Mostert breaks Audi domination at Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour

Chaz Mostert

Chaz Mostert has taken the Allan Simonsen pole award trophy ahead of tomorrow’s Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour with a blistering lap in the Top 10 Shootout. (See video of lap at bottom)

The BMW Team Schnitzer driver, who shares the M6 GT3 with co-drivers Augusto Farfus and Marco Wittmann, lapped the 6.2km Mount Panorama circuit in a 2:01.934, holding off the charging Audi of Kelvin van der Linde who was unable to better Mostert’s time.

Van der Linde’s lap, which was only 0.235s slower than Mostert’s, was good enough to secure the South African Audi gun a front row start for tomorrow’s race in second, aboard the #22 Jamec Pem Racing Audi he shares with Garth Tander and Frederich Vervisch.

“We were close last year in the Pro-Am entry but it’s pretty special to go to the pointy end and actually get the pole this time with Schnitzer Motorsport and the BMW Motorsport group," said Mostert.

“For me it’s amazing, the boys gave enough trust in me to qualify the car and we made the car better and better over practice. It’s a lot of hard work to fly a car all the way from Germany to put it on the pole so it’s fantastic."

Bathurst Pits

The sister Audi of Christopher Haase, Christopher Mies and Markus Winkelhock will start from third on the grid, with Haase setting a 2:02.434 as being the fifth car out on track.

Reigning Supercars Champion Jamie Whincup had a tough day in the Mercedes AMG and will start from grid spot 16 for tomorrow’s race.

Lee Holdsworth became a casualty in qualifying when he spun his Audi R8 on the way up the mountain, causing a lengthy red flag. Despite the heavy crash the team has declared the car a starter for tomorrow, starting from 20th on the grid.

Aside from Whincup missing the shootout, the other major news of the day was the elimination of the Steven Richards Motorsport BMW after being found guilty of an unspecified technical breach.

Tomorrow’s Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour begins at 5:45am local time, with Live coverage across Australia kicking off at 5:30am on channel 7mate.

Full Bathurst 12 Hour starting grid:

