In another exciting Bathurst 12 Hour, both Porsche entrants were in the top 10, with The Bend, driven by EMA Motorsport, placing second in the Pro-Am division.
After briefly leading the thrilling race, which was interspersed with safety cars, the Absolute Racing entry finished in sixth place.
This year’s four-round Intercontinental GT Challenge schedule began with the endurance epic, which was held over the weekend at the Mount Panorama Circuit.
After putting up the second-quickest time in the first part of qualifying, The Bend’s #91 Porsche GT3 R (992), driven by Sam and Yasser Shahin, Morris Schuring, and Laurin Heinrich, was in the middle of the fight for overall pole.
Heinrich’s outstanding one-lap effort on his Bathurst debut earned him sixth overall and Pro-Am pole position. After just missing out on the top ten shootout, the #911 Absolute Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R (992), which was composed of 2024 winners Matt Campbell, Ayhancan Güven, and Alessio Picariello, finished in 11th place.
The race began at 05:45 local time, as is customary at Bathurst, and the early stages were set against the breathtaking background of the sunrise.
There was a lot of activity when Güven started, and the Turkish driver surged from P11 to the lead thanks to a solid strategy.
Before changing tactics and safety car periods caused the momentum to shift away from Absolute Racing, Picariello maintained the lead as the race approached the quarter-distance mark.
Campbell, a hometown hero and two-time Bathurst winner, took over after him, but the car’s straight-line speed wasn’t nearly sufficient to compete with the top competitors. All three drivers nevertheless put in a lot of effort, constantly aiming for the podium spots, and eventually their progress was hampered by a Safety Car period that followed their pit stop under green flag circumstances.
Sixth place was the final result of a late refueling pit stop with less than 30 minutes left.
“It was a tough weekend as we searched for pace throughout the event but in the end, we finished on the lead lap in P6. We’ll look to come back stronger next year and fight for the win,” said Matt Campbell
Yasser Shahin, the 24 Hours of Le Mans LMGT3 class champion, began the race in the vehicle driven by EMA Motorsport.
They fought for the top spot in the Pro-Am while remaining competitive in the overall standings, ultimately placing second in their class and tenth overall.
Teammate Schuring said: “As a Bathurst rookie I thoroughly enjoyed this event, and the Mount Panorama Circuit is now definitely one of my favorites. We showed great pace considering it was the first time here for three of our four drivers.
“I’m already looking forward to the next race and thankful for the effort put in by the team throughout the event.”
Alexandre Gibot, Managing Director Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific, added: “There were positives from a challenging weekend, like The Bend securing pole position and second in the Pro-Am class.
“Absolute Racing showed improvement in the race to come P6 overall, and have learned a lot from this event, which they can use going forward. We had drivers competing here for the first time, showing great pace so that’s a promising sign for the future. We’ll be back next year and aiming for victory.”
The 2025 Intercontinental GT Challenge calendar will continue with the 24h Nürburgring on June 19-22, followed by the Spa 24h the following weekend.
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