RECORDS may have been broken off the track, but Mount Panorama showed no mercy to the drivers who challenged it in yesterday’s Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour.
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Only 21 of the 37 starters crossed the finish line at the end of the gruelling day, which was troubled from the start.
The LDM Lamborghini driven by Nick Percat was ruled out of contention in the opening lap after a clash with the Maranello Motorsport Ferrari, driven by Mika Salo, at Griffins Bend.
The Maranello Motorsport team, which included Perthville resident Grant Denyer, managed to keep going for another 62 laps before they too had to call it a day.
Also ruled out of the race early on was Jamec Pem Racing car #74. It suffered a puncture and bowed out in lap 50.
Victory on the day, however, belonged to Shane van Gisbergen, Jonathon Webb and Alvaro Parente of the #59 Tekno Autosports’ McLaren, who claimed first from the Nissan Motorsports International entry by just 1.27 seconds.
Third place went to Bentley car #10.
Off the track, the Bathurst 12 Hour recorded its highest ever crowd number of 37,079, a 14 per cent increase on the 2015 figure.
V8 Supercars CEO James Warburton said Supercars Events, which manages the race, couldn’t have asked for anything better.
“I want to thank everybody who has contributed to the success of the event, including the teams, drivers, manufacturers, Liqui-Moly, Destination NSW, the Bathurst Regional Council and all our officials and volunteers,” he said.
“I also want to thank the fans for their support. We have seen a significant growth in attendance this year and I’m sure this event will only continue to grow in popularity in the years to come.”
Bathurst mayor Gary Rush echoed Mr Warburton’s statement, saying there was only more prestige to come for the 12 Hour in regional Australia as the event continues its partnership with V8 Supercars.
“2016 is a record crowd year and [the Bathurst 12 Hour] is an event that continues to grow and grow,” he said.
“We welcome the great advantage of having V8 Supercars as a 50 per cent partner with Bathurst Regional Council in this event, but [the event] has been building over recent years.
“Our partnership with the V8s and the additional resource that is available by having them as a 50 per cent partner is of great benefit and we will probably see it next year as a result, but this year it is about the momentum that has been developing with this event.”
Adding to the success of the event, approximately 7200 campers were recorded at Mount Panorama and international teams, including Bentley, have already made known their intention of returning to Bathurst for the 12 Hour in 2017.
A full list of results can be found at www.bathurst12hour.com.au/.