Bathurst 12 Hour organizers have published today the provisional entry list for the famous Mount Panorama enduracne event. The Audi squad is represented by five cars, additional teams may join later.
The Audi brand won Bathurst 12 hour twice, in 2011 with Audi race experience Team Joest and a year later with Phoenix Racing.
For the 2015 race, four Audi R8 LMS ultra will challenge for the ovrall victory entering the demanding Class A against strong rivals from Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Nissan. Three cars are from local Australian teams, Marc Cini, Rod Salmon and Steve McLaughlan. The fourth effort is from Anglo-American team and race regulars United Autosports.
In addition to the Audi R8 LMS ultra cars, there is an Audi TT RS from Kintyre Motorsport which will compete in Class D.
Bathurst 12 Hour 2015 provisional entry list can be seen here.
It all started so well, the Melbourne Performance Centre [MPC] prepared Skwirk.com.au Audi looked fantastic as it rolled off the truck at Mount Panorama, and after working on a variety of setup ‘tweaks’ during Friday’s three practice sessions, car-owner Rod Salmon and 12-Hour team-mates Warren Luff, Jason Bright and Liam Talbot were more than ready to take on qualifying and begin their assault on the podium.
Sadly the plan lasted just two laps before Jason Bright suffered a spin at one of the most unforgiving parts of the circuit, impacting the wall hard at ReidPark, the car stopping mid-track at right angles to the flow of traffic. The session was red-flagged and Bright was ultimately transferred to hospital as a precaution. Despite MPC’s best efforts, the car was too badly damaged to repair in time for Sunday’s 6:15am race start so it was withdrawn late in the day.
“An impact like that requires significant repairs to the chassis, and we just don’t have the facilities or the time to make repairs that we’d regard as safe enough to compete properly,” MPC’s Troy Russell confirmed.
The team were obviously shattered by the result, especially after working so hard to find what they felt was the ideal setup to be in the mix with the leaders come 5:00pm Sunday afternoon.
“Obviously it’s very disappointing, but the most important thing is that Brighty is okay,” Warren Luff confirmed afterwards. “Cars can be repaired, but people are harder to replace. It’s obviously very unfortunate, and Jason will be incredibly disappointed, it’s disappointing for the team, but this is what motorsport can be like sometimes.
“I’ve seen the on-board footage - there has been a really nasty bump on that corner going into ReidPark, which has been unsettling the car the whole time and we think that has started the situation. I haven’t had a chance to have a proper debrief with Jason yet, I had a quick chat with him in the medical centre - he’s alert and talking, but still a little bit groggy after being knocked out.
“It’s my fourth year here at Audi, but I’ve only had one result - that’s what makes win and podiums so special because you know what it takes to get there. I think we were in a really good position for the race tomorrow, the boys have been working really hard - we were making sure the car was going to be fast right through the race, we weren’t interested in being heroes in qualifying because it really doesn’t matter where you start, it’s about being there at the end.
“Obviously the entire track is far smoother now thanks to the resurfacing, some parts of the track don’t have any bumps now, but then a lot of people have been saying that there are new bumps appearing in different places, especially where Jason had his issue, a lot of people have been complaining that there is a bump right there when the car is fully loaded. It’s a 170 kmh corner and you now have this bump there that really upsets the rear of the car.”
For car-owner Rod Salmon - a two-time Bathurst12-Hour winner - the result only added to the pain of the team’s 2013 DNF which occurred mid-race as a result of slight contact with the wall coming down the mountain.
“Bathurst is such a challenge - I think that’s why you keep coming back,” he shrugged afterwards. “It looks like he might’ve pulled fourth gear a little too early, based on the data, and that’s the end result, a car that’s pretty much stuffed, we can’t fix it.
“I gave Luffy and Brighty a pep talk last night and I said ‘We’re back in 15th, what are we doing back there?’ They said we were fine and that the track was fine, just to give them a cold track and we will be in the 2:06’s. When Jason went out he was already one and a half seconds up [on his best lap time] and he was only a third of the way around the circuit - he was on for a 2:07 and we would have been up the top. He was 18 kmh faster around that bend than his fastest yesterday, and he was 6 kmh faster than any other Audi had been through that corner - cars have limits and unfortunately he found it.”
