The 2026 Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour delivered one of its most chaotic editions yet, with Mercedes-AMG Team GMR claiming victory from an unprecedented 29th on the grid. Eight safety car periods, a kangaroo strike, and multiple high-speed incidents defined the 12-hour endurance race at Mount Panorama Circuit.
Race Start and Early Chaos
The race began at 5:45am under darkness, with Thomas Randle in the #222 Scott Taylor Motorsport Mercedes-AMG leading the 34 starters away from pole. Maxi Götz in the #77 Craft-Bamboo Mercedes quickly challenged, taking the lead on lap one at Griffins Bend, while Luca Stolz made it three-wide up Mountain Straight.
Disaster struck early for the #64 HRT Ford Mustang GT3 when Christopher Mies hit a kangaroo at around 250km/h on Conrod Straight just three laps in, ending Ford’s GT3 debut prematurely despite the driver’s unharmed escape. A throttle failure then sidelined the #50 KTM X-Bow GT2 at Murray’s Corner, prompting the first safety car on lap 11.
Racing resumed with Götz pulling away, but Kai Allen in the #100 Grove Mercedes set the fastest lap at 2:03.095 on lap 18 after passing a wide-running #89 Team KRC BMW. Pit stops began around lap 28, with Marco Mapelli’s #93 Lamborghini the first major runner to blink, followed by leaders handing the advantage to the Team WRT BMWs of Augusto Farfus and Kelvin van der Linde under yellows caused by Mark Rosser’s #268 Audi crash at Skyline.
Mid-Race Disruptions
Valentino Rossi’s #46 Team WRT BMW assumed the lead by hour two, ahead of the sister #32 BMW and Grove’s Mercedes, capitalising on early stops during safety cars. The field fragmented as Pro and Bronze entries leapfrogged via strategy, with Jaxon Evans charging the #26 Arise Ferrari from 18th to the top 10.
The most severe interruption came mid-afternoon when James Golding’s #268 Audi backed hard into the wall at Sulman Park’s metal grate, triggering an hour-long safety car. On the restart, Johannes Zelger’s #79 Tsunami Porsche spun at McPhillamy Park and limped down the mountain, blocking the track.
Race leader Ralf Aron in the #77 Mercedes, blinded around Forrest’s Elbow, ploughed into the stationary Porsche at full speed, erupting in flames—the first red flag since 2018. Aron, winded but stable, was hospitalised; Zelger walked away. Kai Allen clipped the melee but continued, describing the scene as a “very weird situation.”
Hour-by-Hour Shifts
Post-red flag, the #2 Johor Corvette debut spun down the hill with suspension failure on lap 223, while the #77 Mercedes retired from the crash on lap 195. Mercedes dominance persisted, but battles intensified: Jules Gounon (#75) and van der Linde (#32 BMW) clashed at Hell Corner late, allowing Maxime Martin (#888) to inherit the lead.
Two Mercedes—#6 Tigani (Jayden Ojeda) and #222 (Chaz Mostert)—collided on lap 238 after Ojeda tagged the wall at Griffins Bend, both out. The #95 McLaren retired electrically on lap 245. GT4 and invitational runners like the #42 Method McLaren and #111 IRC GT soldiered on further back.bathurst12hour+1
With 40 minutes left under the final safety car, van der Linde led but pitted short-fuelled. Post-restart, Gounon’s aggressive move on the BMW at turn one caused contact, black-flagging the damaged #32 and dropping #75. Martin, Maro Engel, and Mikael Grenier in the #888 Mercedes held firm ahead of Dorian Boccolacci’s #86 Bronze Porsche.
Final Sprint and Podium
The #888 crew completed 262 laps in 12:01:39.877, shattering the prior lowest starting position record (Bentley’s 11th in 2020). They beat the #86 Porsche by 1.036 seconds—Bronze class winners—and the #46 BMW by 6.877 seconds, Rossi securing his second straight podium.
Will Brown’s #55 Audi took fourth, Max Hesse’s #89 BMW fifth and Bronze runner-up. Only 13 cars finished on the lead lap amid seven DNFs. Pro-Am went to #45 RAM Mercedes in 13th; GT4 to #42 McLaren in 23rd.
| Position | Class | No. | Team | Drivers | Car | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pro | 888 | Mercedes-AMG Team GMR | Engel/Grenier/Martin | Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo | 262 |
| 2 | Bronze | 86 | High Class Racing | Boccolacci/Fjordbach/Li | Porsche 911 GT3 R | 262 |
| 3 | Pro | 46 | Team WRT | Farfus/Marciello/Rossi | BMW M4 GT3 Evo | 262 |
| 4 | Pro | 55 | Jamec Racing Team MPC | Brown/Haase/Schumacher | Audi R8 LMS Evo II | 262 |
| 5 | Bronze | 89 | Team KRC | Hesse/Oosten/Ruan | BMW M4 GT3 Evo | 262 |
Engel, victorious after nine attempts, praised his team’s recovery: “I’ve waited a long time for this… Big thank you to Mercedes-AMG, Team GMR and my teammates.” The event’s intensity underscored Mount Panorama’s unforgiving nature, blending strategy with survival over 12 demanding hours.
