Mercedes-AMG rounds out record weekend with Bathurst 12 Hour podium result

• SunEnergy1 Racing finishes second with the #75 Mercedes-AMG GT3 in Australia
• Mercedes-AMG GT4: lap record and class win for #19 Team Nineteen entry
• Jules Gounon: “We came close to writing history with the race result here.”

Four podium results and a class win for Mercedes-AMG at the Repco Bathurst 12 Hour. The 2024 season opener of the prestigious Intercontinental GT Challenge (IGTC) was held in Australia this weekend. A contingent of ten Mercedes-AMG race cars took on the first of four stops on the calendar. Challenging weather changes and a close-fought final stage of the race demanded everything from the nine Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing Teams and their drivers.

After 275 laps, last year’s winners Jules Gounon (AND), Kenny Habul (AUS) and Luca Stolz (GER) crossed the finish line in second place in the #75 Mercedes-AMG GT3 run by SunEnergy1 Racing. After twelve hours of racing, five Mercedes-AMG GT3s finished in the top 10 of the overall classification.

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In qualifying on Saturday, the Mercedes-AMG teams put themselves in a promising starting position for the demanding endurance racing event with four cars in the top ten. The race got underway on Sunday at 5.45am local time. The three Mercedes-AMG GT3s with starting numbers 75, 130 and 888 were soon in contention at the front of the field. Around six hours into the race, rain made conditions at the 6.213 kilometres long Mount Panorama Circuit more difficult.

A safety car intervention in the final hour decided the outcome. After the neutralization, Jules Gounon secured second place in a 30-minute showdown. He staged a tight battle with his pursuers. The SunEnergy1 Racing trio only just missed out on a historic success for Mercedes-AMG. With another victory at Mount Panorama, the performance and sports car brand from Affalterbach would have become the sole record holder in the Bathurst 12 Hour with four wins. Nevertheless, second place meant a promising start to the new IGTC season.

Four class podiums and two lap records for Mercedes-AMG
In the field of 30 participants, there were another four podium results for the Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing Teams. Daniel Bilski (AUS), Adam Christodoulou (GBR) and Mark Griffith (AUS) came out on top in the C-GT4 classification with the #19 Mercedes-AMG GT4 of Team Nineteen. The A-PRO AM class was also crowned with success by means of two podium results for the Mercedes-AMG GT3. Heart of Racing by SPS and Triple Eight JMR finished second and third respectively. The A-Silver category also resulted into a class podium with third place for the #47 Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Supabarn Supermarkets/Tigani Motorsport.

In qualifying, Mercedes-AMG Expert Driver Adam Christodoulou established a new lap record for GT4 cars on the 6.213 kilometres long Mount Panorama Circuit with a lap time of 2m 14.858s. It was the second record-breaking lap for Mercedes-AMG on the same day. Also on Saturday, Mercedes-AMG Performance Driver Jules Gounon set a new record for GT cars in a modified Mercedes-AMG GT3 in 1m 56.605s.

“It was a very unpredictable and varied race. Unfortunately, we weren’t in a position to win today, so I’m very pleased with the outcome. Congratulations from us to Porsche on their victory. All in all, however, we have also managed to achieve great results for our brand and rack up valuable points – in the overall classification and in three classes. We are also delighted with the success of our Mercedes-AMG GT4. It was a successful conclusion to a challenging weekend with two lap records.”
Christoph Sagemüller, Head of Mercedes-AMG Motorsport

“I am slightly disappointed with second place. However, with four podiums in four years, three of them victories, that’s complaining at a very high level. We came close to making history with the race result here. But we put in 100 per cent and, although we didn’t have the fastest car, we managed to finish second. That shows how professionally the teams work to always get the best out of the conditions. With the track record and the podium result, it was a successful weekend. Nevertheless, it still hurts to have missed out on a fourth win in a row.”
Jules Gounon, SunEnergy1 Racing #75

“Ultimately, it was a good race for us. Still, when you finish 3.5 seconds behind the leaders, there’s always a bit of disappointment. We got the maximum out of it and had a lot of fun. The start of the race was a challenge because we were in the middle of the field. But the team decided in favour of the right strategy. As a result, we kept making progress until we reached the leading group. You can definitely be satisfied when you are in contention that far up.”
Luca Stolz, SunEnergy1 Racing #75

“The weekend was quite a rollercoaster ride for us. We were strong in all practice sessions and even broke the GT4 lap record in qualifying. We are obviously very happy with that. Right in time for the start of the race, however, the competition was very strong. Nevertheless, we delivered a flawless race, fought our way back from a temporary gap and eventually secured a deserved class win.”
Adam Christodoulou, Team Nineteen #19

“First of all, we are delighted that we made it to the finish despite the difficult conditions. A big thank you to SPS and Mercedes-AMG, who provided us with a fantastic package. We didn’t have a problem with our car throughout the twelve hours. The fact that we were able to secure a podium finish on our debut straight away is an outstanding achievement. Of course, it doesn’t taste as good as a victory, which definitely was within reach today until the drive-through penalty.”
Alex Riberas, Heart of Racing by SPS #27

“All in all, it was a strong race by us. We can be satisfied with third place in class. We had a really fast car today, so I’m almost a little bit disappointed that there wasn’t anything more in it. However, we were also a bit unlucky in the end with our damage to the front, which affected us in the final hours. But that’s part and parcel of an endurance race. The important thing is that we made it to the finish and brought this success home.”
Jordan Love, Triple Eight JMR #88

“It was a difficult day for us. We didn’t start the race well and made life difficult for ourselves with numerous penalties. In general, we didn’t have the pace we had hoped for. Nevertheless, I am proud – and I would like to thank Mercedes-AMG Team GruppeM Racing and Mercedes-AMG for that – of the fact that I was allowed to present this special livery to mark 130 years of motorsport here on this spectacular circuit.”
Maro Engel, Mercedes-AMG Team GruppeM Racing #130

“The mountain has struck. It was a great weekend until our retirement. Our strategy and our race pace got us into the top three, but then Dani hit the wall in the middle sector. That is a pity, but something like that can always happen here. Mount Panorama is one of the most demanding racetracks in the world. It would have been great to win here. I’m still missing that victory, so we’ll have to come back next year.”
Maximilian Götz, Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing #77

>> 2024 Bathurst 12 Hour results

Result, Mercedes-AMG Bathurst 12 Hour 2024: