A fight to the end

Mount Panorama delivered another characteristically gruelling event for teams and drivers, with disappointment followed by some inspired performances and ultimately reason to celebrate. After an uneventful start just as the sun was breaching the horizon, the Audi Sport team was dealt a savage blow losing the #74 car driven by Christopher Haase. Just 33 minutes into the race the brand’s sole entry in the Pro class was hit from behind mid-corner, sending it into the wall for what was a race ending impact.

Fortunately Haase was unhurt, but forced retirement from the race at such an early stage was a bitter disappointment for the team. Nevertheless the remaining Audi teams rallied and there followed a day of close racing that ultimately saw Audi on the top step of the podium in both the Pro-Am and Class A Silver categories.

Fighting to the very last lap, the #65 Melbourne Performance Centre car of Chaz Mostert, Fraser Ross and Liam Talbot took the top spot in the Pro-Am class and clinched seventh overall – just one place back from where Mostert qualified the car in the Top 10 Shootout. Just as he had done all weekend, Mostert left nothing on the track, pushing at every opportunity and along the way producing the fastest lap of the race with a 2:02.168s.

Just behind them inn Pro-Am was the #777 Audi of Ricardo Feller, Christopher Mies and current Australian GT champion Yasser Shahin. In fact the #777 had held the number one position in the class until an extended pit stop to replace brake pads towards the end of the race saw them slip back into second in class and ninth overall.

Long-time campaigners, Marc Cini, Lee Holdsworth and Dean Fiore in the #9 Team Hallmarc entry finished further back in the Pro-Am ranks in fifth.

In the Class A Silver category, the #10 Myland Team IMS of Dylan O’Keeffe, Daniel Gaunt and Andrew Fawcet claimed the class victory, lapping their nearest rivals no less than six times on the way to taking the win. The third step of the podium was also occupied by Audi with Team M-Motorsport/Vantage Racing making a late switch to Audi. Originally meant to compete in a KTM X-Bow, that car was ruled out with technical difficulties and they were able to switch to a reserve Audi R8 supplied by Melbourne Performance Centre.

The swap to Audi paid dividends, with the driver trio of David Crampton, Trent Harrison and Glen Wood driving the Audi R8 LMS GT3 to third place in the Silver class.

Last year’s Silver class victors, the Supabarn entry of James and Theo Koundouris, David Russell and Jonathan Webb finished just off the podium in class this year, after an accident during the race cost them precious time for running repairs.

In all it was another weekend of challenges, disappointment and celebration – all the ingredients that make the Bathurst 12 hour the race it is and keeps the top teams coming back year after year for a shot at The Mountain.