For Liam Talbot, his first time at Bathurst with an outright car had proven a great experience, and he was looking forward to carrying on the success that he and Salmon had achieved at the 2013 season ending HighlandsMotorsportPark event in New Zealand.
“It’s interesting, people talk about emotion up here and I’ve got no history of that,” he admitted. “But as soon as it [the accident] happened, all this emotion came from somewhere, it was quite overwhelming. The first thing was to ensure Brighty was okay, that was my first concern. It’s pretty scary because that could happen to anyone, even someone as experienced as Jason. After that it was disappointment that I wouldn’t get the chance to improve across the race and get some more valuable miles, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. We’ll rebuild and look to start the Australian GT season on a high.”
For the crack Melbourne Performance Centre outfit the clock is now ticking to have the car repaired ahead of the Australian GT Championship presented by Pirelli season opener at SandownPark in Melbourneat the end of March [28-30].
Melbourne Performance Centre is proudly supported by Skwirk.com.au, One World Bar, The Audi Race Experience, PH Motorsport Trailers - supplier of the Audi Sports Customer racing transporter, BluFi Wireless Australia and Questek Australia.
The Audi Race Experience Get behind the wheel yourself to discover a new level of excitement with the Audi Driving Experience. Refine your technique, develop more skilled control at higher speeds and pursue the ultimate in performance.
From advanced programs, right through to the Audi race experience, there is a program to suit every kind of driver.
The Audi Driving Experience makes use of a range of Audi’s vehicles, from sports road cars right through to their Bathurstwinning race vehicles. From Audi’s advanced driving courses, you can move through to the Audi sportscar experience and finally, the Audi race experience where you can slip behind the wheel of the Audi R8 LMS GT3 racecar that claimed victory in the Australian GT Championship and the Bathurst 12-Hour.
To find out more, call Melbourne Performance Centre today.
After one of the most incredible races in Australian motorsport history, the Equity-One Motorsport Class B Audi R8 has emerged from the madness to claim a sixth-placed finish in class and fourteenth outright on a day where they were forced to run well below par after an early performance issue drained them of significant horsepower.
“What can you do,” team-boss Dean Koutsoumidis shrugged post-race. “I had to make a decision whether to park the car or do the best with what we had. We tried a couple of things but we couldn’t fix the problem. I decided we would keep going despite being down on power and not able to fight for the category B podium. It was disappointing but better than the car being on the trailer before the end of the day.”
The day had started perfectly, former V8 Supercar regular Dean Fiore starting the car in the dawn light at 6:15am, the West Australian forging through the field to be on the tail of the top five before his first stop.
Dean Koutsoumidis was next in, and he continued to punch out laps in the 12s and 13s, some five seconds a lap faster than he had been in 2013. “I think the time I spent driving the Radical around here this weekend really helped [Koutsoumidis also entered the Radical support category to earn more valuable miles around MountPanorama]. It’s funny, they say that the faster you go in these aero cars, the slower everything feels, and I think I finally reached that mark. After the car lost power, it was just so busy, but when you really make the aero and the grip work, it’s so easy..”
“Dean Grant was next in, but part way through his opening stint the experienced sportscar campaigner noticed that something wasn’t right. “He felt the car was losing power, so to his credit he bought it straight in,” Equity-One’s Andrew McInnes explained.
“They couldn’t find anything initially, so he went out again, but came back in and the team did some diagnostics, where the data showed a problem with cylinder five which appeared to be an electrical coil. We replaced it, but it didn’t seem to help, so we had to make a call about whether we continued on, or pull the car out. In the end it made the finish, but after that it wasn’t pretty.”
Sadly it was ‘fait-accompli’ from that point, but all four drivers pressed on, ultimately claiming fourteenth at the close of the 12-Hour endure, with 271-laps credited to the team.
Dean Fiore, Dean Grant and Michael Loccisano all shared the driving duties with the boss and were consistent all day producing an impressive performance from a car that was giving away a lot of horsepower to its rivals.
