While the story of Luke Searle and Paul Morris’ victory at the Bathurst 6 Hour after an epic battle with 2016 winners Chaz Mostert and Nathan Morcom will be spoken about for days, it wasn’t the only story of victory in the paddock.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Seven classes in total were contested across the six hour event around Mount Panorama, which doubled as round one of the 2017 Australian Production Car Series.
In taking the outright win, Searle and Morris also claimed the A1 class victory.
Trevor Symonds, Paul Lane and Scott Bargwanna claimed the A2 victory in their #53 Holden VY.
“We were here last year and we didn’t get to the end of the race. We came here this year knowing we had a good car and to get to the end and finish first in our class is fantastic,” Symonds said.
“What a great feeling – this race has its ups and downs of course over its six hours,” Lane said.
“To have the car last after lasting only an hour and forty minutes last year, to bring it home and take the class win – I am just ecstatic.”
Jack Perkins and Leigh Burgess took their Class B1 victory despite going a lap down when a safety car did not fall their way.
“It was a fantastic race and a very long, tough six hours,” Burgess said.
“We were a little bit unlucky with the safety car - we went down a lap as we had to pit under green racing, so we dropped a lap unfortunately.
“Ideally a top five finish is what we would have liked but to be first in class and eighth outright and to have the car back in one piece makes for a fantastic race. The aim is to do a few more rounds so we will get out and have another run shortly.”
Brian Walden was able to celebrate his retirement with a Class B2 win alongside co-drivers Michael Auld and Richard Bloomfield.
“It is (special to win on my last event) - it is good to go out on a high, they have been calling me Johnny Farnham all weekend, but I do believe I won’t be coming back,” Walden said.
“The day was great, we had a lot of problems leading up with drive shafts we kept on doing them but we put the old second-hand ones that we ran last year in and the car ran faultlessly all day.”
The Class C win went to Super2 star Todd Hazelwood and Bathurst-stalwart Robert Rubis.
“Coming into this weekend, I had never driven the car before, hadn’t met any of my team members, didn’t even know Robert who I was driving with so to walk away with a class win is really special,” Hazelwood said.
“To stand on that Bathurst podium for the first time is something I will never forget.”
Chris Reeve and Chris Sutton claimed the Class D victory.
Class I saw John McCleverty, Bradley Zacka and Michael Zacka take the win.