MANUFACTURER Bentley may only be in its second year of racing at the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour, but the team has already confirmed it will be coming back for more.
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Bentley publicity officer Rebecca Jones was in talks with Bathurst Regional Council at yesterday’s race about stepping up the team’s community engagement come 2017.
Ms Jones said the team, which only resumed competitive racing in 2014, had been fortunate to have very positive experiences in Bathurst, making Bentley keen to interact more with the residents in years to come.
“We’ve travelled 17,000 kilometres from our offices in the UK,” she said.
“You close the road for us and let us take over your hotels and we just want to give something back.
“When we come back next year we’re thinking we could do a parade through town or get the schoolchildren to design our insignia.
“We’ve just found this place to be so friendly.”
Bentley had two cars race in the 12 Hour yesterday, expertly handled by six international drivers, including Australia’s own David Russell.
Ms Jones said he was a valuable addition to the team due to his local knowledge of the track.
It wasn’t enough in the end, though, for Bentley to take out the endurance race.
One of the two Bentley cars had a podium finish, coming in third, while the second Bentley trailed by a few places, both cars suffering from a couple of bumps on the track that prevented them from holding down the lead throughout the day.
“We’ve had all the trauma,” Ms Jones said of the Bentley entries.
“At one point it was going perfectly, with us in first place and second place, but both cars have had punctures and incidents, but one managed to recover and got in the lead [late in the day].
“There is nowhere else in the world like this.”
Despite the setback to their 12 Hour bids, the drivers took it all in their stride and are looking ahead to secure a victory in their third year at Mount Panorama.