“I think all the boys have done good job and despite the disappointment we had a good day,” Koutsoumidis shrugged. “There’s always next year!”
Rotek Racing Press Release Rotek Racing was pulled out of the running with mechanical issues while battling for victory during the fourth hour of the 2014 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hours endurance race on Australia’s Mount Panorama circuit (7-9 February). A superlative qualifying performance by four-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner, Oliver Gavin, ensured Rotek Racing started the once-around-the-clock enduro from the Class B pole position and 13th overall. The Briton was subsequently nominated to complete the opening stint of the race and duly continued his master class by dragging the team up the order to not only lead Class B, but the race outright on two occasions. Richard Meins picked up the baton at the two-hour mark, building an indomitable one-lap lead over the rest of the competition, after the race was interrupted by a spectacular incident on the mountain involving front-running Ferrari 458 Italia and Nissan GT-R entries. Another heavy crash for a Class A Lamborghini at The Dipper followed and the Safety Car was deployed. It was at this moment that Rotek’s striking Audi R8 LMS developed a curious misfire. The cause of the misfire remained a mystery as the Nurburgring and Somona-based team frantically carried out numerous system resets and pitstops. However, the crew eventually had to admit defeat, eventually identifying a damaged valve spring in the Audi’s V10 motor as the perpetrator. The disappointment was clear for all to see, but Rotek Racing’s Robb Holland and the team’s four drivers – Gavin, Meins, Rob Huff and Kevin Gleason – all remained philosophical about the situation. “To end the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hours in this manor is clearly disappointing but, on the flipside, Rotek Racing has shown so much promise and potential this weekend,” said Holland. “This is only the team’s first attempt at Bathurst and to have superstar drivers, including Rob (Huff) and Oliver (Gavin), along for the ride demonstrates that Rotek is already making a mark in the highest echelons of international motorsport. "I’m proud of what the team and our drivers have achieved in Australia, taking pole position in class and leading the race. I think we can carry this undeniable speed to Europe in the German VLN Endurance Championship at the Nurburgring and the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC).” For more information on Rotek Racing, visit the official www.rotekracing.com website, ‘like’ the team’s Facebook page or follow @rotekracing on Twitter. Photo credit: Rotek Racing
Lux, Patterson & Winkelhock net fantastic top-six Bathurst result
Audi R8 LMS ultra leaves its mark on Australian GT race
Qualified in ninth and ran as high as second
United Autosports has begun its most comprehensive season of motorsport activity since the Anglo-American’s team formation in November 2009 by recording a top-six result in one of the world’s toughest GT sports car races. Mark Patterson (USA), a United Autosports regular since the outset, along with team debutants Eric Lux (USA) and Markus Winkelhock (D), swept their Audi R8 LMS ultra home to a strong sixth place finish in the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hours today (9 February). A regular race winner in the British GT Championship and top-three “podium” finisher in such prestigious races as the Macau GT Cup, the UA Audi has now left its mark on the annual Australian race despite all of the GT3 class Audi sports cars being significantly handicapped by an out of sync Balance of Performance compared to the opposition. The United Autosports Audi was the second best placed R8 LMS in the race to confirm the team’s fantastic achievement “Down Under”. A large crowd and a massive “live” TV and “on-line” audience saw just 28 of the 42 starters survive a bruising race featuring nine safety Car interventions run at a record pace and in ambient temperatures nearing 40 degrees Celsius. The Lux/Patterson/Winkelhock Audi had started from ninth on the 40-car grid, Winkelhock having briefly held provisional pole-position during Saturday’s three qualifying sessions. Winkelhock’s opening stint saw him running as high as second and within seven seconds of the lead – Markus having also shattered the 3.86-mile Mount Panorama’s lap record (2m 04.5863s) a time bettered later in a race in which the United Autosports Audi ran reliably, consistently and competitively in the top-six throughout.
