LAST year he showed promise at Mount Panorama, but when Swiss driver Alexandre Imperatori returns for his second tilt at the Bathurst 12 Hour with KCMG it is with the intent to claim a podium.
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Hong Kong based outfit KCMG made its Bathurst 12 Hour debut in 2019 with a pair of Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3s.
Imperatori did well enough in qualifying to earn a spot in the top 10 shootout, clocking a 2:04.1910 lap in his one-lap flyer around Mount Panorama. It saw his Nissan start from ninth on the grid.
In the race itself, Imperatori and his team-mates actually enjoyed the lead of the race for 14 laps before ultimately finishing in seventh.
Their quickest race lap - a 2:03.8257 - was the sixth fastest in the field.
It was a solid debut, but Imperatori knows it could have been better.
"We were very strong in Bathurst, in discovering the event there, it wasn't easy," he told dailysportscar.com
"We were performing well, but unfortunately, we had a few issues with the car, and it meant we didn't get the result that the car deserved."
This year KCMG will again launch a two-car, six-driver attack on the Bathurst 12 Hour.
Imperatori will share the wheel of the #18 Nissan with Edoardo Liberati and Bathurst newcomer, Joao-Paul de Oliveira. He hopes to also share a podium with them.
"I'm massively excited to head back to the mountain for another go at the Bathurst 12 Hour with KCMG. It's the perfect way to open the season and this year's race is shaping up to be another classic with the best competition in GT racing," he said.
"It's one of the toughest events there is, but we are more prepared this time and are looking to score a podium."
Co-driver de Oliveira is excited about what lies ahead.
"It will be my first time at Bathurst and I look forward to racing on one of the most challenging circuits in the world, and in one of the most prestigious events in GT3 racing," he said.
