2013 Bathurst 12 Hour Preview

[Tristan Clark]

Mount Panorama will once again be the host of the “Ultimate Aussie Endurance Race”, taking place on Sunday the 10th of February 2013. The Bathurst 12 Hour was first held in 1991, with Allan Grice’s Toyota Supra Turbo completing 242 laps to take out the inaugural event. The event has had a chequered history since it was first implemented. Following John Bowe and Dick Johnson’s 1995 outright victory in a Mazda RX7, the race was not contested again until it was resurrected in 2007. Since then, it has become a unique event on the Australian motorsport calendar, generally held before the beginning of the V8 Supercar season.



The 2013 Bathurst 12 Hour will feature arguably the strongest and most exciting field to ever grace the treacherous Mount Panorama circuit. Some of the most spectacular production cars will be piloted by many of the best GT and Touring Car drivers in the world. A diverse field of entries will take to the track, with 20 different brands represented ranging from Ferrari F458’s to home-grown Holden’s. A total of 50 entries have been confirmed for the race, divided between 6 different classes. 17 nationalities will also be represented on the grid, as the event has firmly cemented itself on the international racing landscape.



Erebus Motorsport, soon to launch an assault on the V8 Supercar Championship, has made the best possible start to 2013 as one of their Mercedes SLS AMG GT3’s will start from pole position for the race. A lap of 2.06.27 was fast enough for the star studded entry including V8 Supercar drivers Tim Slade and Lee Holdsworth, as well as 2012 Australian GT champion Peter Hackett to take pole position. Starting alongside them will be the successful and experienced line up of Mika Salo, Allan Simonsen, John Bowe and Peter Edwards in their Ferrari F458 GT3. Bernd Schneider will co-pilot the second Erebus Motorsport Mercedes starting from 5th on the grid and will be a strong contender for the outright win. 2012 GT Championship runner up Klark Quinn will share his customary Porsche 911 GT3 with father Tony Quinn, and V8 supercar driver Shane Van Gisbergen. Also in the field are reigning WTCC champion Rob Huff and 2012 V8 Supercar runner up Craig Lowndes. Both drivers will campaign Audi R8’s. Greg Murphy will share a Chevrolet Corvette, while New Zealander Steven Richards will compete in a Lamborghini Gallardo.

The weather bureau is predicting possible thunderstorms to lash the mountain late in the race, so drivers and teams will need to be on their toes. The 2012 race was dominated by inclement weather, and the 2010 edition saw the race stopped as a result of a fallen tree. Anyone who has watched the Bathurst 1000 will know how quickly the conditions can change, and how volatile the track can be during poor weather. WATCH IT LIVE NOW on our live stream, or visit the Bathurst 12 Hour Website from 7am Eastern Daylight Time (8pm GMT time 9th Of February).

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