Porsche Young Professional Matt Campbell set the seventh quickest time in the Top 10 shootout on the Mount Panorama Circuit. The young Australian tapped virtually the full potential of the Porsche 911 GT3 R, which he shares with factory driver Dirk Werner (Germany) and Porsche Young Professional Dennis Olsen (Norway). Up against stiff opposition from seven other GT3 manufacturers, Campbell took just 2:03.186 minutes to lap the 6.213-kilometre racetrack in the No. 912 Porsche.
In the previous two qualifying sessions, Frenchman Mathieu Jaminet narrowly missed out on being eligible to fight for a top ten grid spot in the sister car run by the EBM (Earl Bamber Motorsport) customer team. On his hottest lap, the Porsche Young Professional was just 0.08 seconds shy of a top ten place. The No. 911 Porsche 911 GT3 R, which Jaminet shares with the works drivers Romain Dumas (France) and Sven Müller (Germany), takes up the race from twelfth on the grid. Factory driver Kévin Estre planted the identical ca. 500 hp car fielded by the Competition Motorsports/McElrea Racing customer squad on 13th place. The Frenchman is joined in the cockpit of the No.12 vehicle by Porsche Junior Jaxon Evans (New Zealand) and David Calvert-Jones (USA).
The Porsche 911 GT3 R campaigned by the North American customer team Black Swan Racing sustained irreparable damages in an accident during Friday’s free practice and is unable to take part in any further race activities. After the incident, Tim Pappas (USA), who shared the vehicle with works driver Marc Lieb (Germany) and Jeroen Bleekemolen (Netherlands), was transported to a hospital in Sydney for treatment. He suffered fractures to his right humerus and pelvis.
The Porsche 911 GT3 Cup of Grove Racing squad in the B Class
In the B Class, the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup run by the experienced Grove Racing squad, will tackle the endurance race from the best starting position. Britain’s Ben Barker dominated the hunt for top times against the identical cars run by the customer teams Ashley Seward Motorsport and Team Carrera Cup Asia.
The Bathurst 12 Hour gets underway on Sunday, 3 February, at 05:45 hrs local time (Saturday, 19:45 hrs CET). The race can be watched live on the Internet outside Australia on www.bathurst12hour.com.au. At the opening round of this year’s Intercontinental GT Challenge, the 2018-spec GT3 vehicle will be fielded for the last time, as stipulated by the regulations. For round two of the season at Laguna Seca (USA), contested over eight hours, customer teams will field the new Porsche 911 GT3 R, which celebrated its race debut last weekend at Daytona (USA).
Pascal Zurlinden (Director GT Factory Motorsport): “We witnessed an exciting and very close shootout. Just a quarter of a second lay between seventh and second place. I’m certain that we’re well positioned with our Porsche 911 GT3 R. Anything is possible for this car’s last outing at a major endurance race. We aim to go all-out and fight for victory.”
Sebastian Golz (Project Manager 911 GT3 R): “This is a really solid result that we certainly don’t need to hide from. We are up against strong teams and drivers here. The local guys are always particularly fast on this unique racetrack in Bathurst. Matt turned a good lap. Our starting position is absolutely fine. The pace of the car should be consistent throughout the race, and by now the fledgling EBM team is working flawlessly. We’re looking great in the twisty sections, which speaks for the Porsche’s great driveability. If we could now get some more speed on the straights then it’s bound to be a strong race.”
Earl Bamber (EBM team principal): “Our performances were good. We set our sights on getting the car into the top 10 shootout, and we succeeded. We’d secretly hoped to do a little better than seventh, but it’s okay. Our Porsche 911 GT3 R is fast, constant and comfortable to drive over the distance, and the drivers are first-class. These are key factors in a long-distance race. If we can make the most of our chances in the race, then we should be able to fight for a podium spot.”
More quotes in the press release (download).
