Bathurst 12 Hour

A field of 26 cars has been entered for this year's race, including factory-backed cars from Mercedes-AMG, Audi, Porsche and BMW, the latter's headlined by nine ...

Class A Pro Class A Silver Class A Pro-Am

Mount Panorama has already taken it's first victim of the 12 Hour race, with the #74 AudiSport Team MPC Audi, the only Pro-Class Audi in the race, ...

Augusto Farfus completes the 5 in the #46 WRT BMW, ahead of the sister #32 WRT BMW with Dries Vanthoor at the wheel. Talbot was able to stretch enough of a gap over the mountain to keep Ellis at bay down the bottom, with the gap to the leading 5 ballooning out to 20 seconds. The incident was the boiling point of a 10-car train early in the race, held behind Liam Talbot who started the #65 SportsBet Audi.

A SERIES of parity adjustments have been levied on all the leading marques on the eve of the Bathurst 12 Hour. SRO Motorsport Group has handed down a raft ...

[What every car in the Bathurst 12 Hour looks like](https://www.v8sleuth.com.au/spotter-guide-2023-bathurst-12-hour-car-by-car/) [Where every car will start the Bathurst 12 Hour](https://www.v8sleuth.com.au/bathurst-12-hour-grid-2023-where-every-car-will-start-the-race/) The Bathurst 12 Hour is scheduled to start at 5:45am AEDT on Sunday. [Two cars hit with penalties after Top 10 Shootout](https://www.v8sleuth.com.au/engel-blitzes-a-zero-to-take-bathurst-12-hour-pole/) [headlined by Maro Engel’s stunning 2m00.8819s pole position lap](https://www.v8sleuth.com.au/engel-blitzes-a-zero-to-take-bathurst-12-hour-pole/), while the Mercedes-AMG GT3s have been regularly at or near the top of the timesheets in practice. A SERIES of parity adjustments have been levied on all the leading marques on the eve of the Bathurst 12 Hour.

The GruppeM Racing Mercedes remains in control of the Bathurst 12 Hour, but only just after two hours of green flag racing.

Alex Davison was also forced to serve a pit-lane penalty. With less than a second splitting the top two after two hours of green flag racing, the stage is set for a tense day at Mount Panorama. With greater knowledge of track conditions, Goetz was able reel in the leader and within five laps the gap was cut down to less than three seconds as a two-horse race emerged at the front with the pair 30 seconds ahead of Habul and Jaminet. In second place was car #888, which took a different path with Goetz staying in the car and quickly cutting down the deficit. Car #777 was the first of the top 10 to pit with Ricardo Feller jumping out after a strong stint rising up 10 positions, being the biggest mover in the field. Mikael Grenier is now behind the wheel of car #999 and is in front, but only enjoys half of a second advantage ahead of Maximilian Goetz in the Triple Eight Mercedes.

The 2023 Bathurst 12 Hour is underway, with GruppeM Racing's Maro Engel leading the opening laps in the #999 Mercedes-AMG.

It was then left for Engel to take the green flag for the commencement of what was officially Lap 3 just after 05:54, with the field in single file. After a clean start and one green flag lap in the books, Engel’s margin over fellow German Gotz was just 0.3593s, with Preining several tenths further back. Engel took the start after earning pole position with a record-breaking 2:00.8819s in final qualifying on the afternoon prior at Mount Panorama.

The 2023 Bathurst 12 Hour has commenced with a hot pace being set across the first hour as poleman Maro Engel remains in control.

Talbot bowled a wide at the Chase and settled into P11 after the busy period of racing. But a lap later Haase was fired backwards into the tyre batter at the same right-hander after contact with the #44 Mercedes driven by Padayachee. The #55 PremiAir Racing entry driven by Frederic Vervisch made a tight move on #74 of Haase tight for ninth on the run up to Hell Corner. As the natural light emerged, the angry pack of 11 cars separated by just five seconds behind Talbot made their moves, igniting a tense and fraught period of racing. The #74 Audi driven by Christopher Haase, Patrick Niederhauser and Mattia Drudi was the only casualty of the first hour after a shunt at Griffins Bend. Talbot was behind the wheel of the Chaz Mostert #65 Audi R8 and bottled up an angry pack of cars with positions 6 to 17 running nose to tail.

