Skip advert
Advertisement

2013 Bathurst 12-hour race report

Report from the 2013 Bathurst 12-hour endurance race, with a host of GT3 racing cars battling for victory

More famous for its annual 1000 kilometre V8 Supercar race, the Mount Panorama circuit at Bathurst, Australia has made its mark as a premier 12-hour endurance venue.

Featuring a class field of FIA GT3 cars with a highly international entry list, 2013’s instalment offered a full spectrum of triumphs and tragedies that captivated viewers in a way only top-flight endurance racing can.

Advertisement - Article continues below

After 268 laps (1041 miles/1665km) of the precipitous mountain circuit, the Erebus Racing Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 of Germans Alex Rollof, Thomas Jaeger and sportscar ace Bernd Schneider emerged victorious, one lap ahead of the Clearwater Racing Ferrari 458 GT3 driven by New Zealander Craig Baird, Irishman Matt Griffin and Singaporean team owner Mok Weng Sung. The final step on the podium was taken by the Porsche 911 GT3 R of Klark Quinn, Shane van Gisbergen and Mat Kingsley.

With a 53-strong entry list including GT4 and Production cars, Schneider started the week cautiously, qualifying sixth as he gently upped the pace with race performance in mind. ‘It’s such a difficult place,’ he explained. ‘On Friday, we could not learn the circuit because of the traffic. You can't learn the braking points if you always have cars in front of you.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Advertisement - Article continues below

‘From my first race stint I was really happy because the balance was very good and very consistent, so I could push hard. Once we had heavy rain I was not driving, it was more like surfing down the hill and I was really happy that I could get back in the pits.

‘We have achieved something really special, especially since it’s my first time here and such a difficult race,’ he concluded.

Similar to Spa-Francorchamps, rain is often a factor at Mount Panorama and so it proved with a torrential downpour in the penultimate hour, allied to gale-force winds. In all, 15 stints behind the pace-car were required, 43 laps in total.

It was during a rain-induced restart that the second Erebus Mercedes SLS, the pole-winning car of Aussies Tim Slade, Lee Holdsworth and Peter Hackett, damaged its steering in a clash with a backmarker and fell from second place to an eventual sixth.

While none of them finished the race, Mercedes F1 test driver Brendon Hartley (Audi R8 LMS ultra), Dutch Le Mans veteran Peter Cox (Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560 GT3) and former Ferrari Formula One stars Mika Salo (Ferrari 458 GT3) and Ivan Capelli (Corvette Z06-R GT3) further added to the event’s standing, while exceptional online streaming and commentary from the Radio Le Mans team presented a modern-world viewership alternative that should ensure the event’s future.

Skip advert
Advertisement

Recommended

Porsche 911 review 2025 – Gen2 992 is the 911 for the digital age
Porsche 911 Carrera (992.2) – front
In-depth reviews

Porsche 911 review 2025 – Gen2 992 is the 911 for the digital age

The 992-generation 911 has taken time to reveal its character, but it’s evolved into a sports car with enormous breadth and ability
20 Feb 2025
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Ford Focus ST (Mk3) – the car world's greatest misses
Ford Focus ST Mk3
Features

Ford Focus ST (Mk3) – the car world's greatest misses

We’d hoped the 2015 Focus ST would share a good dose of its little brother’s magic. Sadly, it didn’t
28 Apr 2025
The Ferrari 296 Speciale has arrived, and it could be the most thrilling Ferrari ever
Ferrari 296 Speciale – front
News

The Ferrari 296 Speciale has arrived, and it could be the most thrilling Ferrari ever

The 296 Speciale is the latest in Ferrari's line of mid-engined road racers, packing 868bhp and LaFerrari-beating pace on track
29 Apr 2025
Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale 2025 review – a rare Italian jewel beyond compare
Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale front
Reviews

Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale 2025 review – a rare Italian jewel beyond compare

What’s Alfa Romeo’s near-£2m hand-built supercar like to drive? We find out, on the Balocco test track
29 Apr 2025