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Walden, Auld and Everingham to Chase Outright B6HR Victory in 2023
GWR Australia drivers Garth Walden, Michael Auld and Tyler Everingham are set to contend for outright victory in the 2023 Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst 6 Hour, stepping up to an entry in Class X – the fastest class of cars in the race.
Walden, Auld and Everingham will make the transition from their Mercedes A45 to a BMW M3 – the car that finished runner-up in last year’s race in the hands of Brad Carr and Tim Slade.
While Everingham first joined GWR for last year’s 6 Hour, Walden and Auld have driven alongside one another in numerous Bathurst endurance races, dating back to the 2007 Bathurst 12 Hour, and have achieved several class wins. Walden is looking forward to the challenge of chasing an outright victory, but knows it won’t be easy.
“We’re in a car that’s capable of finishing on the outright podium and we’ve got a driver line-up that’s up to the task, but we’re not getting ahead of ourselves – there are so many variables at Bathurst and so many things that can go wrong,” Walden said.
“Michael and I have both had a lot of experience and Tyler did a really good job for us last year – he was super consistent and reliable.
“Tyler will lead the charge for us this year, because I’ll also have my GT World Challenge commitments with Mike (Sheargold) in the Mercedes-AMG GT3.
Auld said the BMW M3 has a fundamentally similar driving style to the V8 Commodores he’s raced in the past.
“The last few years, we’ve raced the all-wheel-drive Mercedes so being back in a rear-wheel-drive car is harking back to the types of cars we used to race at Bathurst in previous years,” Auld said.
“It has good straight-line speed, but it’s also strong in the braking and handling departments. It’s very well sorted and I have Garth and Tyler to thank for that – they’re the gurus when it comes to car setup.”
After joining GWR for last year’s 6 Hour, Everingham is excited to be back with the team.
“I thoroughly enjoyed my time with GWR in last year’s 6 Hour, Garth and Michael were a lot of fun to work with,” Everingham said.
“Unfortunately, the race didn’t go our way so we’re heading back to the Mountain with some unfinished business. The car is strong, it’s right on the pace, so I’m looking forward to getting in amongst the lead pack on race day.”
The Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst 6 Hour will be shown live on Stan Sport.
2023 Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst 6 Hour Schedule
Friday, 7 April
9:15am – Practice 1 (60 min)
4:10pm – Practice 2 (60 min)
Saturday, 8 April
8:45am – Practice 3 (40 min)
1:35pm – Qualifying 1 (20 min)
2:15pm – Qualifying 2 (20 min)
Sunday, 9 April
8:45am – Warm-up (20 min)
11:45am – Bathurst 6 Hour (6 hr)