Stuttgart.
Porsche launches its Title Defence Mission in the Intercontinental GT
Challenge at Bathurst, Australia. In 2019, the sports car
manufacturer claimed the IGTC titles in the manufacturers’ and
drivers’ classifications. The gruelling twelve-hour race (January
31 to February 2) traditionally marks the start of the most important
championship for GT3 sports cars. In the race at Mount Panorama, five
Porsche 911 GT3 R face strong oppositionfrom vehicles from ten other
manufacturers. Last year, Porsche won the long-distance event at
Bathurst for the first time in its history thanks to the customer
squad EBM (Earl Bamber Motorsport).

The race

This year marks
the 18th running of the 12-hour race at the Mount Panorama Circuit in
the Australian state of New South Wales. The endurance classic was
first contested here in 1991. The 6.213-killometre circuit 200
kilometres west of Sydney consists of public roads with 23 curves.
Per lap, vehicles have to cope with an elevation difference of 174
metres. The track layout poses a great challenge to drivers and
engineers. The tight corner combinations to the south demand utmost
concentration at the wheel. The fastest passages are the two long
sections, Conrod Straight (1.916 km) and Mountain Straight (1.111
km). Around 40 vehicles will line up on the grid this year, 33 of
which are GT3 cars – a Bathurst 12-Hour record.

The Porsche teams and drivers

At the event Down
Under, four Porsche customer teams compete with a total of five
Porsche 911 GT3 R. As last year’s winners, EBM, the team of Porsche
works driver Earl Bamber, tackles the race with the starting number
one. Sharing the wheel of the 911 are the two reigning champions of
the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Earl Bamber (New
Zealand) and Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium) as well as the Australian
motorsport legend Craig Lowndes. In the No. 12 vehicle fielded by NED
Racing Team are Porsche works driver Romain Dumas (France), Porsche
Junior Jaxon Evans (New Zealand) and David Calvert-Jones (Australia).
Absolute Racing campaign two vehicles: Porsche works driver Matt
Campbell (Australia) shares driving duties in the No. 911 car with
the two Frenchmen Mathieu Jaminet and Patrick Pilet. Porsche works
driver Dirk Werner (Germany) and Porsche Young Professional Thomas
Preining (Austria) team up with Matteo Cairoli (Italy) in the No. 912
contender. Grove Racing tackles the event with Stephen Grove
(Australia), his son Brenton Grove, and Ben Barker (Great Britain).

The Porsche 911 GT3 R

In the
Intercontinental GT Challenge, the latest Porsche 911 GT3 R made its
first appearance at Laguna Seca (USA) last year. It is based on the
high-performance 911 GT3 RS* road-legal sports car. The flat-six
engine in the rear puts out over 368 kW (500 hp). This coming
weekend, the current version of the Porsche 911 GT3 R makes its debut
at the Mount Panorama Circuit.

The schedule

The event at
Bathurst begins with the free practice this coming Friday. In the
qualifying session on Saturday, drivers will battle for the best grid
spots. Traditionally, the race takes off on Sunday, 2 February,
before dawn at 5.45am local time (Saturday, 7.45pm CET). The entire
race can be watched live on https://www.bathurst12hour.com.au/.

Comments before the race

Sebastian Golz
(Project Manager Porsche 911 GT3 R): “This year is the first
time we race the new Porsche 911 GT3 R at Bathurst, but we’ll be
calling on all the experiences we gained during the 2019 season.
Combined with our teams, this gives us a very strong overall package.
The track is one of the fastest on the racing calendar with an
average speed exceeding 180 kph. On the long straight, it’s even
possible to reach a top speed of more than 270 kph. Drivers also have
to wend their way through rock walls and barriers – always at the
limit. This means that our drivers must perform consistently at their
peak and with total concentration over the entire race distance.”

Earl Bamber
(Porsche 911 GT3 R #1): “We’re absolutely thrilled to take
part in this event as a team. Our victory last year was unbelievable,
of course. To return as last year’s winners for Porsche is
something special. As a driver, as always, it’ll be great to work
alongside Laurens. We had a lot of success in America last year.
We’re both really excited to have a legendary guy like Craig join
us in the team. He’s one of the most successful Bathurst drivers on
the grid.”