Now, however, the Mercedes-AMG GT3s have had 10kg added to their BoP ballast, while the Porsches in the field, one of which Matt Campbell put third on the grid, ...

The Mercedes-AMGs have been saddled with extra weight for the Liqui Moly Bathurst 12 Hour in SRO’s pre-race BoP update. Now, minimum hot tyre pressure is 1.85 bar for each tyre after eight continuous green laps in a stint, whereas the previous stipulation had been 1.40 bar for each tyre when leaving pit lane and on the starting grid. Mercedes saddled with extra weight for Bathurst 12 Hour

Engel was in record-breaking form aboard the #999 GruppeM Mercedes-AMG on Saturday. The German driver reset the practice/qualifying record twice at Mount ...

This is a modal window. “It’s been a good day. “I thought there might have been a couple of scratches on the mirror at some point. “We can look forward to a great race tomorrow, which for our team, is the big egg.” The 2014 edition of the race was the first held after the passing of Simonsen, who previously held the lap record at Mount Panorama. “It was the year after he passed away,” Engel said of his 2014 pole.

Triple Eight's Supercheap Auto Mercedes-AMG leads the 2023 Liqui Moly Bathurst 12 Hour after the first quarter of the race.

Van Gisbergen assumed top spot in the #888 Mercedes-AMG from Campbell in the #912 Porsche, Rossi in the #46 BMW, Weerts in the #32 BMW, Habul in the #75 Mercedes-AMG, Grenier in the #999 Mercedes-AMG, Talbot in the #65 Audi, Nick Catsburg in the #77 Mercedes-AMG, Aaron Cameron in the #44 Valmont Racing Mercedes-AMG, and Craig Lowndes in the #222 Scott Taylor Motorsport Mercedes-AMG. He passed second-placed Gotz on the road at The Chase on the leaders’ 51st lap, and was back on the lead lap himself with a carbon copy move on Grenier, 6.213km later. A Safety Car was called on Lap 59 after Stephen Grove spun at McPhillamy Park and the Pro-Am class #4 Grove Racing Porsche hit the wall with both ends. Grenier lapped the 13th-placed Car #99 on Lap 40 but his lead over the other Triple Eight Mercedes-AMG of Gotz had dropped below three seconds by then, and was less than one second on Lap 44. Gotz was almost five seconds behind Engel when he pitted on Lap 34, in the 76th minute, with Preining and Jamie Whincup (#99 Triple Eight Mercedes-AMG) following him into the lane. Maro Engel had qualified the GruppeM machine on pole position and was handed the keys to the #999 Mercedes-AMG for

Maro Engel led the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour from pole with one hour of the race completed. Engel, in the No. 999 GruppeM Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo, ...

The top five at the hour mark was completed by the No. While the opening hour ran caution-free it was not without incident, as the No. 888 Triple Eight Race Engineering Mercedes of Maxi Goetz, with the No.

Shane van Gisbergen's Supercheap Mercedes AMG GT3 is locked in battle with Matt Campbell's Manthey Porsche 911 GT3 R after three hours of a fascinating ...

Mostert handed the MPC Audi back to Liam Talbot to get the amateur’s drive-time nearer completion, and he came out in seventh. Campbell was hanging onto the rear wing of van Gisbergen like a terrier on a tennis ball, his purpose aided by traffic. He threw it down the inside of Goetz on Lap 51 braking into The Chase, and set his sights on Grenier. Charles Weerts had replaced Vanthoor in the other WRT car and ran seventh, 25sec ahead of Shahin and Ellis, who on Lap 40 swapped places. Feller and Ellis stopped two laps later, Feller handing off to Yasser Shahin, but Ellis remaining in the driving seat. But 10mins later, the picture had shifted a tad, Priening dropping into the clutches of Stolz, who seemed eager to make it a Mercedes 1-2-3.

