be gunning for overall glory on one of the world’s most challenging and treacherous circuits.
With victory under their belts from 2011, Audi undoubtedly heads in as favorites for top honors yet again. However, it’s under different circumstances, as the capable Phoenix Racing squad has been charged with the assault this year but retaining the majority of its driver lineup from when the cars were run under the Joest banner last year.
Darryl O’Young and Christopher Mies will be looking to defend their Bathurst 12H title and are joined by Christer Jons in the kangaroo-liveried No. 1 Audi. The sister No. 2 machine, decked out in a Redback spider and web design, sees the return of the all Aussie crew of Bathurst legend Craig Lowndes, fellow V8 Supercars driver Warren Luff and reigning Australian GT champion Mark Eddy.
A third Audi, run by United Autosports, could also factor into contention, with two-time GRAND-AM Pro-Am champion Mark Patterson and Hong Kong-based racers Alain Li and Frank Yu completing the lineup for the Anglo-American squad’s Australian debut.
Other international entries include a pair of Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3s, entered by Dubai 24 Hours winners Black Falcon. The effort, run in conjunction with Aussie outfit Erebus Racing, sees Dutch ace Jeroen Bleekemolen and V8 driver Tim Slade lead the charge in the No. 20 machine.
Matt Griffin, who won last month’s Gulf 12 Hours in Abu Dhabi, will be searching for his second endurance race victory of the year, teamed with Craig Baird and Weng Mok in the No. 33 Clearwater Racing Ferrari F458 Italia GT3, while another Prancing Horse, entered by III Bello Rosso, should also be a contender in the hands of endurance aces Allan Simonsen and Dominik Farnbacher.
Lamborghini, the fourth manufacturer represented in the nine-car GT3 field, could play a factor as well, especially with V8 star Cameron McConville and Dutchman Peter Kox at the wheel of the No. 4 Consolidated Chemicals Gallardo.
There’s even star power further down in the field, as ex-F1 ace Christian Klien will be making his Bathurst 12H debut in a GT Production (Class C) Lotus Exige S. The 28-year-old Austrian, who had recently driven for the factory Peugeot and Aston Martin prototype squads, is expected to be one of the higher-profile drivers here this weekend.
In all, 27 cars are entered across six categories, ranging from outright GT3 cars to GT Production for Lotus Exige’s and a Nissan GTR and two additional Production classes for touring cars such as BMW 135i’s and the crowd-pleasing Holden HSV’s and Ford Falcon.
More than 90 minutes of practice is on tap for Friday’s opening activities, with qualifying on Saturday set to determine the starting grid. The Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour takes the green bright and early Sunday at 6:15 a.m. local (2:15 p.m. ET, Saturday) for what’s shaping up to be a classic battle on the famed Mount Panorama.
Stick with SPEED.com all weekend long for the latest updates from the circuit, including a behind-the-scenes look at United Autosports’ effort in the grueling around-the-clock marathon.
John Dagys is SPEED.com’s Sportscar Racing Reporter, focusing on all major domestic and international championships. You can follow him on Twitter @johndagys or email him at
Sunday’s Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour will bring out some of the leading domestic GT and touring car teams, plus a notable amount of international stars, to do battle in what’s become Australia’s leading sports car race.
Originally run as a touring car-only enduro in 1991, the race saw the introduction of GT cars for the first time last year, with the Australian debut of the Audi R8 LMS cars yielding a 1-2 finish.
This time around, three of the German mid-engined sports cars, along with an increased field of fellow GT3 machinery, including Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG’s and Ferrari F458 Italia’s, will be gunning for overall glory on one of the world’s most challenging and treacherous circuits.
With victory under their belts from 2011, Audi undoubtedly heads in as favorites for top honors yet again. However, it’s under different circumstances, as the capable Phoenix Racing squad has been charged with the assault this year but retaining the majority of its driver lineup from when the cars were run under the Joest banner last year.
Darryl O’Young and Christopher Mies will be looking to defend their Bathurst 12H title and are joined by Christer Jons in the kangaroo-liveried No. 1 Audi. The sister No. 2 machine, decked out in a Redback spider and web design, sees the return of the all Aussie crew of Bathurst legend Craig Lowndes, fellow V8 Supercars driver Warren Luff and reigning Australian GT champion Mark Eddy.
A third Audi, run by United Autosports, could also factor into contention, with two-time GRAND-AM Pro-Am champion Mark Patterson and Hong Kong-based racers Alain Li and Frank Yu completing the lineup for the Anglo-American squad’s Australian debut.
Other international entries include a pair of Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3s, entered by Dubai 24 Hours winners Black Falcon. The effort, run in conjunction with Aussie outfit Erebus Racing, sees Dutch ace Jeroen Bleekemolen and V8 driver Tim Slade lead the charge in the No. 20 machine.
Matt Griffin, who won last month’s Gulf 12 Hours in Abu Dhabi, will be searching for his second endurance race victory of the year, teamed with Craig Baird and Weng Mok in the No. 33 Clearwater Racing Ferrari F458 Italia GT3, while another Prancing Horse, entered by III Bello Rosso, should also be a contender in the hands of endurance aces Allan Simonsen and Dominik Farnbacher.
Lamborghini, the fourth manufacturer represented in the nine-car GT3 field, could play a factor as well, especially with V8 star Cameron McConville and Dutchman Peter Kox at the wheel of the No. 4 Consolidated Chemicals Gallardo.
There’s even star power further down in the field, as ex-F1 ace Christian Klien will be making his Bathurst 12H debut in a GT Production (Class C) Lotus Exige S. The 28-year-old Austrian, who had recently driven for the factory Peugeot and Aston Martin prototype squads, is expected to be one of the higher-profile drivers here this weekend.
In all, 27 cars are entered across six categories, ranging from outright GT3 cars to GT Production for Lotus Exige’s and a Nissan GTR and two additional Production classes for touring cars such as BMW 135i’s and the crowd-pleasing Holden HSV’s and Ford Falcon.
More than 90 minutes of practice is on tap for Friday’s opening activities, with qualifying on Saturday set to determine the starting grid. The Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour takes the green bright and early Sunday at 6:15 a.m. local (2:15 p.m. ET, Saturday) for what’s shaping up to be a classic battle on the famed Mount Panorama.
Stick with SPEED.com all weekend long for the latest updates from the circuit, including a behind-the-scenes look at United Autosports’ effort in the grueling around-the-clock marathon.
John Dagys is SPEED.com’s Sportscar Racing Reporter, focusing on all major domestic and international championships. You can follow him on Twitter @johndagys or email him at
FIA GT Nogaro
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