From world-famous landmarks, tourist attractions, pristine beaches, shopping centres, local events – we live for Sydney! Despite this, 32 of the 48 starters were classified as finishers. In 2015, Laurens Vanthoor set the fastest ever officially recorded time of Mount Panorama in qualifying. The race was initially held for four years between 1991-1994, before moving to Sydney’s Eastern Creek Raceway (now Sydney Motorsport Park) in 1995. Previous Races FIRST HELD in 1991, the Bathurst 12 Hour started its life as a race for production-based vehicles before becoming a race for international GT vehicles in 2011. Australia's International Endurance Race. The race was first held in 1991 for Series Production cars and moved to Sydney's Eastern Creek Raceway in 1995 before being discontinued. Van Gisbergen’s late race dramas – that also included a looming penalty for contact with a lapped vehicle – elevated the Ice Break Competition Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3R to second place, Marc Lieb, Patrick Long, Matt Campbell and David Calvert Jones delivering Porsche’s latest racer a Bathurst podium on debut. Hauling in a five-second margin, Chiyo relentlessly closed to one second of the leader by the time the flag fell, he, Rick Kelly and Florian Strauss ultimately settling for second in a strong title defense for the NISMO team. [30] The field was reduced by five cars prior to the race with several heavy crashes in practice and qualifying. 17 car driven by Steven Kane, Guy Smith and Oliver Jarvis – Kane and Smith on the Bathurst podium for the second time in two years. Though failing to set a new distance record (in part to additional safety cars due to the record entry), the race was set at a cracking pace. The event itself grew in stature each year, firmly entrenching itself as one of the biggest race meetings at the start of the domestic Australian racing season, along with the Clipsal 500 and the Australian Grand Prix. Grandstand and general admission tickets will be available as well as camping passes for visitors to make the most of this huge event. The 2008 and 2009 races were won by Mitsubishi Lancers, with Rod Salmon and Damien White amongst both line-ups. Despite this, the number of entries dropped dramatically as many of the production car teams decided not to race. The race was held under Group 3E Series Production Car rules, then in the Australian Production Car Championship, for naturally aspirated four- and six-cylinder passenger sedans, but it also allowed turbocharged and V8-engined cars. In 2017, all three races retain their IGTC status. McLaren’s triumph was almost overshadowed by Nissan, 2015 winner Katsumasa Chiyo thrilling his growing legion of fans once again with a stunning pursuit of the leading McLaren in the closing laps. Of the 24 starters in this, the first 12-hour race to be staged at Mount Panorama, 20 were still running at the finish. The race was originally scheduled to run from 9am to 9pm but this was disallowed by Bathurst Regional Council. The entire 2015 and 2016 races were broadcast live on the Seven Network and 7mate, and were also streamed worldwide on the Bathurst 12 Hour website. 1991: Allan Grice, Peter Fitzgerald, Nigel Arkell: Toyota Supra Turbo Made for you by SnapLap. Allan Grice became the first driver who won both Bathurst 1000 and Bathurst 12 Hour. The 1991 James Hardie 12 Hour was an endurance race for production cars. The Bathurst 12 Hour was successfully revived in 2007 as part of the Bathurst Motorsport Festival[4] While James O'Brien, who masterminded the return of the event, planned for GT cars to share the event with production cars, the return of the race began with regulations close to its original concept as a race for production cars. The novelty for 2016 was that the race was included in the newly formed Intercontinental GT Challenge, together with two more endurance races – Spa 24 hours and Sepang 12 hours. In 1992, manufacturer-backed teams began to appear with large teams entered and funded by Mazda, Holden, Citroën and Peugeot. Asian team Craft-Bamboo Racing finished third after a controversial final-corner tangle saw them, the Phoenix Audi and the Bentley Team M-Sport Continental GT3 scrap for second, third and fourth in the final corner. The event itself saw record pace from Shane Van Gisbergenin qualifying and the race to lead his Tekno Autosports McLaren 650S GT3 to victory alongside McLaren factory driver Álvaro Parente and Tekno team owner/driver Jonathon Webb. [2] Garry Holt would then repeat his 2007 victory in 2010, driving again with Morris and also with John Bowe. [9] Despite this, the number of entries dropped dramatically as many of the production car teams, disillusioned by the move towards GT, decided not to race. The Racer Industries Invitational Class winners were the #91 MARC Cars Australia MARC II V8 of Keith Kassulke, Rod Salmon and Will Brown. Seven different brands finished in the top seven places at the end of a thrilling race that also featured a record 20-safety car interruptions. Bathurst 12 Hour was mostly