By Tarek Ramchani :
Audi wins a thrilling Bathurst 12 hour race for a back to back victory. A very rainy and hard enduro event, with the #1 Audi R8 LMS from Phoenix Racing crossing the finish line victorious. Three Audi R8 LMS cars entered the race at Mount Panorama.
Audi’s victory wasn't at all easy. Right from the start the three R8 LMS cars were in the in the middle of a titanic GT3 battle. Two works supported cars of Phoenix Racing and the fully privateer entry from United Autosports. In the first stages of the race a Ferrari 458 GT3 took the overall lead, but quickly dropped out after facing technical troubles. Then came the rain and shortly afterwards the first of the Audis retired. The #22 United Autosports was unable to continue after a big crash in the rain. Later a great three-way battle for the lead developed between the two Phoenix cars and an SLS AMG. The three cars continued to battle until the #2 R8 LMS "Spider" hit the wall. The car shared by Craig Lowndes Warren Luff and Mark Eddy was forced to retire due to the damage sustained in the impact. In the closing stages, the gap between the leading "Kangaroo" Audi and the chasing AMG was almost 2 minutes. The Mercedes was able to keep the pressure on and reduce that gap. The track being very wet and extremely narrow meant that the #1 Audi was forced to race fast and cautious at the same time. In the final stint, the Mercedes was still pressing, but it was too late. Darryl O'Young crossed the finish line victorious to give Audi a second straight Bathurst 12 Hour win, along with his teammates Christopher Mies and Christer Jöns. O'Young and Mies have already won last year with Audi race experience Team Joest. Christer Jöns was a rookie in the Aussie endurance race this year.
The 2011 Audi victory at the Bathurst 12 Hours was seen as an easy one, maybe this is true but this year was a completely different story. The Phoenix team pushed to the limits to defend Audi's crown at Mount Panorma. A new great overall victory for the R8 LMS, a perfect way to start a new season.
Audi’s victory wasn't at all easy. Right from the start the three R8 LMS cars were in the in the middle of a titanic GT3 battle. Two works supported cars of Phoenix Racing and the fully privateer entry from United Autosports. In the first stages of the race a Ferrari 458 GT3 took the overall lead, but quickly dropped out after facing technical troubles. Then came the rain and shortly afterwards the first of the Audis retired. The #22 United Autosports was unable to continue after a big crash in the rain. Later a great three-way battle for the lead developed between the two Phoenix cars and an SLS AMG. The three cars continued to battle until the #2 R8 LMS "Spider" hit the wall. The car shared by Craig Lowndes Warren Luff and Mark Eddy was forced to retire due to the damage sustained in the impact. In the closing stages, the gap between the leading "Kangaroo" Audi and the chasing AMG was almost 2 minutes. The Mercedes was able to keep the pressure on and reduce that gap. The track being very wet and extremely narrow meant that the #1 Audi was forced to race fast and cautious at the same time. In the final stint, the Mercedes was still pressing, but it was too late. Darryl O'Young crossed the finish line victorious to give Audi a second straight Bathurst 12 Hour win, along with his teammates Christopher Mies and Christer Jöns. O'Young and Mies have already won last year with Audi race experience Team Joest. Christer Jöns was a rookie in the Aussie endurance race this year.
The 2011 Audi victory at the Bathurst 12 Hours was seen as an easy one, maybe this is true but this year was a completely different story. The Phoenix team pushed to the limits to defend Audi's crown at Mount Panorma. A new great overall victory for the R8 LMS, a perfect way to start a new season.
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| Darryl O'Young, Christopher Mies and Christer Jons the winners |
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| #2 Audi R8 LMS - Phoenix Racing |
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| #21 Audi R8 LMS - United Autosports |
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