All eyes on Bathurst

The countdown is on for the 2016 Bathurst 12 Hour race and Audi is looking to win its third title at the Mountain and add to the growing reputation of the all-new R8 LMS race car.

Six customer teams will field a total of seven R8 LMS cars at this year’s event, making Audi the best represented brand in the top GT3 class, with five of the seven cars the new model R8 LMS which makes its Australian debut at Bathurst.

The new car has big shoes to fill at Mount Panorama, the previous model having won the endurance classic twice since GT3 cars were included in the line-up in 2011. Since then, four different marques have won the 12-hour race, but only Audi has two wins to its name.

The brand’s last victory came in 2012 when Team Phoenix was first past the checkered flag and the team will be hoping to repeat that result when they take on The Mountain again this year.

The 2016 Team Phoenix Racing car will see local hero Alex Davison join Belgian Laurens Vanthoor and German Markus Winkelhock in their campaign to claim a third title for Audi. Vanthoor and Winkelhock finished second in the race last year by just two seconds, so they are very keen to ‘correct’ that situation in 2016.

The Phoenix car will be easy to spot, wearing as it does unique racing livery which celebrates the local Bathurst Wiradyuri Aboriginal Community. The Wiradyuri community  contributed to the design which features a goanna – the Wiradyuri people’s totem, as well as the platypus which is the most important dreaming story in the area. It is the first time a race car with an Australian Indigenous livery has ever competed in an international motorsport event.

Indeed motorsport fans from around the world will be watching the action at Mount Panorama this weekend as 24 cars from seven manufacturers contest the top GT3 class. For Audi it will be a chance to see if the new R8 LMS can build on the two wins of its predecessor and add to the four international endurance races it has already claimed since its debut last year.

“Since 2011, GT3 models have been permitted to form part of the field at Bathurst. A fierce competition has ensued ever since. During this time, Audi has impressed an increasing number of customers with its sports cars: they are no doubt excited about the upcoming premiere of the new car in Australia,” says Romolo Liebchen, Head of Audi Sport customer racing.

All of the Audi Sport teams will be vying for the top spot come Sunday’s race, with an immense depth of talent behind the wheel. Jamec Pem Racing will field two cars and will be looking to build on its success last year when German driver Christopher Mies won the Australian GT Championship for the team. Mies, who has been a part of both winning Audi driver line-ups since 2011 will return to the Mountain, joining countryman Christopher Haase and last year’s runner-up Marco Mapelli in one of two Jamec Pem cars. The second Jamec Pem car will be driven by Steven McLaughlan and Garth Tander with German René Rast who has just claimed a class win for Audi at the Daytona 24 Hours.

The local Supabarn Supermarket team of brothers James and Theo Koundouris, Marcus Marshall and Shae Davies will debut the new R8 LMS in their campaign at Mount Panorama, as will the Arris/GT Motorsport team of Nathan Antunes, Barton Mawer and Greg Taylor.

Two of the proven previous models of the R8 LMS race car will also take on the Mountain with Teams Hallmarc/Network Clothing and International Motorsport contesting the event with the R8 LMS ultra.

With a total field of some 40 cars lining up on Sunday for the race, there will be plenty of traffic for the GT3 cars to deal with, and international motorsport articles are already making mention of Bathurst’s unusual racing hazards, which include local wildlife on the track (kangaroos in particular) and the changeable weather.

Once again the Bathurst 12 Hour promises to be a riveting motorsport event and one that will test local and international drivers alike at one of the most celebrated race tracks in the world.

Practice for the race will take place this Friday the 5th of February with qualifying on Saturday 6th. The race will start at 5:45am Sunday 7th, with the checkered flag set to fall at 5:45pm (7:45 p.m. to 7:45 a.m. CET).

The Seven Network will be air the race in its entirety, while those not able to access a television or get to the track can watch live streaming of the action on the internet: www.bathurst12hour.com.au

Audi teams at Bathurst

#2 Phoenix Racing – Audi R8 LMS

Alex Davison/Laurens Vanthoor/Markus Winkelhock (AUS/B/D)

#3 Supabarn Supermarkets – Audi R8 LMS

Shae Davies/James Koundouris/Theo Koundouris/Marcus Marshall (AUS/AUS/AUS/AUS)

#5 Arris/GT Motorsport/Pete & Co – Audi R8 LMS

Nathan Antunes/Barton Mawer/Greg Taylor (AUS/AUS/AUS)

#9 Hallmarc/Network Clothing – Audi R8 LMS ultra

Marc Cini/Mark Eddy/Christer Jöns (AUS/AUS/D)

#74 Jamec Pem Racing – Audi R8 LMS

Christopher Haase/Marco Mapelli/Christopher Mies (D/I/D)

#75 Jamec Pem Racing – Audi R8 LMS

Steven McLaughlan/René Rast/Garth Tander (AUS/D/AUS)

#82 International Motorsport – Audi R8 LMS ultra

Rick Armstrong/Andrew Bagnall/Matt Halliday (NZ/NZ/NZ)