At a glance
- Second place for Dorian Boccolacci, Anders Fjordbach, and Kerong Li
- 12-hour race at Mount Panorama Circuit opens IGTC season
- Customer team Porsche 911 GT3 R also wins bronze category
The spectacular Mount Panorama Circuit in the Australian state of New South Wales features a fast uphill section with a 174-meter elevation gain, a winding downhill section, and long high-speed straights. The 12-hour race on the 6.213-kilometer track was first held in 1995. Since then, it has become one of the highlights of the international GT3 racing calendar and is one of the most important sports car events in the Asian-Pacific region. Since 2016, it serves as the season opener for the Intercontinental GT Challenge, in which Porsche emerged as the manufacturer's champion in 2024, following on from 2019 and 2020.
In 2019, a Porsche 911 GT3 R entered the winners' list of the Bathurst 12 Hour for the first time when German driver Dirk Werner won for Earl Bamber Motorsport together with former Porsche Juniors Dennis Olsen (Norway) and Matt Campbell (Australia). Local hero Campbell, alongside Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium) and Ayhancan Güven (Turkey), was also part of the driver trio that took first place in Bathurst with the Manthey Porsche in 2024.
Porsche customer team High Class Racing with strong final phase
After a challenging qualifying session, Boccolacci, Fjordbach, and Li had to start the race from 32nd place on the grid. Like their team High Class Racing, the Frenchman, the Dane, and the Chinese driver were also making their debut on the demanding track.
Halfway through the race, they were already in 15th position. When an accident knocked Tsunami RT's 911 out of the bronze classification, there was a lengthy interruption to the race. Further safety car deployments in the turbulent final stages also played into the Danish team's hands. When the race was restarted a good 40 minutes before the end of the time distance, Boccolacci was in top form and fought his way up from fourth to second place. In the end, he crossed the line barely more than a second behind the winners Maro Engel, Mikael Grenier, and Maxime Martin.
Both Porsche cars from the Pro category among the top 8
A total of five 911 GT3 R lined up at the start of the endurance race at 5:45 a.m. on Sunday morning, including two all-professional crews: factory driver Matt Campbell, Belgian Alessio Picariello, and former Porsche Junior Bastian Buus from Denmark competed for Absolute Racing. At Earl Bamber Motorsport, factory driver Laurin Heinrich from Germany, Austrian Klaus Bachler, and Ricardo Feller from Switzerland formed a team. This trio had to line up at the back of the grid because their fastest qualifying lap had been canceled due to an incorrectly adjusted rear wing.
Campbell, Picariello, and Buus started the race from fourth position and quickly improved to third place. Before dawn, an accident involving wildlife triggered a lengthy safety car phase, and the team decided to bring forward their pit stop. This caused the #911 Porsche to lose direct contact with the leaders. Absolute Racing crossed the finish line in sixth place.
Heinrich, Bachler, and Feller worked their way steadily forward with a flawless performance. By halftime, the EBM Porsche had regained its place in the top 10. However, after the race was interrupted, the team was unable to attack again and ultimately finished eighth. The 911 GT3 R from Herberth Motorsport took eleventh place after a strong race. The Germans Ralf Bohn, Robert, and Alfred Renauer also secured fourth place in the bronze classification.
Further information
Qualifying results
Top 10 qualifying results
Race results
Driver comments after the 2026 Bathurst 12 Hour
Dorian Boccolacci (Porsche 911 GT3 R #86): "It's just crazy what we've achieved – I still feel like I'm dreaming! The middle phase of the race was particularly difficult for us, but we managed our fuel consumption well and put ourselves in a good position for the final phase. Finishing second overall and winning the Bronze class, we exceeded all expectations. I couldn't have wished for a better result!“
Matt Campbell (Porsche 911 GT3 R #911): ”Definitely a tough day! We were able to set a strong pace at times, but unfortunately the strategy never paid off in our favor. In the end, we had to fight hard to defend our position.“
Laurin Heinrich (Porsche 911 GT3 R #61): ”It's never easy when you start at the back of the field. But we were able to catch up quickly and stay in the game, remained focused, and saved fuel. After the red flag, however, we lacked the performance to continue fighting for the top positions. Despite the tough race, it was an incredible experience to compete in Bathurst with the Porsche 911 GT3 R – I hope I get many more opportunities to race here."