the non-championship race, except two events (2007 and 2010) that were included in different Australian championships. At the 2013 event commentary was provided by the team from Radio Show Limited/Radio Le Mans who broadcast every session live on www.radiolemans.com establishing an International audience for the event as well as underlining great interest in endurance racing from within Australia. The race remained on hiatus until it returned in Easter, 2007, with new promoters. Drivers were allowed to cross-enter between cars so that they could race one car in the one-hour GT Championship race and then drive another car that was entered for the full 12 hours. Stay up-to-date with the latest #B12HR news via Facebook and Twitter. The estimated viewing audience for the 2014 race was over half a million people from 150 countries. [28] In 2019, the race had unprecedented amounts of green flag running leading to a distance record being set. [24] In the race itself, Maranello Motorsport repeated their 2014 triumph, with Finnish driver Toni Vilander teaming up with Lowndes and Jamie Whincup to receive the Australian Tourist Trophy, which became the perpetual trophy for the outright winner. In 2016, Supercars Australia assumed the promotion and management of the event. It was a really fantastic season for Tekno Autosports’ trio, as Jonathon Webb won the Bathurst 1000 later in the season, together with Will Davison, while Shane van Gisbergen became the V8 Supercars champion. [43] From 2015 onwards, the entire race has been broadcast live on the Seven Network and 7mate, still in partnership with RSL, and has continued to be streamed online. The race would instead run from 5:15am to 5:15pm, with the final two hours televised by Network Ten. The race was organized for the first time in 1991 for the Series Production cars. [45], The estimated viewing audience for the 2014 race was over half a million people from 150 countries. Cars on the grid prior to the start of the 2015 race. The two Team Joest-run R8LMSs fought an inter-team battle to the flag that saw the international entry beat the Aussie’s by less than a second in an iconic form 1-2 finish. Christopher Mies and Darryl O’Young were the winners again, partnered by Christer Jons. All Rights Reserved, Supplementary Regulations and Sporting & Technical Regulations, Allan Grice / Peter Fitzgerald / Nigel Arkell, Charlie O’Brien / Mark Gibbs / Garry Walden, Rod Salmon / Damien White / Graeme Alexander, Rod Salmon / Damien White / Tony Longhurst, Marc Basseng / Darryl O’Young / Christoper Meis, Christoper Meis / Christer Jons / Darryl O’Young, Bernd Schneider / Thomas Jaeger / Alex Roloff, Craig Lowndes / John Bowe / Mika Salo / Peter Edwards, Katsumasa Chiyo / Florian Strauss / Wolfgang Riep, Shane van Gisbergen / Alvaro Parente / Jonathan Webb, Craig Lowndes / Jamie Whincup / Toni Villander, Dries Vanthoor / Stuart Leonard / Robin Frijns, Dirk Werner / Dennis Olsen / Matt Campbell. In 2002 and 2003, the Bathurst 24 Hour races were held, organized by Procar Australia. In 1994, the winners were Neil Crompton and Gregg Hansford. Want to keep up to date with Bathurst sport? For the 2013 event, the number of entries increased to 53. It’s interesting that the race was the opening round of the Australian GT Championship. The 2007 Subaru entry of rally drivers Chris Atkinson, Dean Herridge and Cody Crocker would be the only other manufacturer to finish the race in the top two between 2007 and 2010.[2]. Maranello Motorsport has won the race in 2017 with Craig Lowndes, Jamie Whincup and Toni Vilander in the #88 Ferrari 488 GT3. [8] The number of entries grew over this production-based period, peaking at 48 in 2009, while the final race held strictly to production car regulations in 2010 attracted 42 entries. In 2011, GT3-specification cars were allowed into the 12 hour race for the first time. Teams could then either continue on and complete the full race, or withdraw their car after the first hour. Exotic mid-engined sports cars and GT cars were not eligible to enter. Race promoter and a former Bathurst 1000 competitor Vincent Tesoriero secured the support of James Hardie Industries as a sponsor and the first Bathurst 12 Hour took place on Easter weekend in 1991 (March 31). Toilets and showers are available on-site, however, there is no power to the campsites. The milestone change happened in 2011 when GT3-spec cars were allowed to participate for the first time. [2] The race regulations were based on the Group 3E Series Production Car rules then in use in the Australian Production Car Championship for naturally aspirated four- and six-cylinder passenger sedans, but also allowed turbocharged and V8-engined cars which had been outlawed from the Production Car Championship in 1990. While we have made an effort to ensure that all information was correct at the time of publication, details can change over time. [1] The race was revived in 2007, again for production cars, before adding a new class for GT3 and other GT cars in 2011. 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