The #888 Supercheap Auto Mercedes heads the field at the end of Hour 3, taking advantage of a pit stop under safety car to leapfrog the #999 GruppeM ...

The safety car and corresponding wavearound enabled a number of the Pro-Am and Silver Cup cars to stay on the lead lap. In response, Mostert was the fastest car on track, catching up to the lead battle between the #999 GruppeM and #888 Supercheap Auto Mercedes, who had stayed out on warm tyres. That car has spent 22 minutes in the garage, and has just returned to the circuit. Replays showed the Steven Grove in the Porsche scraping the inside wall backwards out of McPhillamy, before spearing across the track and going in rear-first to the outside concrete wall. The early leader, the #999 GruppeM Mercedes, rounds the top 5, in 4th place. The #888 Supercheap Auto Mercedes heads the field at the end of Hour 3, taking advantage of a pit stop under safety car to leapfrog the #999 GruppeM Mercedes.

The Harrolds Volante Rosso Motorsport Mercedes that Poulakis shares with Josh Hunt, Kevin Tse and Jonathan Hui was handed a 10-minute stop-go penalty during the ...

[handed a Balance of Performance penalty](https://www.v8sleuth.com.au/mercedes-hit-by-parity-adjustment-on-eve-of-bathurst-12-hour/) following the record-breaking pace shown by its leading runners. [disqualified from the qualifying Shootout](https://www.v8sleuth.com.au/engel-blitzes-a-zero-to-take-bathurst-12-hour-pole/). “The Driver of Car 101 (Ross Poulakis) disobeyed Red Flags by failing (to) immediately slow, recording a speed of 258km/h through the Speed Trap on his second lap under Red Flag conditions after failing to return immediately to pitlane,” read the report.

Jules Gounon headed the running order after 156 laps, the Frenchman holding an 18-second margin over the #912 Manthey EMA Porsche with Mathieu Jaminet at the ...

They fell off the lead lap in the first hour after a pit exit blend line infraction by Mostert, who drove a furious stint to catch and pass the leaders to earn the lap back. A blistering stint from Stolz allowed them to leapfrog to the top of the order after the most recent round of green flag pit stops. The car remained on the lead lap despite pitting to serve the penalty and returning to the lane a lap later for Gounon to take over the wheel. They ran among the lead group in the early hours before Habul earnt a pit lane drivethrough penalty for crossing the blend line at pit exit. The #75, crewed by Gounon, Luca Stolz and Kenny Habul, had a rocky road to the front of the race. A CLEVER strategy play has vaulted the #75 SunEnergy1 Mercedes-AMG into the lead of the Bathurst 12 Hour as the race reaches its halfway point.

The #4 Pro-Am Class Porsche caused the first Safety Car intervention just past the two hour mark of the 2023 race when Stephen Grove came unstuck at the top of ...

I virtually spun but just held it and didn’t spin. “I don’t think we’ll be able to get the car back out but the most important part is that dad’s ok and we’ll regroup and go to South Africa in a couple of weeks.” [That will include De Pasquale at the Spa 24 Hour in July and the Gulf 12 Hours in Abu Dhabi in December](https://www.v8sleuth.com.au/de-pasquale-set-for-expanded-grove-racing-role/). “Last year unfortunately we had an incident in the same place and pretty much the same damage and that was a write-off. “I then lost a lot of time because I was unsure if the car was damaged, so I dawdled around until I had confidence that nothing was going to break.” [What every car in the Bathurst 12 Hour looks like](https://www.v8sleuth.com.au/spotter-guide-2023-bathurst-12-hour-car-by-car/)

CRAIG Lowndes' Bathurst 12 Hour has come to an early end due to a big crash for car owner and co-driver Scott Taylor. The Gold Coast-based businessman ...