#25 Allied World / Rembrandt Charms – Audi R8 LMS ultra Eric Lux (USA). Age: 25. Born: Williamsville, N.Y., USA. Lives: Williamsville, N.Y., USA. Bathurst 12Hr: 2013. Bathurst History: Only 2013 12Hr race. “It was my first race with United Autosports and it was a fantastic experience. Engineer Taka did a brilliant job while all of the team was top-caliber. Finishing just one-place behind the similar Audi of Phoenix Racing, winners of this corresponding race two years ago, underlines what an amazing job the team and the drivers did in the intense heat. “I hope that adjustments will be made to the Balance Of Performance because the lack of [straight line] speed from all of the Audi sports cars was plain to see by everyone.” Mark Patterson (USA). Age: 62. Born: Port Elizabeth, S Africa. Lives: Bronxville, N.Y., USA. Bathurst 12Hr: 2012. Bathurst History: 2012 & ’13 12Hr races. “Taka's good strategy and all three drivers never making a significant mistake resulted in us being one of only two cars to make nine pit-stops during the race – two and sometimes four stops less than our rivals. “Our race from a mechanics, engineering and driver discipline could not have been a smidge better – all that was missing was a fair BoP effort by the race organizers that resulted in all six Audis being at least 15kph down on our rivals’ top straight-line speeds.” Markus Winkelhock (GB). Age: 33. Born: Bad Cannstatt, Germany. Lives: Berglen-Steinach, Germany. Bathurst 12Hr: Début. Bathurst History: Début. “It was a tough race, the heat was intense and we had good battles on track. I enjoyed my first race with United Autosports - they are a good team. The track is very challenging and for me it is a mix of the Nürburgring Nordschleife and a city street circuit. Every year I have wanted to come here so I’m glad to have finally made it.” Richard Dean, Team Owner and Managing Director, United Autosports: “It's a great feeling to finish any long distance race but to know you have been competitive and run with the leaders throughout is very satisfying. The drivers and team have been faultless and the Audi as strong and dependable as ever. A top-six result in one of the world’s toughest races is a great way to start our season!”
United Autosports Bathurst 12 Hour Race Formguide: 2012 (February 24-26) #22 Alain Li (F)/ Mark Patterson (USA)/Frank Yu (HK) (Audi R8 LMS) Qualifying: 7th Patterson, 2m 13.0757s (cumulative time of 3 drivers 6m 45.4273s) Race: Retired from 7th position after 59 laps (2.5hrs), accident damage
2013 (February 7-9) #23 Brendon Hartley (NZ)/Alain Li (F)/Mark Patterson (USA) (Audi R8 LMS) Qualifying: 14th Hartley, 2m 08.9790s Race: Retired from 6th position with 5mins remaining, suspension damage
2014 (February 7-9) #23 Eric Lux (USA)/Mark Patterson (USA)/Markus Winkelhock (D) (Audi R8 LMS) Qualifying: 9th Winkelhock, 2m 05.7175s Race: 6th Exciting and busy times ahead for burgeoning United Autosports outfit In addition to contesting the 2014 Avon Tyres British GT Championship with a singleton Audi R8 LMS ultra, the Leeds (GB)-based United Autosports outfit co-owned by Richard Dean (GB) and Zak Brown (USA) will compete for the first time in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship with a brace of Toyota Avensis touring cars driven by James Cole (GB) and Glynn Geddie (GB). Additionally, the team’s exciting and ultra-busy year includes an entry in the Michelin Ginetta GT4 Supercup in 2014 for Luke Davenport (GB). Cole and Geddie have both recently visited the workshop for seat fittings in their respective Toyotas while Davenport will test his new Ginetta G55 at Donington Park next Thursday (17 February).
