The Bathurst 12 Hour gets underway this weekend, the first big Australian motorsport event of 2020. Whether you’re an avid Bathurst fan or you’re planning on tuning in for the very first time, it helps to know what’s going on. What time does the race start? What cars take part? Who won in 2019? All are questions answered below.
2020 Bathurst 12 Hour preview
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What time does the 2020 Bathurst 12 Hour start?
The races kicks off at 5:45am on Sunday 2nd February Australian time, or 6:45pm Saturday 1st February UK time.
What cars race at the Bathurst 12 Hour?
There are three classes of car at Bathurst: GT3, GT4 and ‘Invited Cars’. GT3, known as Class A, includes cars like the Porsche 911 GT3 R, Audi R8 LMS GT3 and the Bentley Continental GT3, cars that, as you might have guessed, follow International GT3 regulations. Similarly, the GT4 class, or Class C at Bathurst, follows International GT4 regulations. GT4 cars are slightly slower, slightly less aero-dependent and slightly friendlier to drive. Invited Class, or Class I, is for “cars deemed eligible by the organisers” that don’t fit into GT3 or GT4 regulations.
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Who won the 2019 Bathurst 12 Hour?
The 2019 edition was won by Matt Campbell, Dennis Olsen and Dirk Werner in the Earl Bamber Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 R. Australian youngster Campbell stole the lead with a brilliant move in the final ten minutes of the race on the Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 of Jake Dennis, Marvin Kirchhöfer and Matthieu Vaxiviere. The Class C GT4 victory was taken by Justin McMillan, Dean Lillie, Glen Wood and Elliot Barbour in the M Motorsport KTM X-Bow GT4, while the Class I win went to the all-Australian trio of Adam Hargraves, Daniel Jilesen and Steve Owen in a MARC Ford Mustang II. There were a record 13 leaders during 2019.
How many cars take part in the Bathurst 12 Hour?
There are 39 cars due to race in the 2020 event. Visit the Bathurst 12 Hour website for the full entry list. 2017 was a record year, with 52 cars on the grid for the race start.
What’s the fastest lap of the Bathurst 12 Hour?
The fastest qualifying time was set in 2016 by Kiwi Shane van Gisbergen. At the wheel of a McLaren 650S GT3 he managed a 2m 1.2860s lap. The best in-race lap time is a 2m 1.5670s, set by Shane van Gisbergen in the McLaren that same year.
What’s the closest finish?
The tightest finish to a Bathurst 12 Hour was in 2014, when the Ferrari 458 GT3 of John Bowe, Peter Edwards, Craig Lowndes and Mika Salo beat the Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 to the finish line by 0.4132 seconds.
Who’s won the most Bathurst 12 Hours?
In terms of manufacturers, Mazda and Audi top the chart with three wins apiece. BMW, Mitsubishi and Ferrari follow with two wins.
As for drivers, nine drivers have won twice: John Bowe, Garry Walden, Garry Holt, Paul Morris, Rod Salmon, Damien White, Darryl O’Young, Chris Mies, Craig Lowndes.
How long is the Bathurst 12 Hour track?
The Mount Panorama circuit is 6.213km long, with two huge straights: the 1.916km Conrod Straight and the 1.111km Mountain Straight. The circuit is public the rest of the year round, a two-way road with a 60km/h speed limit.
Where is Bathurst, and when was the first race?
Bathurst is around three hours west of central Sydney. The 12 Hour race originally ran from 1991 to 1994, and was then re-established for 2007.
Main image courtesy of Motorsport Images.
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