The #5 Audi sought to defend its 2016 class win at the 2017 Bathurst 12 Hours. Unfortunately, the team of Greg Taylor, Nathan Antunes, and Elliot Barbour came up short, retiring the car with only 161 laps completed. The car showed pace – Antunes steered the Audi into the top 10 qualifying shootout as the only Audi to do so. Sadly, the engine cover removal is usually a bad sign. The culprit was contact from another car to the left rear. Great livery and great run while it lasted. Enjoy the pics!
After only 32 laps, the #4 Grove Racing Porsche found calamity and its run came to an untimely end. Arguably, the Class B favorite – or at least among the favorites – driver Alex Imperatori crashed at Reid Park. The beautiful red and black Porsche returned to the paddock and retirement on the back of a flatbed.
The #3 Audi R8 LMS with KFC sponsorship prominently shown finished 7th overall (2 laps off the lead) and second in class (one lap down). The three drivers were Ash Samadi, Daniel Gaunt, and Matt Halliday in the Pro-Am entry. Colonel Sanders was on the flanks rather than behind the wheel. At the end, the car looked remarkably clean. Well done. In a sport with so much B2B sponsorship, it was nice to see a consumer goods sponsor – like KFC or not. Enjoy the pics!
Largely an amateur effort, Daniel Stuttard, James Bergmuller, Samuel Fillmore piloted the #2A DJS Racing Audi R8 LMS with charity in mind. Challenge is an Australian nonprofit dedicated to supporting kids with cancer and Challenge 72 is a group of members that get together several times a year in support of the cause. The matte black Audi sported colorful Challenge logos and names of kids on its bodywork. On the track, the car covered 272 laps but was ultimately classified as a DNF. Hope to see them again next year!
The #1 Tenko Autosports McLaren GT finished 5th overall, one lap off the lead. The strong driver line up of Rob Bell, Alvaro Parente, and Come Ledogar. Bell has extensive GT racing experience, including recent McLaren GT experience. Parente not only has prior experience, he has been a McLaren factory driver since 2012, won the Pirelli World Challenge GT championship in a McLaren in 2016, and won the 2016 Bathurst 12 Hours race overall. Come Ledogar is also a McLaren factory shoe, so the line up was very strong! Enjoy the pics!
Ever been to the Bathurst 12 hours race in Australia? If not, add it to your bucket list. What a marvelous event. Great track, great entry, great sight lines, great access, and some close racing. The event has been growing in exposure and popularity. Entrants and drivers now come from across the globe to join the Aussies. Many top teams have factory support and factory drivers. Aussie drivers include many of the top GT and Supercar drivers. It is a great mix. If you want to know more, check out this overview and visitor guide in The Southwest Star.
We’re going to take the opportunity to use this blog to share a few photos on each entry. Some may have more to choose from than others, but we should be able to give a reasonable overview of the field.
Hang on and enjoy the ride!
After an absence from these pages, it is time to get back to it. The good news is that there is much to talk about. For starters, let’s include a variety of links:
Motorwerks Magazine – check out the story on page 96 written by Morgan Haber leading up to the Bathurst 12 hours. Morgan would drive a BMW M6 in the race. The issue was somewhat delayed, so the preview story ended up coming out just after the race. Fortunately, we were able to contribute some photos in support of the story.
The Southwest Star – 1Q 2017 – Rabbit the First, a story of a Benz-Mercedes in the midst of an engine restoration. What a fascinating car and story. Special thanks to Jay Leno for the tour of the car and some of its historical documentation.
The Southwest Star – 1Q 2017 – Travelogue from the 2017 Bathurst 12 Hour race. A truly remarkable event. If you have the slightest inclination of attending, read this story for some thoughts and tips. We expect to have a photography tour of the event shortly.
Rennphoto.net 