PORSCHE MOTORSPORT ASIA PACIFIC STARTS NEW DECADE WITH 5 CARS AT B12HR

MEDIA RELEASE/Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific – Photos: supplied

Five Porsche 911 GT3 R will begin the new decade Down Under with Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific, as the German marque aims to defend its Bathurst 12 Hour crown with three regional customer teams aiming high at Mount Panorama.
 
After helping Dennis Olsen and Porsche to the Intercontinental GT Challenge drivers’ and manufacturers’ titles last year, the 2019-spec Porsche 911 GT3 R will make its Bathurst debut at the 2020 IGTC curtain raiser.
 
Reigning GT World Challenge Asia teams’ champions Absolute Racing will also make their first appearance at the mountain venue, featuring an all-factory line-up in their #911 entry. Matt Campbell is alongside Mathieu Jaminet, both having now being signed on as full Porsche works drivers. Frenchman Patrick Pilet completes the roster, as the 2019 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTLM runner-up debuts at Bathurst.

Dirk Werner, Campbell’s former team-mate from the 2019 race-winning line-up, is on board the #912 car, with FIA World Endurance Championship GTE star Matteo Cairoli and 2018 Porsche Carrera Cup Germany champion Thomas Preining.

Defending Bathurst champions Earl Bamber Motorsport have signed Australian racing legend Craig Lowndes for their #1 entry. The two-time winner of the 12-hour enduro and seven-time victor of the Bathurst 1000 will experience the Porsche 911 GT3 R for the first time on the famous 6.213 km track.

Competing under the NED Racing Team name, the Earl Bamber Motorsport-supported outfit fields the #12 Pro-Am Porsche with 2017 class winner David Calvert-Jones returning alongside factory driver Romain Dumas and Porsche Junior Jaxon Evans.

After taking the Class B victory four times, Grove Racing enters the GT3 category for the first time, following their impressive maiden outing with the car at the FIA Motorsport Games. Father/son duo Stephen and Brenton Grove are once again joined by British sportscar ace Ben Barker.
 
Track action will begin on Friday 31 January with a 30-minute practice session for silver and bronze drivers at 08:40 (local time). Three subsequent one-hour sessions will take place at 09:15, 12:20 and 15:05. A final practice will go green on Saturday at 08:45 before the first qualifying session starts at 12:40, with the top 10 shootout at 17:05.
 
Starting in the night and continuing through sunrise, lights out for the 12-hour race will be at 05:45 on Sunday.

Matt Campbell, #911 Absolute Racing: “I am extremely excited to get back to Bathurst and to my home country for an exciting race. It is absolutely one of my favourite events of the year, and for me the best race track in the entire world. It is the only event I can do in Australia nowadays. It is even more special because of last year’s result, being able to win the race in the fashion we did, while sending off the old generation Porsche 911 GT3 R. Now we go back as reigning champions, but myself and Dirk are in different cars this year. It’s still very exciting, to say at least, to go back to The Mountain with the new Porsche 911 GT3 R that we’ve used throughout the 2019 season and built a great experience. Now, with Absolute Racing, hopefully we get on the pace quickly and push for a similar result this year.”
 
Mathieu Jaminet, #911 Absolute Racing: “I’m really happy to join Absolute Racing and my new team-mates for this season, starting with Bathurst. I think this is going to be an exciting race and the first at this track for the latest Porsche 911 GT3 R. I’m really looking forward to coming back and revenging our bad luck from last year. I am pretty sure we have a very strong package to perform and to be at the front. It is important to start the season scoring a lot of points.”
 
Patrick Pilet, #911 Absolute Racing: “I’m extremely excited to drive for Absolute Racing at Bathurst. This track looks amazing and it’s clearly a race I want to win! The team have a great experience and I’m sure I can learn a lot from my two team-mates, especially Matt because he has a lot experience at Mount Panorama and he’s definitely one of the quickest guys on this track. It’s important to start the IGTC season with a great result.”
 
Dirk Werner, #912 Absolute Racing: “The Bathurst 12 Hour race is always a special experience. The track is crazy and the fans are cool. I am looking forward to enter this race with my team-mates Matteo and Thomas. With Absolute Racing, we have a proven and very professional team on our side, so I expect to be really competitive from the start.”
 
Thomas Preining, #912 Absolute Racing: “I am looking forward to race in Australia for the first time. I have been watching and following the Bathurst 12 Hour, as it’s one of the biggest races in the world for a long time and can‘t wait to race for a podium there. Obviously, since Matteo and I both are rookies at this track, it‘s difficult to expect anything. We will learn quickly and work closely with our engineers and the sister Porsche to get up to pace as quickly as possible. I am sure we will have a competitive car and line up. Thank you to Porsche for their trust in me as a driver and to allow me to live my dream.”
 
