Looking purely at the results of this weekend’s Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour, seeing the Maranello Motorsport Ferrari start first, finish first and win by a lap would make it seem as though it was a walk in the park at the legendary Mount Panorama for the trio of Toni Vilander, Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup.
And that’s why you can’t look purely at the results.
The No. 88 Maranello Ferrari 488 GT3, in the car’s Bathurst debut, was by all accounts the fastest car both in the run up to the race and during the race itself. Vilander’s lap in the Top 10 Shootout on Saturday netted the team the Allan Simonsen Pole Position Trophy, in honor of the late Dane who made his name with the team at Bathurst as part of his sports car career.
But the race nearly went away from them early on when just before a restart, the usually unflappable and frequently smiling “Lowndesy” got tapped into a spin from Craig Baird in the No. 22 Scott Taylor Motorsport Mercedes AMG-GT3 at the final corner of the circuit, and was beached into the gravel.
Hard to explain this one... 🤔 #B12HR pic.twitter.com/8FCnYmG7l6
— Bathurst 12 Hour (@Bathurst12hour) February 4, 2017
Lowndes was extracted and was able to stay on the lead lap, and from there began a comeback. Several A class all-pro cars went out of the running early while others were delayed.
Vilander’s storming stint in the final few hours of the race was arguably one of the best of his Ferrari factory career, as he gapped the rest of the field including but not limited to Alvaro Parente and Patrick Long. The Finn finished his stint and did the racing equivalent of “dropping the mic,” getting out of his car and walking back through the garage to a standing ovation.
Vilander out, @jamiewhincup in. #B12HR pic.twitter.com/1LFGQh0quT
— Bathurst 12 Hour (@Bathurst12hour) February 5, 2017
“Sometimes you have those days, you have a clear track and just feel really comfortable in the car. Even all the traffic seemed like it was dropping in the right places with the right timing. I had clear air with the car and it felt like it was working perfectly. Sometimes when you’re fast it feels like it’s easier so today was definitely one of those days,” Vilander said.
With “Wayne’s World” having celebrated its 25-year anniversary at the weekend, this tweet from Mike Hedlund on Vilander’s stint would be an appropriate one:
.@toni_vilander #B12Hr pic.twitter.com/3di6TeftgP
— Mike Hedlund (@mike_hedlund) February 5, 2017
Alas, the Mercedes - mentioned earlier with Baird having been given a drive-through penalty - wasn’t out of it and in the final hour was the only car on the lead lap able to take it to the Maranello Ferrari, and it had the always entertaining Shane van Gisbergen behind the wheel.
With Whincup running second, van Gisbergen had to play defense although the Supercars combatants’ lead battle would get dicey. Whincup went to the outside on the final straight before the front straight, dipping into the grass before the kink, to complete the pass for the lead with just over 30 minutes remaining.
INSANE!! 😲😱 #B12HR pic.twitter.com/8tiNVp2yyz
— Bathurst 12 Hour (@Bathurst12hour) February 5, 2017
“The Giz,” then hoping to unleash a bit of hyper speed to make up the difference even though the Mercedes was down all week on top-end speed, made a couple mistakes. He tapped a slower class car into an accident and was staring down the barrel of a penalty for avoidable contact.
SAFETY CAR 🚨 Did this incident just upset @shanevg97's chances? #B12HR pic.twitter.com/rP4yWZ6XNL
— Bathurst 12 Hour (@Bathurst12hour) February 5, 2017
In the final 10 minutes, van Gisbergen went over the line at the top of the hill at Mount Panorama, clipping a curb and crashing out of a sure second place. The third member of the Mercedes trio, Maro Engel, was apoplectic in his immediate reaction, kicking tires and storming off into the team’s transporter to cool off.
Can you believe it?! #B12HR pic.twitter.com/A25R6gjfNj
— Bathurst 12 Hour (@Bathurst12hour) February 5, 2017
The reactions... 😡😱 #B12HR pic.twitter.com/D6c9ShmmuX
— Bathurst 12 Hour (@Bathurst12hour) February 5, 2017
Engel then said, “All I’ve seen this weekend is a lot of mistakes from Shane” to Channel 7 commentator Mark Beretta in the heat of the moment. The international broadcast carried Radio Le Mans commentary and is streamed live and free both via the RLM and event website.