The #222 Mercedes had a lucky escape on just the fifth lap of the race when Davison was hit from behind by Porsche driver Brenton Grove. “It’s a shame. It occurred just ahead of the race leading SunEnergy1 Mercedes of Jules Gounon, who made it past the crashing car unscathed.

Two-times Bathurst 12 Hour winner Lowndes is out of this year's event after his Mercedes-AMG GT ended up in the wall.

“We had a clean ride at Philip Island a couple of weeks ago. “So it’s a shame; Scotty has put in a lot of hard work. And we know up there, there’s just no room for error.” We’re all really happy in the car,” Lowndes added. [ > ](https://www.speedcafe.com/) [News](https://www.speedcafe.com/category/news/) > [Sportscars](https://www.speedcafe.com/category/news/sportscars/) > [GT](https://www.speedcafe.com/category/news/sportscars/gt/) > [Bathurst 12 Hour](https://www.speedcafe.com/category/news/sportscars/gt/bathurst-12-hour/) [Scott Taylor Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3](https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/01/09/lowndes-bathurst-12-hour-livery-unveiled/) ended up in the fence at Mount Panorama

Jules Gounon leads the Bathurst 12 Hour in the #75 SunEnergy1 Racing Mercedes at the halfway point of the race.

fastest in hectic Clash practice in Los Angeles The lead group held station for the next 20 minutes, at which point Farfus started to put the pressure back on van Gisbergen. Bathurst 12 Hour: SunEnergy1 Mercedes leads at half way Bathurst 12 Hour: SunEnergy1 Mercedes leads at half way Bathurst 12 Hour: GruppeM in front with three hours to go Bathurst 12 Hour: GruppeM in front with three hours to go Bathurst 12 Hour: GruppeM in front with three hours to go Bathurst 12 Hour: SunEnergy1 Mercedes leads at half way

The halfway point of the 2023 Bathurst 12 Hour has been reached with an intriguing race in store at Mount Panorama.

The top Pro-Am car is Christopher Mies in the #777 Audi, with Chaz Mostert not far away. Van Gisbergen dived to the pits for a fourth time and gave Broc Feeney his first stint behind the wheel of car #888 after four and a half hours of racing and rejoined eighth. Even after its eighth visit to the lane, the Sun Energy car retained its lead ahead of Jaminet, Feeney and Marciello. The fifth hour of the race started in exciting fashion with a hot pace and tight battles at the front. But behind him is a fascinating affair with the Manthey EMA Porsche, #888 Mercedes and #999 car that started on pole separated by less than a second for much of the period. Leading the way is Jules Gounon, who is in control by 15 seconds in the Sun Energy car after eight tours to the lane.

The new record for the first event of the Intercontinental GT Challenge Powered by Pirelli season, has eclipsed the previous record of 49,495 set in 2019, when ...

Kiwi Liam Lawson’s historic laps have already been viewed by millions of fans around the world in what was a special moment on Mount Panorama. "We would like to thank our broadcast partners, Foxtel and the Seven Network, who brought the adrenaline-fueled action to audiences around the country and around the world." "Fans saw a reinvigorated Harris Park precinct and we would like to thank the manufacturers for engaging with fans in ways like never before.

THE 2023 edition of the Bathurst 12 Hour has drawn a record three-day crowd of 53,446, event organisers have announced. That number eclipses the previous ...

“From the track to the skies, we made some key additions to the entertainment package in 2023, which we want to build on next year and in the future,” said Rudzis. “The racing on Sunday was world-class and the pictures of sunrise as a backdrop to the Mount Panorama circuit are part of the unique moments that make this circuit one of the most iconic in the world.” This year marked a return of the 12 Hour as a true international GT race following a COVID-19 induced hiatus in 2021 and a Pro-Am format in 2022.