Richard Dean, Team Owner and Managing Director, United Autosports: “It’s an exciting time for United Autosports. We are coming to the end of our build schedule for the two touring cars and we will be taking part in pre-season testing with all our cars in the coming weeks in preparation for a busy season ahead. “With no fewer than 17 tests before the start of the BTCC, Ginetta and British GT Championships, we are aiming to head into the 2014 season fully prepared. The BTCC is a new challenge for us [United Autosports] but we are confident that we’re taking the correct steps to give us a good start to the year. We have got a great team of drivers and staff so 2014 should be an exciting year for us.” Upcoming . . . 2014 Michelin Ginetta GT4 Supercup Championship Media Day, Silverstone (11 March) . . . 2014 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship Media Day, Donington Park (18 March) . . . Opening three rounds of Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship plus first rounds of Michelin Ginetta GT4 Supercup Championship, Brands Hatch Indy (29-30 March) . . . 2014 Avon Tyres British GT Championship Media Day, Donington Park (8 April) . . . Rds 4, 5 & 6 of Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship plus rounds of Michelin Ginetta GT4 Supercup Championship, Donington Park (19-20 April) . . . Opening two rounds of the Avon Tyres British GT Championship, Oulton Park (19-21 April) . . . Photo credit:United Autosports
Phoenix Racing Press Release As the best of six Audi teams Phoenix Racing took fifth place in the Bathurst 12 Hour. The Swiss Rahel Frey, the German René Rast and the Belgian Laurens Vanthoor in the #3 Audi R8 LMS ultra completed 296 laps on the 6213-kilometre Mount Panorama Circuit, 200 kilometres west of Sydney, and in the end were trailing the victorious Ferrari by a gap of just 36 seconds.
“Best Audi, on the same lap as the winners – we’re basically happy with that, although fifth place isn’t quite up to our expectations,” said Phoenix Team Director Ernst Moser. The outfit from Meuspath at the Nürburgring, which had won the Bathurst 12 Hour two years ago and finished in fourth place last year, due to a puncture and a drive-through penalty resulting from a misunderstanding at the end of a safety car period, lost some time but was able to recover it with a good strategy and excellent pit stops. The major handicap for the red-white GT3 sports car was the insufficient top speed. “The vehicle’s rating doesn’t fit. On the two long straights we had no chance against the other top cars. You could clearly see that in the TV footage too. Although we were faster on the winding track section at the mountain we kept running up to slower vehicles,” said Team Coordinator Bernhard Demmer. “We weren’t really competitive. On the straights we were too slow and that caused us to lose a lot of time. Considering this, it’s a good result even though we’d expected more. The conditions were difficult, not least due to the heat,” said René Rast.
“More wasn’t possible,” Laurens Vanthoor, the winner of the 2013 FIA GT Serie, agreed. “I don’t want to complain about the rating but it was obvious that we were chanceless on the straights. That made it impossible for us to battle, to defend ourselves. We’re not particularly pleased, although we all gave our best. Still, Australia was worth the visit. It’s a tremendous track and I’d like to return and battle for victory then.” For Rahel Frey fifth place meant the best position ever to have been achieved by a female racer in the history of the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour. “Of course it was fun; this track is simply great. We finished the race but fifth place no doubt isn’t what we drivers, Phoenix and Audi expected. We were simply lacking top speed to finish farther in front. That’s a shame because the whole team showed a superb performance.”
The 2014 Bathurst 12 Hour proved to be another very exciting race and concluded with three Audi R8 LMS ultra cars within the overall top ten.
Six Audis were entered in the event. Four of the six Audis were entered in Class A GT3 Outright, a class for the newer GT3 machinery. The two remaining Audis were in Class B GT3, for older GT3 cars.
Four Audi R8 LMS ultra cars were taking part in Class A. Phoenix Racing fielded the only 2013 specification Audi R8 LMS ultra in the race. Three 2012 specification cars were fielded by United Autosports (x1) and Melbourne Performance Centre (x2). MPC fielded the cars for their customers: Rod Salmon and Mark Eddy / Marc Cini.
Phoenix Racing entrusted their #3 R8 LMS ultra to Rahel Frey, René Rast and Laurens Vanthoor. United Autosports had Markus Winkelhock, Mark Patterson and Eric Lux behind the wheel of their #25 R8 LMS ultra. Melbourne Performance Centre’s two Audi R8 LMS ultra cars saw Mark Eddy, Marc Cini and Christopher Mies in the #9 Audi, and Rod Salmon, Warren Luff, Jason Bright and Liam Talbot in the #5 Audi.
