#888 Team GMR Mercedes-AMG Secures Victory at Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour After Late-Race Drama
The #888 Team GMR Mercedes-AMG, driven by Maxime Martin, Maro Engel, and Mikael Grenier, secured victory at the Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour after a late-race incident involving the leading cars. Broc Waters achieved pole position for Mercedes-AMG in qualifying, setting the second-fastest lap time ever for the event at Mount Panorama.
Pre-Race Sessions
Practice 6 for the Meguiar's Bathurst 12 Hour saw intense competition. Broc Waters recorded the fastest lap of 2:02.3574s in the #222 Mercedes-AMG. Close behind, Christopher Haase in the #55 Melbourne Performance Centre Audi R8 placed second with a time of 2:02.5199s. Marco Mappelli, driving the #93 Wall Racing Lamborghini Huracan, posted 2:02.5768s and held the lead for a significant portion of the session. Broc Feeney, in the #64 Haupt Racing Team Ford Mustang, recorded a lap of 2:02.9169s.
Practice 6 was crucial as it determined advancement to Qualifying 2 for the top 50 percent of participating drivers, with the remaining entries proceeding to Qualifying 1. The #95 McLaren 720S of Optimum Motorsport, driven by Marvin Kirchhoefer, secured the final spot in Qualifying 2 with a 2:03.3483s.
Several notable Pro class entries did not directly advance to Qualifying 2. These included both Arise Racing Ferrari 296 cars, the eventual race-winning #888 Team GMR Mercedes-AMG, the #61 Earl Bamber Motorsport Porsche 911 (22nd), the #2 Johor Motorsports Racing Corvette Z06 (23rd), and the #77 Craft-Bamboo Racing Mercedes-AMG (26th).
Qualifying 1 was scheduled for 1:05pm AEDT, followed by Qualifying 2 at 1:50pm AEDT, and Qualifying 3 at 4:15pm AEDT.
Qualifying Results
Broc Waters secured pole position for Mercedes-AMG with a blistering lap time of 2:01.0790s. This lap was officially recorded as the second fastest ever for the event at Mount Panorama. Mercedes-AMG dominated qualifying, achieving a top-three lockout on the starting grid. Waters, Lucas Auer (Craft-Bamboo Racing), and Luca Stolz (75 Express) occupied the first three positions, with Stolz recording the fastest first sector during his qualifying attempt. This stellar performance earned Mercedes-AMG its sixth Allan Simonsen Pole Position Award.
Among other qualifiers, Scott Andrews was the top Pro-Am driver, placing eighth in the #44 Tigani Motorsport Mercedes-AMG. Marco Mapelli, driving the #93 Wall Racing Huracan, a Bronze entry, impressively qualified in sixth position. The #15 McLaren 720S was scheduled to start 29th following preparation issues.
The eventual race-winning #888 Team GMR Mercedes-AMG faced technical difficulties during qualifying, leading them to start the race from 29th position.
The Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour race was scheduled to commence at 5:45am AEDT on Sunday.
The Race
The race's conclusion was marked by high drama. With approximately 40 minutes remaining, the #32 Team WRT BMW M4, driven by Kelvin van der Linde, took the lead by remaining on track during a Safety Car period. Jule Gounon, in the #75 Express Mercedes-AMG, was positioned second behind van der Linde.
Gounon subsequently attempted to overtake van der Linde on the inside at Hell Corner. Contact occurred between the two vehicles, resulting in both cars running wide off the track.
This late-race incident created an unexpected opportunity for the #888 Team GMR Mercedes-AMG, piloted by Maxime Martin, to advance and assume the lead.
Maxime Martin, along with teammates Maro Engel and Mikael Grenier, skillfully maintained the lead through to the finish, securing the hard-fought victory.
Podium Finishers
- First Place: The #888 Team GMR Mercedes-AMG, driven by Maxime Martin, Maro Engel, and Mikael Grenier. The team achieved a remarkable comeback, starting the race in 29th position.
- Second Place: The #86 High Class Racing Porsche 911, a Bronze-rated entry, driven by Dorian Boccolacci, Anders Fjordbach, and Kerong Li. This team started from 30th position. This marks a historic achievement as the first occasion a Bronze-rated entry has secured a podium finish at the Bathurst 12 Hour.
- Third Place: The #46 Team WRT BMW M4, driven by Augusto Farfus, Raffaele Marciello, and Valentino Rossi. This entry secured a podium finish for the second consecutive year.