The GruppeM Mercedes currently leads a see-sawing battle with SunEnergy1 Racing heading into the final three hours of the Bathurst 12 Hour.

fastest in hectic Clash practice in Los Angeles Preining, van der Linde and Martin were in first, handing over to Jaminet, Vanthoor and Augusto Farfus respectively. He resumed back in sixth place behind van Gisbergen, while Engel settled into a handy lead over Preining. Bathurst 12 Hour: GruppeM in front with three hours to go Bathurst 12 Hour: GruppeM in front with three hours to go fastest in hectic Clash practice in Los Angeles Martin Truex Jr. Bathurst 12 Hour: GruppeM in front with three hours to go

Jules Gounon leads the Bathurst 12 Hour in the #75 SunEnergy1 Racing Mercedes at the halfway point of the race.

The lead group held station for the next 20 minutes, at which point Farfus started to put the pressure back on van Gisbergen. Stolz, who had quietly built up a gap of over a minute, then stopped on the 5h18m mark, Jules Gounon taking over the #75 Mercedes and resuming with the race lead and an 10s margin back to a battling Jaminet and Feeney. Van Gisbergen was then able to re-establish a small margin over the BMW until the 4h40m mark when the #888 entry became the first of the lead group to make a fourth stop. The gap steadied there, though, as van Gisbergen settled into a rhythm with Augusto Farfus (#32 WRT BMW), Maro Engel (#999 GruppeM Mercedes) and Sheldon van der Linde (#32 WRT BMW) in tow. The cause of the caution was a run-in between the #44 Valmont Racing Mercedes and the #47 Supabarn Audi at Skyline, which led to heavy contact with the wall for Aaron Cameron and the AMG. Jules Gounon leads the Bathurst 12 Hour in the #75 SunEnergy1 Racing Mercedes at the halfway point of the race.

The SunEnergy1 Racing Mercedes defended its Bathurst 12 Hour crown despite Jules Gounon being spun by fellow Mercedes driver Maro Engel inside the last ...

I'm proud of everyone, proud of the team." "Luca and Jules just drove the balls off this car and I'm so proud of them. Photo by: Edge Photographics I drove well, I was proud of myself. Photo by: Bathurst 12H

'Gonna run around the track naked': Bathurst 12hr winner goes wild after historic win.

The last one was really hard in the pits. It was just an outstanding job,” he said. “The contact, front bumper to rear wheel was the incriminating evidence.” “It’s just another chapter to their challenges at this joint.” “It’s behind the rear wheel to start with. Habul was ecstatic with the win on Sunday as he declared he’d “run around the track naked” to celebrate.

The GruppeM Racing Mercedes of Maro Engel/Mikael Grenier/Raffaele Marciello enjoys a 30s lead over Matt Campbell in the Porsche after 265 laps around the ...

The repair meant the car dropped from fifth to seventh and its podiums hopes received a setback. It was imposed due to a pit-stop infringement when the team performed an unauthorised rear-wing adjustment at its seventh stop. Stolz finally let the lead when he pitted with two hours and 13 minutes left on the clock, dropping from first to third and putting Marciello back in front. The hopes of car #888 gaining ground from the top six took a hit when it was served with a drive-through penalty. Stolz stayed in the Mercedes and rejoined fourth with car #999 in control by around 30s ahead of cars #912 and #32 who are all on the same strategy. The SunEnergy1 car that had has led a lot of the race was a minute behind Engel due to running an alternative strategy.

Jules Gounon fended off a desperate charge from Matt Campbell in the #912 Manthey EMA Porsche by 0.9276-seconds, with the #999 GruppeM Mercedes-AMG of Maro ...

The last stint with old tyres and having to defend, and seeing great drivers like Maro (and Matt closing in).” The furious pace at the front of the race also delivered a new race distance record of 323 laps for a total of 2006 kilometres, up from the 314 laps completed in the 2020 race. “To win Bathurst, it’s … Valentino Rossi’s maiden Bathurst 12 Hour delivered a sixth-place finish for he, Augusto Farfus and Maxime Martin, also one lap off the pace after they were forced to briefly put the #46 WRT BMW into the garage to rectify a problem with its taillights. After stalking him for several laps and looking for a chance to overtake, Engel attempted a move on Gounon at the Chase on Lap 300. The polesitting #999 Mercedes of Engel, Mikhail Grenier and Raffaele Marciello held sway as the race entered its 11th hour, but a problem with the modem attached to its data logger threatened its chances.

