Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific entries primed for Bathurst 12 Hour

Shanghai-based Absolute Racing will be returning to the mountain for the first time since 2020, with 2024 winners Matt Campbell and Ayhancan Güven alongside former Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific Selected Driver Alessio Picariello, who took the Pro-Am honours at last year’s edition at his Bathurst debut.

The Bend will be the marque’s second entry with Sam Shahin being joined by 2024 LMGT3 24 Hours of Le Mans winners, Yasser Shahin and Morris Schuring, as Porsche Driver Laurin Heinrich completes the quartet in the EMA Motorsport-run #91 Porsche 911 GT3 R (992).

Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific has a strong recent history at the event, which is famous for its pre-dawn start, making it unique on the endurance racing calendar. In 2019, with Earl Bamber Motorsport, hometown hero Campbell secured Porsche’s first overall victory down under with a daring late overtake.

The Australian would take the marque’s maiden pole position the following year with Absolute Racing, before helping Manthey Racing to overall success in 2024 with Güven and Laurens Vanthoor. In the same race, Manthey EMA would clinch Pro-Am success.

The 6.213-kilometre layout, which has been unchanged since 1987, provides a varied challenge for those brave enough to tackle it. The first half of the lap is uphill, with the long Mountain Straight leading into a series of narrow, sweeping bends as the drivers reach the highest point on the circuit. The descent down is even more exciting, with the left and right turns of Skyline, the Esses and The Dipper punishing any mistakes.

The undulating Conrod Straight leads into The Chase, which consists of a fast right-hander and then a tricky chicane ahead of Murray’s Corner, the 23rd and final turn of an exhilarating lap.

Track to Town kicks off the weekend on Thursday morning, with track action beginning on Friday morning with the first of six practice sessions. Qualifying gets underway on Saturday afternoon and a battle for pole concludes the day’s action. Lights out for the Bathurst 12 Hour will be at 05:45 local time on Sunday morning. Alexandre Gibot, Managing Director Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific Ltd.: “We’re excited to start 2025 off at one of the world’s most iconic endurance races. We’ve enjoyed successes here in recent years which we’ll be looking to replicate this weekend. It’s amazing to welcome back Absolute Racing to a track where they took our maiden pole position back in 2020. We’re delighted to also have The Bend in the Pro-Am category looking to retain the titles won by the marque in the class last year. It promises to be an exciting event and we’re aiming to kick the new season off on a positive note this weekend."