Matteo Cairoli, #912 Absolute Racing: “I am really pleased to join Absolute Racing in our debut at the Bathurst 12 Hour. The track itself is tremendously challenging. I’ve been training a lot in the sim to be as ready as possible, as well as working hard on fitness side. I’m also glad to line-up together with Thomas and Dirk. My main focus is to learn and adapt to the track as quickly as possible, while trying to score an important result at the end.”
 
Earl Bamber, #1 Earl Bamber Motorsport: “I’m really looking forward to the race. It’s super exciting to go back to Bathurst, it’s one of the highlights of the year. It’ll be pretty cool to drive for my own team with Laurens and a legend in Craig Lowndes.”
 
Laurens Vanthoor, #1 Earl Bamber Motorsport: “Earl and I are coming off a podium at Daytona and now straight on to Bathurst. My best result here is second so I’m dreaming of the win, especially with Earl Bamber Motorsport. After pairing with Earl for the last couple of years, following the team’s progress and seeing the effort he has put in, it’s quite cool to now be part of it. Together with Craig we have a good chance of winning.”
 
Craig Lowndes, #1 Earl Bamber Motorsport: “I’m really excited to be teaming up with Earl and Laurens in the Porsche 911 GT3 R. The team had such a strong showing last year with the win. There’s no doubt the three of us have our individual strengths, I’m looking forward to bringing my knowledge of Mount Panorama. It’s one of the highest quality fields we have ever seen, but that makes me determined to fight for the win.”
 
Romain Dumas, #12 NED Racing Team: “I’m very pleased to be racing at Bathurst again. In my opinion, the Mount Panorama Circuit is one of the best tracks in the world. The combination of slow and fast corners as well as driving between the walls is a huge challenge. The Porsche 911 GT3 R has been fast there over the last three years, so hopefully we’ll get a strong result.”
 
Jaxon Evans, #12 NED Racing Team: “I’m super pumped to re-join David and team up with Romain in the NED Racing Team entry for Bathurst. It’s a special place, threading your way between the walls at the absolute limit takes your breath away. A field of some of the best GT drivers from around the world is going to make it an exciting race, I’m looking forward to it.”
 
Stephen Grove, #4 Grove Racing: “It’s massively exciting to step up to the GT3 class this year at Bathurst; operationally and logistically it’s been no different to any other. This year will be more about fine-tuning our processes and making sure we don’t make any little mistakes. The competition will be tighter than ever so we need to ensure we’re on the top of our game. I think it’s a massive benefit that the driver line-up is consistent. We all understand our role within the team and get on really well so it’s exciting to take our crew and have a crack outright. From strategy to the pit stops to the drivers, we are all trying to maximise ourselves and from there the results will speak for themselves.”
 
Brenton Grove, #4 Grove Racing: “For us, this year’s Bathurst 12 Hour is quite similar to previous in terms of planning and preparations, the difference being the extra gear needed to run a Class A car. We have a strong technical partnership with Herberth Motorsport which will see us utilise their car and equipment, beyond that it’s also about the presentation as there will be a lot more eyes on us. Trying to ensure all the i’s are dotted and the t’s are crossed. It’s really a culmination of five- or six-year’s work. We’ve always entered the event, but we’d be lying if we said there wasn’t a desire to be in Class A. So, to be there now in a familiar team and car with a strong driver line-up is really exciting.”
 
Ben Barker, #4 Grove Racing: “This is a great opportunity to have a proper crack at a decent overall result. In previous years we’ve been in the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car which was really fun because it suits that track but obviously the competition is mainly in GT3. We’re ready for it, we’ve had enough knowledge of the circuit over the years together and as a team Stephen, Brenton and I are very strong line-up. Also the team, mechanics, engineers are all very familiar people which really helps. With our experience we can definitely take the pressure of GT3 and really have a good go at the Pro-Am win and a top 10 overall. The ideal situation is to stay on the lead lap. We’ve got a very strong package and we know the track very well, so I think we stand a great chance.”
 
Alexandre Gibot, Head of Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific: “We are all looking forward to the first Intercontinental GT Challenge race of the decade at this incredible circuit. Bathurst last year was unforgettable, and we’re excited to defend the win for Porsche with three factory-supported cars across two of our regional customer teams who are performing on the global stage. The 2019-spec Porsche 911 GT3 R performed well in other IGTC rounds, so with five for its Bathurst debut we are sure to be fighting at the front again.”

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