The SunEnergy1 Racing Mercedes defended its Bathurst 12 Hour crown despite Jules Gounon being spun by fellow Mercedes driver Maro Engel inside the last ...

The penalty handed the lead back to Gounon bu he was still within striking distance for both Campbell, and a fast-recovering Engel. The following lap it reached an inevitable outcome when Engel tried to surprise Gounon at the same corner, but instead tipped the leading Mercedes into a spin. The pair then staged a thrilling battle at the front, Engel desperate to use this tyre advantage to get past. I'm proud of everyone, proud of the team." That dropped him to third behind Campbell with a 42s margin to new leader Marciello. "Luca and Jules just drove the balls off this car and I'm so proud of them.

2023 Bathurst 12 Hour winner Jules Gounon has said sorry to rival Maro Engel after the pair came together in an intense battle for the race lead.

The contact resulted in a drive-through penalty for Engel in car #999, which dropped him from the race lead to third position. I threw everything at it.” In the closing stages of the race, Gounon was on older tyres with GruppeM’s Engel – who set a new lap record yesterday to claim pole position for the race – showing faster pace and making several attempts to pass the #75 Sun Energy1 Racing Mercedes.

But GruppeM Racing is fuming after copping a penalty late in the race at Mount Panorama on Sunday. GruppeM Racing's Maro Engel overtook Sun Energy 1's Gounon to ...

I'm sorry ... And it was tough because I had old tyres from Luca when I got in. I'm really dead! But to win Bathurst ... "Thanks to Mercedes-AMG and thanks to the town of Bathurst. "And, you know, I drove really well. "First of all, I want to say sorry to Maro for the contact. "And then after that, I'm going to drink a lot tonight." "And I wanted to win outright. "The contact, front bumper to rear wheel, was the incriminating evidence." As Engel tried to peg back the deficit, Hindhaugh said the 37-year-old was "fired up like a volcano". "It's behind the rear wheel to start with.

A Record 53446 fans attended the 2023 Bathurst 12 hour, which packed in a lot of action across three eventful days at The Mountain.

Along with some of the worlds best endurance racers, the big crowd heard and witnessed a 2011 Red Bull F1 car doing laps – piloted by Kiwi Liam Lawson…and its engine stramgely revving out the national anthem!! “I would also like to thank our volunteers, dedicated officials, and the hospitable people of Bathurst for creating an unforgettable experience for fans, as well as the major stakeholders and the Bathurst Regional Council.” “Fans saw a reinvigorated Harris Park precinct and we would like to thank the manufacturers for engaging with fans in ways like never before.”

There was understanding between drivers, but frustrations levelled at race officials, following the all-Mercedes clash that decided the outcome of the ...

"A chance to win Bathurst in your life are really small, so Maro went for it and I also defended. I would much rather like to touch with somebody else in the room, but at the end it’s racing. And then from there on, I knew I had to make a move and they were just so quick in the straight that it was… even though I had fresh tyres and good exits it was hard to keep up on the straights so went for the move, and it was unfortunate that we came together. "We had everything under control until we were requested to add a data logger at the last pitstop. Then Maro had to go for it."

A photograph posted to the 'Bathurst Campers' Facebook page shows a fire burning near the circuit's famous sign. Video footage shows that there were in fact ...

Speedcafe.com has observed the scene this morning, revealing no damage to the sign but burnt-out grass near the T, consistent with photographs of the fire published on social media. A photograph posted to the ‘Bathurst Campers’ Facebook page shows a fire burning near the circuit’s famous sign. Fire near Mount Panorama sign after Bathurst 12 Hour