A very unhappy @MaroEngel with @shanevg97. #B12HR pic.twitter.com/yxMq9MfFJ6
— Bathurst 12 Hour (@Bathurst12hour) February 5, 2017
Van Gisbergen, to his credit, took all responsibility for his mistakes and Engel apologized on Twitter for his outburst after the race.
.@shanevg97 offers his apologies for his late race incidents. #B12HR pic.twitter.com/l6JGMP84E9
— Bathurst 12 Hour (@Bathurst12hour) February 5, 2017
I'm a great believer in our team, he's a great driver and I've apologised to Shane for my heat of the moment comments.
— Maro Engel (@MaroEngel) February 5, 2017
With the only other lead lap contender out of the way, the trio of Lowndes, Whincup and Vilander could afford to exhale with Whincup bringing the 488 GT3 home to the finish. The 488 GT3 made its international debut in Australia last year in March and won at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on the same weekend, and now has won its debut on Mount Panorama. Maranello most recently won in 2014; this is Whincup and Vilander’s first Bathurst 12 Hour win, and Lowndes’ second.
12 Hours later. @craiglowndes888, @jamiewhincup and @toni_vilander win the #B12HR! pic.twitter.com/GFX9EkEanW
— Bathurst 12 Hour (@Bathurst12hour) February 5, 2017
“The blokes beside me did an amazing job and it was just up to me to bring it home at the end,” Whincup said. “It was quite ironic that my teammate ‘Gizzy’ and I were fighting for the win right at the end there. He was driving like he usually does, all over the place which is good; he’s hard and fair. I certainly enjoyed the battle, there is always a bit of grass action when we’re rubbing panels!”
In second place, a lap back, was the No. 12 Ice Break Competition Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 R of Patrick Long, Marc Lieb, Matt Campbell and David Calvert-Jones. This car featured the two Porsche factory aces, the up-and-coming Porsche Junior in Campbell and Australian veteran “CJ,” which pressed on nicely despite two moments of contact, one where Long nudged the Mercedes and other when Campbell hit a Lamborghini. This car won the A Pro-Am class.
The newest “Bentley Boy” - ex-Audi factory star Olly Jarvis - shared the No. 17 Bentley Continental GT3 with Guy Smith and Steven Kane en route to third overall in Jarvis’ Bentley debut. Like the HTP Mercedes, this car was down on straight-line speed all week but pressed on regardless.
Defending champions Tekno Autosport had a fraught day with exhaust issues and fire out the back early on in Rob Bell’s stint, this already as the team’s No. 1 McLaren 650S GT3 incurred a pre-race engine change and started from the rear of the 50-plus car field. Nonetheless, Bell, Parente and Come Ledogar pressed on regardless, fighting all day to get back on the lead lap but ultimately ending fifth behind the sole remaining Walkinshaw Porsche in fourth.
#B12Hr - Provisional Results:
— Bathurst 12 Hour (@Bathurst12hour) February 5, 2017
88 Ferrari
12 Porsche -1 lap
17 Bentley -1 lap
912 Porsche -1 lap
1 McLaren -1 lap
32 Lamborghini -2 laps
#B12Hr Class Winners:
— Bathurst 12 Hour (@Bathurst12hour) February 5, 2017
APP 88 Ferrari by 1 lap
APA 12 Porsche by 1 lap
AAM 912 Porsche by 1 lap
#B12Hr Class Winners:
— Bathurst 12 Hour (@Bathurst12hour) February 5, 2017
B 21 SRM Porsche by 2 laps
C 19 Porsche Cayman by 5 laps
I 91 MARC Focus by 8.855 seconds.
The full results are linked here. There were 16 safety car periods, seven different race leaders and 23 changes of the lead, at the start finish line.
The event reported 40,364 people attended, a 9 percent increase on 2016, and there were plenty more who expressed interest in wanting to go via social media.
BATHURST, NEW SOUTH WALES - FEBRUARY 05: Toni Vilander, Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup drivers of the #88 Maranello Motorsport Ferrari celebrate on the podium after winning the 2017 Bathurst 12 hour race at Mount Panorama on February 5, 2017 in Bathurst, Australia. (Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images)
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