Porsche clinches sensational second place and Bronze victory in Bathurst 12 Hour

Saturday’s Qualifying session saw the Absolute Racing #911 entry advance into the Pirelli Pole Battle, where hometown hero Matt Campbell ensured the outfit would line up fourth for Sunday’s event.   
 
Alessio Picariello took the wheel of the Porsche 911 GT3 R for the unique start in the dark, retaining his position before an early pit stop. Elsewhere, Ricardo Feller produced an excellent first stint from the back of the grid, after EBM had its qualifying times deleted due to a technical infringement. The Swiss used his experience around the mountain to expertly move his way up into fifth as he handed over to Klaus Bachler.
 
High Class Racing also had an uphill battle on its hands starting 30th overall and last in the Bronze class, but excellent opening stints from Fjordbach and Li as well as former Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific Selected Driver Boccolacci put them back in contention.
 
Herberth Motorsport’s trio of Ralf Bohn and brothers Alfred and Robert Renauer continued to show strong pace, leading the Bronze category in the early stages of the enduro for the German outfit.
 
The marque’s fifth Porsche 911 GT3 R from Tsunami RT piloted by Fabio Babini, Johannes Zelger and Alex Fontana was making steady progress throughout. Unfortunately, just over eight hours into the event they suffered race ending damage, which brought out the Red Flag.

After a pause to proceedings the action got back underway, but more Safety Cars periods meant it was difficult for teams to find the perfect strategy. However, as the race went green again with just 40 minutes left on the clock, the four remaining Porsche entries were in the top 10 aiming for glory.
 
Boccolacci was behind the wheel of the #86 High Class Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R and moved himself up from fourth to second at the Safety Car restart. The Frenchman then showed excellent pace to put the leader under constant pressure, crossing the line just over a second behind, as he clinched an unbelievable second overall and Bronze win for the Danish outfit on Bathurst debut.
 
Bastian Buus pulled off multiple overtakes to make his way forward, with the Porsche Driver managing to cross the line sixth overall and fourth in the Pro category for Absolute Racing.
 
After solid stints from Bachler and Laurin Heinrich in the EBM entry, Feller would finish what he started, securing eighth overall, with the squad gaining an impressive 26 places over the course of the 12 hours.
 
Finally, the #21 Herberth Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 R was engaged in a brilliant battle for the final spot on the Bronze podium, just narrowly missing out by less than half a second. However, the crew still managed to claim 11th overall after improving by 12 positions during the event.
 
The next stop on the 2026 Intercontinental GT Challenge calendar will be 24h Nürburgring on 14-17 May.

Kerong Li, High Class Racing: “I can’t believe that we’ve managed to achieve second overall and the Bronze win! I never expected a result like this, and I want to say a huge thanks to High Class Racing and Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific. My two teammates were phenomenal today as well as the great pitstops from the team. It’s a very special feeling and certainly the best day of my life.”
 
Dorian Boccolacci, High Class Racing: “It’s insane what we’ve been able to achieve today and I feel like I’m still dreaming! After a very early 4am start this morning, you head to the track knowing anything can happen. It was tricky in the middle part of the race, but we saved fuel well and managed to be in a strong position for the closing stages. We showed great pace to get second overall and first in Bronze which was beyond our expectations. The team did an amazing job and I couldn’t have dreamt of a better result than this.”
 
Anders Fjordbach, High Class Racing: “It was the first time ever for High Class Racing and all three drivers here in the Bathurst 12 Hour. You find out quickly how close the walls are and how small the margin for error is. The team gave us an amazing car and we were able to achieve some incredible results. The whole weekend was just like a dream come true!”
 
Matt Campbell, Absolute Racing: “It was definitely a hard day but we showed solid pace at times. Unfortunately, the strategy never fell our way and it got tough towards the end to hold our position. The team did a fantastic job and the result just didn’t go our way.”
 
Bastian Buus, Absolute Racing: “The race was eventful with lots of action throughout as we managed to finish sixth overall. It’s not what we came for and we battled back after a few technical issues at the beginning of the enduro. We continued to fight but couldn’t achieve the performance we wanted. Hopefully we’ll be able to come back again and be on top next time.”
 
Alessio Picariello, Absolute Racing: “We had a great car and also showed strong race pace, but it just wasn’t our day. We were always out of sync with what was happening on track, meaning we were constantly playing catch up. It’s a shame but that’s the way it goes sometimes in racing. Thanks to my teammates and all the crew for their effort all weekend long and I hope to return to this brilliant venue in the future.”

Klaus Bachler, Earl Bamber Motorsport: “I really enjoyed my first trip to Bathurst and the track is very cool to drive with lots of commitment needed. The race didn’t go the way we wanted as we got a bit unlucky with how the Safety Car was falling. We finished eighth but we can’t change anything now and can only look forward to hopefully coming back and fighting for the victory next year.”
 
Laurin Heinrich, Earl Bamber Motorsport: “It was never going to be easy starting from the back of the grid, but we made good early progress. We just tried to stay in the game for as long as possible, saving fuel and being sensible, however, after the Red Flag, we didn’t have the speed to fight for more. It was a tough race for us but it’s still an incredible experience to drive a Porsche 911 GT3 R here and I hope to get many more opportunities to do it.”
 
Ricardo Feller, Earl Bamber Motorsport: “It was always going to be a challenging enduro after starting from the back, but we made up several places early on. We tried our best to catch up and finished eighth, but we just lacked the pace to go on and challenge for more.”
 
Ralf Bohn, Herberth Motorsport: “It was an amazing experience to be racing at Bathurst as it was the first time for all three of us. Considering this, I think we did a great job and we competed throughout. We just narrowly missed out on a podium in our class, but we can be happy with the performance we showed throughout the weekend.”
 
Johannes Zelger, Tsunami RT: “We were unlucky today, but I want to come back to Bathurst and race as much as possible as the mood here in Australia is fantastic. I’m feeling a bit sore after the crash, however, I’m ready to jump back in the car as soon as possible.”
 
Fabio Babini, Tsunami RT: “This was my first time competing in the Bathurst 12 Hour and I think it’s an incredible track with a very high level of difficulty. Unfortunately, we couldn’t make the chequered flag due to an accident. The most important thing is that my friend Johannes is alright and the entire team did an amazing job in this incredible race.”
 
Alexandre Gibot, Managing Director Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific Ltd.: “It was another action-packed Bathurst 12 Hour and we’re delighted for High Class Racing, clinching second overall and the Bronze category victory. The team did an excellent job and executed the race perfectly, being in the right place at the right time. It’s extremely impressive and also great to see our former Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific Selected Driver Dorian get off to a brilliant start in his new role as a Porsche Driver. Absolute Racing and EBM also battled throughout to score top 10 finishes during the gruelling enduro. We were lacking a bit of straight-line speed which can be challenging around Mount Panorama Circuit. However, it was still a successful weekend and we’re looking forward to the next IGTC round in the region when Suzuka 1000km takes place in September.”