Mercedes-AMG GT3 front row at Bathurst 12 hours

SRO

Feb 14

With 5 Mercedes-AMG GT3 qualifying for the pole session, local Cameron Waters did snatch pole for Bathurst 12 hour, leading a Mercedes-AMG 1-2-3.. Lucas Auer got his Mercedes-AMG Team Craft Bamboo #77 in P2 and Luca Stolz with #75 Express confirmed Mercedes-AMG GT3 velocity at Mount Panorama with 3 cars in the two first rows

Waters tops combined qualifying and pole session

Cameron Waters snatches Simonsen Pole Award in #222 Scott Taylor Motorsport Mercedes-AMG with the second fastest qualifying lap of Bathurst ever, after topping Practice 6 and qualifying first in combined qualifying sessions. Waters did reel a 2.01.079 at Mount Panorama.

It is Mercedes-AMG’s sixth Pole Position at The Bathurst 12 Hour. The Mercedes-AMGT GT3 now holds the two fastest laps, with Waters’ lap second to Maro Engel’s 2023 Pole time.

“It’s unbelievable to get pole here and to win the Allan Simonsen Trophy,” Waters said post-session. “I can’t thank the team enough, they’ve done an amazing job. Really, through practice, they tuned it up. Having Baz [Barry Ryan, Engineer], and Chaz [Mostert] and putting all our supercar experience together has really tuned the car up, and it’s been a dream to drive.”

Lucas Auer second

Last year pole setting Lucas Auer ended second with #77 Mercedes-AMG Team Craft Bamboo with a 2:01.256 to be only 0.177” behind Waters.

#75 Express AMG GT3 EVO third

Luca Stolz with the #75 Express AMG GT3 EVO was third with a 2:01.29 making a Mercedes-AMG 1-2-3.

Porsche fourth

Matt Campbell got his #911 Absolute Racing Porsche in second row and the first of the non-Mercedes cars with a 2:01.3. Campbell remains within 0.231 of the weekend benchmark whereas all other drivers qualified for pole were more than 0.464” slower.

#55 Audi fifth

Haase did put the #55 Jamec Racing Audi into fifth 0.465” slower than Waters.

#93 Lamborghini sixth

Marco Mapelli did set Lamborghini’s fastest ever lap in Mount Panorama with a 2:01.74 putting the #93 Wall Racing Lamborghini into sixth and Bronze class pole winner being the only Bronze class car heading into the session.

#46 WRT BMW seventh

Raffaele Marciello’s #46 WRT BMW he’ll share with Augusto Farfus and Valentino Rossi was seventh, 0.794” seconds slower than the benchmark.

#44 Mercedes-AMG GT3 eighth

Scott Andrews in the #44 Geyer Valmont Racing / Tigani Motorsport Mercedes-AMG was the only Pro-Am car to make the Pole Battle and eighth overall.