Bathurst 12 Hour Qualifying Report
Cameron Waters has achieved a remarkable qualifying performance at the Bathurst 12 Hour, setting a blistering lap time of 2:01.5631 in the #222 Scott Taylor Motorsport Mercedes. His effort solidified provisional pole position during a high-stakes final minutes of Qualifying 2.
The session saw a dramatic conclusion after a Red Flag, prompted by the #100 Grove Racing Mercedes, which lost a wheel leaving the pits. Once the session resumed, the fight for pole intensified. Christopher Haase in the #55 Jamec Racing Audi initially took the top spot with a 2:01.88, followed closely by Marco Mapelli in the #93 Wall Racing Lamborghini, who clocked a 2:01. Scott Andrews in the #44 Geyer Valmont Mercedes then surged ahead with a 2:01.67, only to be eclipsed by Waters in the closing moments.
Behind the frontrunners, Jack Le Brocq secured third with the #64 HRT Mustang, while Luca Stolz in the #75 75 Express Mercedes and Jayden Ojeda in the #6 Tigani Motorsport AMG completed the top five, marking a strong presence for Mercedes in the top ranks.
The top ten was tightly contested, with times within 0.42 seconds of each other. Notably, the cutoff for the top ten was Mapelli’s time of 2:01.9902. Eight of the ten positions were held by Pro-class entries, while Andrews represented the Pro-Am category.
Key data from Qualifying 1 revealed Lucas Auer in the #77 Craft Bamboo AMG as an early contender, leading with a 2:01.9715. Auer stated, “We took the risk… it will be interesting to see if we’re in [the Pirelli Pole Battle].”
Outside the top ten were notable absentees, including reigning champions Kelvin van der Linde in the #32 WRT BMW (12th) and Laurin Heinrich in the #61 EBM Porsche (13th). The #193 Ziggo Sport Tempesta Ferrari and the #2 Johor Motorsport Racing Corvette struggled, finishing 17th and 25th, respectively.
In an unfortunate turn, the #888 Mercedes AMG Team GMR, piloted by Maro Engel, faced a power-related issue and concluded qualifying in 27th position. Engel expressed concerns about their readiness for the race, stating, “We would have loved to have had a crack.”
The top Invitational-class entry was Glen Wood in the #50 Vantage KTM X-Bow GT2, clocking a 2:05.76. The GT4 category’s sole representative, the #42 Method Motorsport McLaren, recorded a qualifying time of 2:20.6.
The Pirelli Pole Battle will take place today at 15:15 AEDT for the top ten competitors, determining the final grid for tomorrow’s race.
Qualifying Results Overview
- Cameron Waters (#222 Mercedes) – 2:01.5631
- Scott Andrews (#44 Mercedes) – 2:01.67
- Jack Le Brocq (#64 Mustang) – P3
- Luca Stolz (#75 Mercedes) – P4
- Jayden Ojeda (#6 AMG) – P5
For comprehensive results and updates, please refer to the official timing sheets following the Pirelli Pole Battle.
