Half day, full throttle
Against a blood red backdrop of bushfire chaos and soaring temperatures, the 2020 edition of the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour proved a record-breaking event.
Feb 1, 2020
If Mount Panorama is the Aussie ‘Oz’ for motorsport fans, then the Great Western Highway is the Yellow Brick Road.
And for local authorities it’s paved with gold: over $4 million a year generated by speed cameras operating on the road between Sydney and Bathurst.
Equally sobering is the 3.30am call time for the 90-minute drive from a way too comfortable bed in the picturesque town of Katoomba in the Blue Mountains. If the remarkably cheerful welcome from the Bathurst volunteers wasn’t enough to jolt us into ‘race mode’ though, then the 39 pairs of blazing headlamps barrelling toward corners at 5.45am certainly did the trick.
We’re at the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour. Watched by its largest ever trackside crowd of over 40,000 spectators this year, the entry list covered the full spectrum of brands fielding GT3 cars, featuring a record 11 different GT3 manufacturers with 33 entries.
Our vantage point on the terrace about McLaren’s 59Racing garage is stunning. Even better is the air-conditioning inside the lounge considering temperatures are set to hit 40° Celsius later in the day. With the oncoming inferno heat in mind, we decide to tackle the Mountain as soon as it was light.
With his elbow on the ‘05’ car’s windowsill, chatting to the in-car camera while en route to yet another Bathurst 1000 victory, Peter Brock made conquering Mount Panorama look easy: a walk in the park.
Let me confirm that while there is an actual park at the top of the 174m ‘mountain’, the steepness means there’s nothing comfortable about the stroll. But surrounded by the hardiest fans – many claiming the same campsites they’ll use in October for the ‘Great Race’ – as the world’s greatest sports cars fly over Brock’s Skyline and into The Esses, is an extraordinary experience.
Joining us on the pilgrimage was another first timer: McLaren Automotive CEO, Mike Flewitt. Having worked previously for Tom Walkinshaw, he was no stranger to the Bathurst magic.
“It’s just wonderful. It’s iconic by reputation, but when you come here, it’s stunning. The geography is just astonishing. You don’t realise the elevation changes until you see it and walk it.”
Back in the McLaren lounge, we watch the 720 GT3 driven by former Bathurst 12 Hour winner, Alvaro Parente, Ben Barnicoat and New Zealand born Tom Blomquistget off to a stunning start. McLaren is in contention for most of the 12-hour race.
Flewitt and the crowded lounge remain glued to the track view and timing screens for the entire race “It’s incredibly intense,” he tells me.
Along with the two McLaren 720 GT3’s, there is plenty for any New Zealanders present to cheer for along pit lane; with former winner, Shane van Gisbergen alongside Jamie Whincup in the Triple8 entry, while the defending B12H team is owned by Earl Bamber who has taken over driving duties in the Porsche 911 GT3 for 2020.
There would be no repeat after brake issues early in the race puts them two laps down. The two time Le Mans winner remained philosophical though.
“In the end, it’s motor racing. You do this long enough and you realise it can be pretty brutal,” he says.
It was a similar story for Scott Dixon, in the unusual position of being a complete rookie.
Teamed up with Bathurst veteran Rick Kelly, they were on the back foot even before the sun had risen. First, they were forced wide at turn one before an ignition fault saw the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 drop to dead last. Dixon would contribute the fightback, finishing 16th.
“It’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. It was really daunting; it was way harder than I expected. Big time rookie, but a lot of fun,” he said despite the result.
A pit lane penalty would prove the final blow to McLaren’s hopes of a win, with the #60 car finishing second behind the crowd-pleasing Bentley Continental GT3.
M-Sport finally earnt a victory for Crewe after six attempts to win the Bathurst 12 Hour. The thundering Bentley really did seem unstoppable; Frenchman Jules Gounon blew his right rear tyre on Conrod straight moments before he was about to make his final stop. But he still stayed in front to set a new race record of 313 laps.
After a sweltering day, the rains came down to cool everyone off as the chequered flag was waved. Pretty soon, there was a rainbow over ‘Oz’.
Words by Shaun Summerfield
Photos by Bentley, McLaren