Laurens
Vanthoor (Porsche 911 GT3 R #1): “I’m proud to be able to
drive in Earl’s team. As his teammate, I’ve followed the
development of EBM very closely. It’s a great opportunity to be
part of the squad and work with a Bathurst ace like Craig. Of course
I dream of winning Bathurst. I hope we’re successful this year. On
top of that, I’m curious to see how Earl will drive parallel to
managing his own team.”

Matt Campbell
(Porsche 911 GT3 R #911): “I’m really looking forward to
racing again at Bathurst, particularly after our victory there last
year. It’s my only home race and the Mount Panorama Circuit is one
of my favourite racetracks in the world. We gained a lot of valuable
experience with the new GT3 R last season, which will definitely
benefit us now at Bathurst. We’ll do everything to start the new
season successfully and defend our title.”

Mathieu Jaminet
(Porsche 911 GT3 R #911): “It’s fantastic to be able to drive
again at Bathurst. Porsche won there for the first time last year,
which was a great result. For me personally, it wasn’t so
successful. We were in the lead until shortly before the end of the
race, but didn’t manage to bring home victory. Hopefully that’ll
be different this year. I’m pleased to drive with Patrick and Matt
for Absolute Racing. We’re a strong team and I think we have very
good chances. Our goal is to score as many points as possible at the
season-opening round of the Intercontinental GT Challenge, preferably
by winning.”

Patrick Pilet
(Porsche 911 GT3 R #911): “Bathurst is a great challenge for
me. I’ve never driven on this track before, but I’ve always
dreamed of getting the chance one day. Now I can contest the Bathurst
12 Hour with Absolute Racing and I hope we can achieve a good result.
A win would be fantastic.”

Dirk Werner
(Porsche 911 GT3 R #912): “Bathurst is always a special
experience. It’ll be great to return as last year’s winners. I’m
looking forward to sharing the cockpit of the car with my two young
teammates, Thomas and Matteo. With Absolute Racing we have a top team
supporting us, so we’re in a perfect position for the first outing
of the new Porsche 911 GT3 R at Bathurst.”

Thomas Preining
(Porsche 911 GT3 R #912): “This is my first time travelling to
Australia, so it’s really exciting. The fact that I get the chance
to contest the 12-hour race on this storied track makes it very
special for me. We’re well positioned with our Absolute Racing
squad and we have a good chance of racing with the frontrunners.
Plus, I work really well with my teammates Dirk and Matteo. It’s
important that you get along well with each other. We’ll use the
free practice to prepare ourselves as best as we can and we’ll do
our best to bring home as many points as possible.”

Romain Dumas
(Porsche 911 GT3 R #12): “I’m very pleased to go racing again
at Bathurst. In my opinion, the Mount Panorama Circuit is one of the
best tracks in the world. The combination of slow and fast corners as
well as driving between the walls is a huge challenge. The Porsche
911 GT3 R has been fast there over the last three years, so hopefully
we’ll get a strong result.”

Jaxon Evans
(Porsche 911 GT3 R #12): “For me, a home race is the perfect
way to start the 2020 season – and especially in the latest Porsche
911 GT3 R. Every lap at Bathurst is special. The feeling of snaking
your way between the walls at the absolute limit is simply cool. You
can’t compare it to any other racetrack – it’s a real
rollercoaster. We have a very experienced driver with Romain in the
team. I look forward to driving with him and David Calvert-Jones.”

The Twitter
channel @PorscheRaces provides live updates from Porsche Motorsport
with the latest information and photos from racetracks around the
world.

911 GT3 RS: Fuel
consumption combined 13.2 l/100 km; CO2 emissions combined 303 g/km

The consumption
and CO2 emission values were determined in accordance with the new
Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP). The NEDC
values derived from this should continue to be specified for the time
being. These values cannot be compared to the values determined in
accordance with the NEDC measuring procedure used up to now.