Class B saw the participation of two older 2011 specification Audi R8 LMS cars. Rotek Racing (Peter Conroy Motorsport) ran with a R8 LMS for the first time and they were joined by Equity-One Motorsport (MPC) and their R8 LMS. Rotek Racing’s driver line-up included Oliver Gavin, Rob Huff, Richard Meins and Kevin Gleason, and Equity-One Motorsport with Dean Koutsoumidis, Dean Fiore, Dean Grant and Michael Loccisano.
Proceedings kicked off with four practice sessions on Thursday and three qualifying sessions on Friday. The first qualifying session was overshadowed by two red flag periods, one of which was caused by the #5 MPC Audi R8 LMS ultra. Jason Bright suffered a heavy crash and the car was withdrawn from the weekend. Fortunately Jason Bright was unharmed and has been cleared from the hospital. He stated via his official Facebook page: “Gutted for the rest of the Sqwirk team. @WazzaLuff , Rod Salmon, Liam Talbot and the guys at Melbourne Performance Centre.” The #5 Audi R8 LMS ultra of Rod Salmon, Warren Luff, Jason Bright and Liam Talbot did not take part in the race due to the sustained damage of the car, despite qualifying thirty-first with their lap time before the crash during the session.
The final combined qualifying results were highlighted by an Audi one-two in Class B. Rotek Racing (Peter Conroy Motorsport) took pole position and fourteenth overall with the #14 R8 LMS. Equity-One Motorsport took second position in Class B and fifteenth overall with the #71 R8 LMS.
The remaining three Audi R8 LMS ultra cars (Class A) all placed within the overall top ten, in positions seven through nine. The leading Audi on the grid was the #9 MPC Audi, ahead of the #3 Phoenix Racing R8 LMS ultra and the #25 United Autosports R8 LMS ultra in ninth.
An early morning 06:15 start greeted the teams on for a very exciting race on Sunday morning. The five Audi R8 LMS and ultra cars ran well and began moving forward through the field. A number of issues then began dropping the Audi runners back during the long twelve hour race. Phoenix Racing emerged as the highest Audi runner, running in the top half of the top ten, followed by the Audi R8 LMS ultra cars from MPC and United Autosports in the lower half.
Both of the front running Class B Audis suffered technical issues. Rotek Racing retired and Equity-One Motorsport were forced to slow their pace and nurse the car home, finishing sixth in class and fourteenth overall.
The Class A Audis soldiered on to the end and all three finished within the top ten. Phoenix Racing finished fifth after a safety car period during the closing stages. They finished ahead of United Autosports in sixth and Melbourne Performance Centre (#9) in tenth. The race was won by the #88 Maranello Motorsport Ferrari 458 Italia GT3, ahead of the #84 HTP Motorsport Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 and the #63 Erebus Motorsport Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3.
The 2014 Bathurst 12 Hour race is about to start. The Audi Sport customer racing squad is very well represented with five Audi R8 LMS and ultra cars taking part in the event.
Equity-One Motorsport Press Release Equity-One secures P2 Class B start for Bathurst 12-Hour 2014 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12-Hour Mount Panorama, Bathurst, NSW (February 7-9)
The Equity-One Motorsport Audi R8 LMS has secured second place in Class B after qualifying for tomorrow’s Bathurst12-Hour, with experienced V8 Supercar driver Dean Fiore set to start the race from the eighth row after recording a 2:08.4130 lap in the first of three qualifying sessions.
The result saw a half second improvement over the team’s 2013 qualifying time, although those improvements were hampered by a string of red-flag incidents. In the end the stunning maroon and white Equity-One R8 was just four tenths slower than the similar Audi of Class B rivals Oakley Motorsports.
With team-leader Dean Koutsoumidis running ‘double-duty’ in the Radical support category, qualifying came down to the experienced Fiore to set the pace for the team, and he admitted to being surprised at the carnage that unfolded in front of him during the early stages of the opening session.
“I’ve never experienced anything like that, it takes a lot of getting used to,” he admitted. “When Brighty (Jason Bright) lost the Audi and got hit by a Porsche I squeezed up against the wall as I went past. I was well and truly on the grass - I didn’t even know there was grass in that spot! I was super lucky to get through.”