1. Dennis/Vaxiviere/Kirchhöfer, Aston Martin #62, 2:02.495 minutes
2. Buhk/Marciello/Götz, Mercedes #999, 2:02.935 minutes
3. Engel/Stolz/Paffett, Mercedes #77, 2:03.042 minutes
7. Werner/Olsen/Campbell, Porsche 911 GT3 R #912, 2:03.186 minutes
12. Dumas/Müller/Jaminet, Porsche 911 GT3 R #911, 2:02.879 minutes
13. Estre/Evans/Calvert-Jones, Porsche 911 GT3 R #12, 2:02.912 minutes
26. Grove/Grove/Barker, Porsche 911 GT3 Cup #4, 2:06.452 minutes
28. Stutterd/Fillmore/Muscat, Porsche 911 GT3 Cup #43, 2:07.297 minutes
31. Tresidder/v.d. Drift/ Bao/Hamprecht, Porsche 911 GT3 Cup #23, 2:08.538 minutes
The 12-hour race on the legendary Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst kicks off the 2019 season of the Intercontinental GT Challenge. Four Porsche 911 GT3 R will contest the spectacular event in Australia on the first weekend in February. Three customer teams field the successful GT3 vehicle, which will give its final farewell performance Down Under. As stipulated by the regulations, the GT3 cars must be last year’s spec. Facing stiff competition from vehicles from nine other manufacturers in the top category, the Porsche teams have good chances of success. Different this year: Instead of taking his place in the cockpit, Porsche works driver Earl Bamber (New Zealand) assumes the role of team boss at the pit wall.
The GT race was first contested on the 6.213-kilometre Mount Panorama Circuit in 1991. The circuit 200 kilometres west of Sydney consists of public roads that wind over 23 curves through the hilly countryside of New South Wales. Per lap, the vehicles must overcome an elevation difference of 174 metres. The snaking, narrow passages across the ridge of the mountain represent a stark contrast to the long straights at the foot of Mount Panorama. The racetrack poses a great challenge to drivers, engineers and teams alike. Traditionally, the 12-hour event takes off before sunrise at 5.45am, with the chequered flag dropping in the early evening before sundown.
With his EBM Team (Earl Bamber Motorsport), Porsche works driver Earl Bamber campaigns two ca. 500-hp Porsche 911 GT3 R. Sharing driving duties in his cars, the New Zealander has six of his colleagues from the squad of the sports car manufacturer from Weissach. Taking the wheel of the No. 911 vehicle are Sven Müller (Germany) and the two Frenchmen Romain Dumas and Mathieu Jaminet. In the cockpit of the No. 912 car are Porsche Young Professionals Dennis Olsen (Norway) and Matt Campbell (Australia) as well as works driver Dirk Werner (Germany). Marc Lieb (Germany), Timothy Pappas (USA) and Jeroen Bleekemolen (Netherlands) helm the identical No. 540 vehicle run by Black Swan Racing. The Competition Motorsports/McElrea Racing squad put their trust in works driver Kévin Estre (France), Porsche-Junior Jaxon Evans (New Zealand) and David Calvert Jones (Australia).
The 911 GT3 R was designed by Porsche for worldwide GT3 series. Mounted with the ultra-modern, four-litre flat-six engine with direct fuel injection, the 368 kW (500 hp) customer sport racer celebrated its race debut in January 2016 at the Daytona 24-hour race. Since then, the racer has notched up victories in numerous international racing series, for example in the IMSA SportsCar Championship, the World Challenge, the ADAC GT Masters, and at the Nürburgring VLN long distance championship. For 2019, the model will be replaced by a new version.
The Bathurst 12 Hour takes off on Sunday, 3 February, at 5:45 hrs local time (Saturday, 19:45 hrs CET). The race can be watched live on the Internet outside Australia on www.bathurst12hour.com.au.
The 2019 Intercontinental GT Challenge calendar is made up of five endurance race on five continents. While the teams are only permitted to field 2018-spec GT3 cars at the season-opening round in Bathurst (Australia), the latest generation is allowed at the following races in Laguna Seca (USA), Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium), Suzuka (Japan) and at the season finale in Kyalami (South Africa). Porsche will not compete with a factory squad, but instead supports different customer teams in their campaign.
