Calling Up Another Bathurst Win? Craig Lowndes has five Bathust 1000 titles and will hunt for his first 12 Hour crown this weekend.
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10:00 PM Mon 20 February, 2012
Source: BigPond Sport
THE V8 Supercars Championship may not start until next weekend at the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide, but a range of V8 Supercar drivers – and endurance co-drivers – can’t help themselves and will get behind the wheel this weekend at Bathurst.
Some of the top V8 Supercars stars - including Craig Lowndes, Steven Johnson and Tim Slade - will tackle the ARMOR ALL Bathurst 12 Hour GT race at Mount Panorama, giving them the perfect chance to get their eye in ahead of next weekend’s V8 Supercars opener.
Lowndes, who finished second in the event last year, will pair with his TeamVodafone endurance partner Warren Luff and reigning Australian GT Champion Mark Eddy in an Audi R8 for the 10th running of the Bathurst enduro.
The trio finished second last year and will again drive a works supported car, though this time for Phoenix Racing, as part of a two-car team.
Tim Slade will also drive a German car, but the Lucky 7 pilot will be in one of the impressive, gullwing-doored Mercedes-Benz SLS GT3 AMGs for the Black Falcon team.
The team won the recent Dubai 24 Hour race in January and seems to be the biggest threat to the previously dominant Audis.
“I can’t see why we won’t be going for a win,” Slade said.
“I’ve watched (co-driver Jeroen) Bleekemolen for years in (Porsche) Supercup and A1GP, and Pete (Hackett) has been going really well in the GT Championship so it is a strong combination.
“It’s also a bit of an advantage for me to help my main job – any laps at Bathurst are great, especially in a car that runs at a similar pace to the V8. But I’m excited to be running and working with the Erebus guys and from AMG.”
The two Stevens - Jim Beam Racing’s Steven Johnson and Orrcon Steel Ford Performance Racing enduro pilot Steve Richards - will team with Nathan Tinkler in a Porsche 997 GT3 Cup Car.
Holden Racing Team enduro ace Cameron McConville will be in a Lamborghini LP560 with factory driver Peter Kox from Austria while Dunlop Series regular David Russell will drive a recently imported Lamborghini LP600.
V8 Supercars Hall of Famer – and reigning Touring Car Masters Champion – John Bowe will share a Ferrari 430 with a driving line-up including 2011 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 podium finisher Allan Simonsen.
Regular V8 enduro ace – and three-time Porsche Carrera Cup champ – Craig Baird will also drive a Ferrari, though for a Malaysian team, while ex-Formula 1 pilot Christian Klien – who drove for The Bottle-O team in the ARMOR ALL Gold Coast 600 last year – will make his Bathurst debut in a Lotus.
The race will be held at Bathurst this Sunday, beginning at 6.15am local time.
All of the V8 Supercars Championship stars will return to their ‘regular’ roles next weekend for the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide on March 1-4.
