Bathurst 12H: Event newsletter

GT AND PRODUCTION GRIDS GET ADDED FIREPOWER

LEADING TEAMS in both the GT and Production Car classes have been busy strengthening their ranks ahead of the rapidly approaching Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour Event on February 4-6.

Whilst leading GT teams complete their final preparations, the Production Car ranks have been further boosted today by the addition of a Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV) GT Falcon to be driven by Queensland businessman Nathan Tinkler, well-known Production racer Jeremy Gray and V8 Supercar ace Steven Johnson.

Good friends Johnson and Tinkler teamed together in the 2009 Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour, qualifying 33rd in a similar FPV GT-P and finishing the race 30th after completing 187 laps.

The addition of some Ford heavy metal to the Production Car ranks further boosts the intensity of the class battle, having already gained the Peter Conroy Motorsport Mitsubishi Lancer EVO X last week.

In the GT Ranks, two-time defending Australian GT Champion David Wall confirmed the final piece of their race puzzle at the weekend by confirming former Porsche Carrera Cup and Formula 3 ace Barton Mawer as their third driver.

Mawer, from Sydney's South West, will join Wall and former GT and Sports Sedan champion Greg Crick in the Wall Racing Porsche GT3 Cup S and ensures the formidable entry must be considered a pre-race favourite in an already strong field.

Good friends, Wall and Mawer have already had some endurance racing experience together having contested the Sepang (Malaysia) 12 hour race on two occasions, including finishing third outright in 2008.

Mawer drove a Subaru in the Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour last year with Jim Hunter and Dean Herridge.

"We are going into this weekend with one aim - to win the race," David Wall said.

"It is not going to be easy, especially with the Audi Team Joest and some of Australia's top drivers competing. I raced against Team Joest last year in Malaysia so I have seen how professional they are. I am keen to race against them again.

"We tested our Wilson Security Porsche at Wakefield Park earlier this week and it felt good. I think we have done everything we can do to prepare and we should have strong package for the race.

"We have always done well at this track so I am hoping we can have a strong finish."

The family run Wall Racing team will run two other cars in the 12-hour, the #39 Porsche 997 GT3 Cup (Class B - GT3) and the #43 Mitsubishi EVO IX GSR in the high performance Production Car class, and will bring a support team of nearly 70 people to the Mountain in the process.

GT vehicles will join with production cars for the first time in 2011, with entries secured from Audi, BMW, Corvette, Ferrari, Ford, Holden, Lotus, Mitsubishi, Mosler, Nissan, Porsche and Subaru .

Historic Group N Touring Cars, Group C & A Historic Touring Cars, Improved Production, HQ Holden's and Formula Vee will feature throughout Friday and Saturday's action, ensuring a racing program that caters to nearly every type of Australian Motorsport fan.

More information about the 2011 Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour can be found on the Event's new website; www.bathurst12hour.com.au

-source: bathurst12hour