News
BATHURST BITES FOR EARLY SIX-HOUR WITHDRAWALS
62 CARS may have commenced the Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst 6 Hour weekend, however not all of them will actually start the race.Usual pre-Bathurst endurance race drama has seen at least six cars withdrawn prior to today’s 11:30am start.In what seems to be a cruel April fool’s joke, two, two car teams have seen both of their entries withdrawn overnight, while two other single car outfits have been pulled from the race due to engine dramas.Here’s a rundown of the cars that are sadly, pending the official withdrawal of some, set to miss the start of Australia’s Easter enduro today.#86 Pedders Racing Toyota 86 GTSEngine failure in the second practice session has seen the Grant Phillips / Mark Pedder team head back to Victoria overnight.#91 SCHOTT – Colder Refrigeration BMW M135i HatchThe Rob Hay / Nicholas Cancian BMW had been a solid performer through practice but a substantial engine failure in practice three saw them out of contention yesterday.#60 On track Motorsport BMW 1MShane Smollen and Tomas Muller had been quiet achievers of the weekend so far, however a crash for Muller exiting turn one in qualifying saw both the front and rear of the team’s new 1M badly damaged, forcing their withdrawal.#42 On Track Motorsport BMW 135iIn a double blow for the On-Track Motorsport team, the Scott Turner, Rob Rubis and Todd Hazelwood car qualified on pole for B1 yesterday but would not go any further, the engine seizing at the end of the session.Despite assistance from the Beric Lynton team in attempting an engine change, the team unfortunately withdrew from the race meaning last year’s Class C winners (Hazelwood and Rubis) won’t be able to aim for a class B win.#21 Bestjet Racing HSV Commodore Clubsport R8A challenging day for the A2 HSV of Iain McDougall and John Gibson from Luke Spalding Racing saw them fail to complete a full lap time in qualifying and as such were not classified.#75 Bestjet Racing HSV Commodore GTSThe second Bestjet Racing / Luke Spalding Racing HSV of Michael James, David Filipetto and Murray Kent has had a horrible weekend with a litany of engine and driveline issues plaguing their campaign.They were unable to bank a time in either of the first two practice sessions, just one timed lap (over three minutes long) in practice three and though they banked a lap in the 2m40s in qualifying the dramas have proved too much.