Whilst good enough at that stage for fourteenth on the grid, the car dropped a position during the second qualifying session after Koutsoumidis, Dean Grant and Michael Loccisano failed to improve on Fiore’s benchmark time.
“I sat out the second qualifying session, the other guys need the miles in the car now,” Fiore explained. “I’ve done plenty. I’m content rather than happy but I know there is a lot more in the car so we should be quicker tomorrow.”
Back from a tough debut on the mountain in a Radical SR3 [open-top prototype-style sportscar], Koutsoumidis admitted that whilst the limited laps due to ongoing incidents on circuit wasn’t ideal, that there would be plenty of time for the three non-professional drivers to work themselves into contention tomorrow.
“Look, I’m comfortably quicker than I was last year, Dean [Grant] is comfortable and Michael is settling into a nice rhythm so we’ll be okay. It’s not idel, but between us we have 12 hours to sort it out tomorrow, so it will be okay..”
Equity-One Team Manager Scott Mansfield agreed. “The car is great. We don’t have any problems. The two Deans and Michael all drove in the second session and they are all happy. Our pace actually improved after the red flag.”
Mansfield confirmed that Fiore would start the race with Dean Grant taking the second stint. Post qualifying the team began a pre-race full service, changing oil and filters, checking brakes and doing a full spanner-check on the car.
Fortunately they have so far emerged relatively unscathed, although Fiore got tagged during his opening session in the car, the damage though mostly cosmetic.
“To be honest, I thought someone had thrown something at the car, it was that kind of noise,” Fiore reflected. “It wasn’t till later I realised I’d tagged another car that have moved across on me as I went past. Sadly it triggered a bigger incident as a result, but we were okay and no-one was hurt. I have to admit it did make me think about the big difference between what I am used to with V8 Supercars, and driving amongst non-professional drivers, there’s a big difference in experience and ultimately speed, but I guess that’s all a part of the GT style experience.”
With all the practice and qualifying out of the way, it all comes down to race day and at 6:15pm on Sunday afternoon, all the pre-event speculation and postulating will come to an end. As for where the Equity-One team will end up, that’s in the lap of the gods, but you can rest assured that whilst their goal may be a place in the history books, they’re sure to go through the 12 hours of Bathurst tomorrow with broad smiles and plenty of laughter..
2014 BathurstLiqui-Moly Bathurst 12-Hour
Timetable; Sunday, February 9 Liqui-Moly Bathurst12-Hour: 6:15am (12-Hours)
Event coverage; •the final 3-hours of the race broadcast on SBS (3:30pm AEST, Sunday February 9) •live webcast of the event (including commentary from Radio Le Mans) • post-produced coverage of the event on SBS with replays on SPEED TV (Foxtel)
Equity-One Motorsport is proudly supported by Equity-One Mortgage Fund, Hallmark, VodkoO and Melbourne Performance Centre
The Bathurst 12 Hour weekend is well underway. Four practice sessions kicked off proceedings yesterday and three qualifying sessions today determined the grid for tomorrow’s twelve hour endurance race at Mount Panorama.
The first qualifying session was overshadowed by two red flag periods, one of which was caused by the #5 MPC Audi R8 LMS ultra. Jason Bright suffered a heavy crash and the car has been withdrawn from the weekend. Fortunately Jason Bright is unharmed and has been cleared from the hospital. He stated via his official Facebook page: “Gutted for the rest of the Sqwirk team. @WazzaLuff , Rod Salmon, Liam Talbot and the guys at Melbourne Performance Centre.” The #5 Audi R8 LMS ultra of Rod Salmon, Warren Luff, Jason Bright and Liam Talbot will not be taking part in the race due to the sustained damage of the car, despite qualifying thirty-first with their lap time before the crash during the session.
The final combined qualifying results were highlighted by an Audi one-two in Class B. Rotek Racing (Peter Conroy Motorsport) took pole position and fourteenth overall with the #14 R8 LMS of Oliver Gavin, Rob Huff, Richard Meins and Kevin Gleason. Equity-One Motorsport took second position in Class B and fifteenth overall with the #71 R8 LMS of Dean Koutsoumidis, Dean Fiore, Dean Grant and Michael Loccisano.