Pos	Num	Team	Drivers	Car	Time
1	43	BMW Team Schnitzer	C. Mostert A. Farfus M. Wittmann	BMW M6 GT3	2:01.9340
2	22	Jamec Pem Racing	K. van der Linde G. Tander F. Vervisch	Audi R8 LMS	2:02.1697
3	74	Jamec Pem Racing	C. Haase C.Mies M. Winkelhock	Audi R8 LMS	2:02.4344
4	777	Buik Motorworks	L. Youlden T. Enge Y. Shahin	Lamborghini R-EX	2:03.2352
5	47	YNA Autosport	S. McLaughlin F.Ross A. Watson A. West	McLaren 650S GT3	2:03.3481
6	55	Strakka Racing	C. Waters D. Fumanelli N. Leventis L. Williamson	Mercedes-AMG GT3	2:03.4181
7	37	Audi Sport Team WRT	R. Frijns S. Leonard D. Vanthoor	Audi R8 LMS GT3	2:03.4485
8	58	YNA Autosport	S. van Gisbergen C. Lowndes C. Ledogar	McLaren 650S GT3	2:03.6690
9	17	Bentley Team M-Sport	S. Kane G. Smith J. Gounon	Bentley Continental GT3	2:03.7475
10	12	Competition Motorsposrt	M. Campbell D. Calvert-Jones P. Long A. Davison	Porsche 911 GT3-R	2:05.1117
11	56	Mercedes-AMG Team Strakka Racing	M.Gotz A.Parente	Mercedes-AMG GT3	2:03.0857
12	82	Internatioal Motorsport	M.Halliday J.Reid	Audi R8 LMS	2:03.1625
13	32	Lago Racing	R.Lago D.Russell S.Owen	Lamborghini R-EX GT3	2:03.3660
14	18	Bentley Team M-Sport	Maxime Soulet	Bentley Continental GT3	2:03.3817
15	75	Mercedes-AMG Team SunEnergy1 Racing	T. Vautier J.Whincup R.Marciello	Mercedes-AMG GT3	2:03.4383
16	69	Audi Sport Customer Racing	A.Walsh D.Padayachee	Audi R8 LMS	2:03.4797
17	991	Craft Bamboo Racing	L.Vanthoor K.Estre E.Bamber	Porsche 911 GT3 R	2:03.5313
18	39	Audi Sport Team WRT	P.Lamy W.Davison	Audi R8 LMS	2:03.5409
19	9	Audi Sport Customer Racing	M.Cini L.Holdsworth D.Fiore	Audi R8 LMS	2:03.6538
20	3	Audi Sport Customer Racing	Daniel Gaunt	Audi R8 LMS	2:03.6603
21	8	Scott Taylor Motorsport	C.Baird T.D’Alberto	Mercedes-AMG GT3	2:03.6936
22	19	Nineteen Corp P/L	D.Reynolds J.Martin M.Griffith	Mercedes-AMG GT3	2:03.6959
23	29	Trofeo Motorsport	J.Manolios D.Canto	Lamborghini Huracan	2:03.7569
24	11	Objective Racing	T.Slade J.Evans	McLaren 650S	2:04.2409
25	540	Black Swan Racing	J.Bleekemolen L.Stolz M.Lieb	Porsche 911 GT3 R	2:04.2721
26	911	Manthey-Racing	R.Dumas F.Makowiecki D.Werner	Porsche 911	2:04.5779
27	91	MARC Cars Australia	K.Kassulke W.Brown	MARC II V8	2:06.1184
28	67	MARC Cars Australia	Morgan Haber	MARC II V8	2:06.5310
29	66	Daytona Sportscars	Ben Schoots	Dodge Viper	2:06.5967
30	4	Grove Motorsport Pty Ltd	Ben Barker	Porsche GT3 Cup	2:08.0716
31	23	Team Carrera Cup Asia	P.Tresidder C.van der Drift	Porsche 991	2:09.2162
32	65	Daytona Sportscars	D.Thomas R.Howell	Daytona Coupe	2:09.7100
33	54	MARC Cars Australia	P.Morris C.Parrish	MARC II V8	2:10.2220
34	95	Eastgate Engineering	Bryce Fullwood	MARC Focus V8	2:10.5471
35	93	MARC Cars Australia	Garry Jacobson	MARC Mazda V8	2:11.0258
36	21	JFC – Carter Grange	D.Stutterd A.Fawcet	Porsche 911	2:11.7320
37	85	Wall Racing	C.Espenlaub J.Foster	Porsche 911 GT3 Cup	2:12.0096
38	96	MARC Cars Australia	J.Goodacre P.Major	MARC Focus V8	2:12.5664
39	30	Boat Works Racing	Aaron Seton	BMW M4 GT4	2:16.2626
40	44	BMW Team SRM	X.West C.Hill	BMW M4 GT4	2:16.9769
41	13	RHC-Lawrence/Strom (MarcGT)	B.Strom K.Wittmer	BMW M4 GT4	2:17.2531
42	49	KTM / M Motorsport	Glen Wood	KTM X-Bow GT4	2:17.4416
43	46	Prosport Performance GABH	J.Viebahn M.Braams N.Verdonck	Porsche Cayman PRO4	2:18.0965
44	48	M Motorsport P/L	J.McMillan T.Macrow	KTM X-Bow GT4	2:18.2490
45	77	Ginetta Australia	Mike Simpson	Ginetta G55	2:18.2649
46	40	On Track Motorsport	G.Mennell M.Caine	Porsche 997 GT3 Cup	2:19.4251
47	33	MARC Cars Australia	Rob Thomson	MARC Mazda V8	2:20.8149
48	88	Ginetta Australia	W.Tregurtha J.Robson	Ginetta G55	2:22.1424
ROG	100	BMW Team SRM	S. Richards T. Glock P. Eng	BMW M6 GT3	2:02.665