The "almost podium"
At the top-class GT-classic on the demanding mountain and valley track at Mount Panorama in the Australian state of New South Wales, a delegation from Team75 Motorsport with engineers and mechanics as well as team owner Timo Bernhard supported the team from China; this was also the start of a long-planned event Cooperation.
The free practice sessions went well, with the highlight being third place in session three. In qualifying, Joel only finished 18th in the field of 29 vehicles.
After the early morning start, still in the dark, the trio raced to catch up. Jaxon Evans opened and worked his way up to eleventh place in his first stint before Joel Eriksson took over. Around two hours after the start, #13 appeared in the top ten for the first time, with Joel handing over to Bastian Buus in ninth place. He continued where his predecessor had started, a little later he was in sixth place, then, after a safety car phase, in fifth place. Gained 13 places in around three hours, by far more than any other car in the field: a promising starting position for the “remaining” nine hours on the Mount Panorama Circuit.
And things even went a little further forward, after just under four hours we were already in fourth place and aiming for the podium. At halftime they were in fifth place and in this top five, which were usually very close together, the Porsche trio held its own, at times even being in the lead. The tough duels, made more difficult by numerous safety car and yellow phases as well as very difficult track conditions after heavy rain, continued until the finish line.
After twelve hours and 275 laps of racing, Global Phantom Racing and Team75 Motorsport were able to celebrate fourth place, 14 positions gained and the fastest lap of the race. The well-deserved reward for a strong team performance: a combination of driving performance, optimal strategy from the team management and good work by the entire crew.
Bastian Buus: “It was a great experience. The 12 Hous of Bathurst is a really cool race in a cool place. I had a lot of fun the weekend. We even led the race towards the end and had the podium within reach until the end. We didn't quite make it to the podium, but it was still a great success for the team. Of course we're a bit sad at the moment because we feel like we've lost the podium. But after yesterday we can be very happy about our fourth place. This is a really good result.”
Joel Eriksson: “The entire team can be proud of fourth place, very close to the podium. It was a really tough week for the crew and the entire team, especially since the container with the material arrived late. The mechanics had to work for days to get the car ready on time. It was a long race, but we finished fourth and I was also able to set the fastest lap in my first stint. It was great here and I’m looking forward to the next races.”
Jaxon Evans: “It was a really good weekend. Fourth place, so very close to the podium, is a bit of a shame. It was a tough race and especially extremely tough in the final laps. A podium finish on the team's first outing here would of course have been a huge success. But with starting position 18, we would have been more than happy with fourth place this morning. It was impressive how the team performed throughout the weekend. The car was very fast and everyone worked very well together to achieve maximum success. The team will continue to be on the right track in the future and it was a privilege for me to be a part of it.”
Timo Bernhard, owner of Team75 Motorsport: “The 12 Hours of Bathurst was the first joint race between Team75 Motorsport and Phantom Global Racing. A long and hard week lies behind us. But it's amazing what we've achieved straight away. We set the fastest lap, led the race for a while and fought for victory and the podium until the end. Fourth place in such a legendary race like the Bathurst 12 Hours is a really, really good result. Of course it’s a bit of a shame that we didn’t make it to the podium, but all in all it was a great race and a great success.”
Martin Young, team boss Global Phantom Racing: “We had been looking forward to our first race together the whole time. Things went quite well in the free practice sessions, but we weren't at the top in qualifying. But in the race we had the pace, had a good strategy and didn't make any mistakes and were even leading the race at times. We are very proud of the entire team.”
Text: Peter Schäffner
Photos: Gruppe C, Team75 Motorsport (high quality pictures are listed in the press portal of Team75 Motorsport. Access data available under presse@team75motorsport.de)