The remaining three Audi R8 LMS ultra cars (Class A) all placed within the overall top ten, in positions seven through nine. The leading Audi on the grid was the #9 MPC Audi R8 LMS ultra of Mark Eddy, Marc Cini and Christopher Mies in seventh. In eighth was the #3 Phoenix Racing R8 LMS ultra of Rahel Frey, René Rast and Laurens Vanthoor. Rounding out the Class A Audis was the #25 United Autosports R8 LMS ultra in ninth, the car driven by Markus Winkelhock, Mark Patterson and Eric Lux.
The five Audi R8 LMS and ultra cars will be lining up for the start of the 2014 Bathurst 12 Hour at 06:15 local time tomorrow morning. Thankfully Jason Bright has been cleared from hospital following his heavy crash today. We wish the best of luck to the Audi participants for the big race tomorrow.
The 2014 Bathurst 12 Hour track action got underway with four practice sessions on Thursday. Six Audi R8 LMS and ultra cars, fielded by four different teams, will be tackling MountPanoramathis weekend.
Four of the six Audis are entered in Class A GT3 Outright, a class for the newer GT3 machinery. The two remaining Audis are in Class B GT3, for older GT3 cars.
Four Audi R8 LMS ultra cars are taking part in Class A. Phoenix Racing is fielding the only 2013 specification Audi R8 LMS ultra in the race. Three 2012 specification cars are being fielded by United Autosports (x1) and Melbourne Performance Centre (x2). MPC is fielding the cars for their customers: Rod Salmon and Mark Eddy / Marc Cini.
Phoenix Racing is entrusting their #3 R8 LMS ultra to Rahel Frey, René Rast and Laurens Vanthoor. United Autosports has Markus Winkelhock, Mark Patterson and Eric Lux behind the wheel of their #25 R8 LMS ultra. Melbourne Performance Centre’s two Audi R8 LMS ultra cars will see Mark Eddy, Marc Cini and Christopher Mies in the #9 Audi, and Rod Salmon, Warren Luff, Jason Bright and Liam Talbot in the #5 Audi.
Class B will see the participation of two older 2011 specification Audi R8 LMS cars. Rotek Racing (Peter Conroy Motorsport) will be running with a R8 LMS for the first time and they will be joined by Equity-One Motorsport (MPC) and their R8 LMS. Rotek Racing’s driver line-up includes Oliver Gavin, Rob Huff, Richard Meins and Kevin Gleason, and Equity-One Motorsport with Dean Koutsoumidis, Dean Fiore, Dean Grant and Michael Loccisano.
The first practice session was for Classes C, D, F and I. The GT3 cars from Classes A and B hit the track during the second session. Two Audis made it into the top ten during that session, the #9 MPC car in fifth and the #3 Phoenix Racing car in tenth. Rotek Racing were twelfth fastest overall, second in Class B. The #5 MPC Audi was thirteenth, United Autosports #25 sixteenth and Equity-One Motorsport #71 in twenty-fifth.
The third session saw the Audis moving even closer to the front. Phoenix Racing #3 was second fastest, ahead of the MPC #9 in fourth. United Autosports #25 was seventh and MPC #5 in ninth, rounding out four Audis within the overall top ten. Rotek Racing #14 was thirteenth and fastest in Class B. Equity-One Motorsport #71 was nineteenth.
The fourth and final practice session of the day concluded with two Audis inside of the overall top ten. Phoenix Racing #3 was sixth fastest, followed by United Autosports #25 in ninth. MPC’s two Audi R8 LMS ultra cars finished together in fourteenth and fifteenth, the #5 ahead of #9. The two Class B Audis placed just outside of the overall top twenty, with Equity-One Motorsport #71 twenty-first fastest and Rotek Racing #14 twenty-second fastest.
Three qualifying sessions will be taking place tomorrow and the race itself will kick off early on Sunday morning.
