Both Porsche entries finished inside the top 10 in another thrilling edition of the Bathurst 12 Hour, with the EMA Motorsport-run The Bend entry second in the Pro-Am class.
The Absolute Racing entry crossed the line in sixth, having led at times during the dramatic race punctuated by safety cars.
The endurance epic took place over the weekend at the Mount Panorama Circuit and marked the first stop on this year’s four-round Intercontinental GT Challenge calendar.
The Bend’s #91 Porsche GT3 R (992), driven by Sam and Yasser Shahin, Morris Schuring and Laurin Heinrich, was in the thick of the battle for overall pole after a brilliant effort saw them put in the second quickest time in the first part of qualifying.
Heinrich secured sixth overall, while also taking Pro-Am pole position thanks to an excellent one-lap performance on his Bathurst debut.
Meanwhile, the #911 Absolute Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R (992), made up of 2024 winners Matt Campbell and Ayhancan Güven and Alessio Picariello, lined up 11th, having narrowly missed out on the top ten shootout.
In traditional Bathurst fashion, the race kicked off at 05:45 local time, providing a stunning sunrise backdrop for the opening stages.
Güven took the start amid plenty of action, and a strong strategy saw the Turkish driver charge from P11 to the lead.
Picariello held the lead as the race reached the quarter-distance mark, before evolving strategies and safety car periods saw the momentum swing away from Absolute Racing.
He then handed over to hometown hero and two-time Bathurst winner Campbell, but the car’s straight-line speed wasn’t quite enough to challenge the leading rivals.
Despite this, all three drivers pushed hard, consistently running close to the podium positions, and ultimately a Safety Car period that followed their pit stop under green flag conditions hindered their progress.
A late refueling pit stop with less than 30 minutes remaining sealed the outcome, resulting in a sixth-place finish.
24 Hours of Le Mans LMGT3 class winner Yasser Shahin started in the EMA Motorsport-run car.
Throughout the event, they battled for the lead in Pro-Am while staying competitive in the overall order, eventually finishing second in class and 10th overall.
Teammate Schuring said: “As a Bathurst rookie I thoroughly enjoyed this event, and the Mount Panorama Circuit is now definitely one of my favorites. We showed great pace considering it was the first time here for three of our four drivers.
“I’m already looking forward to the next race and thankful for the effort put in by the team throughout the event.”
Alexandre Gibot, Managing Director Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific, added: “There were positives from a challenging weekend, like The Bend securing pole position and second in the Pro-Am class.
“Absolute Racing showed improvement in the race to come P6 overall, and have learned a lot from this event, which they can use going forward. We had drivers competing here for the first time, showing great pace so that’s a promising sign for the future. We’ll be back next year and aiming for victory.”
The next stop on the 2025 Intercontinental GT Challenge calendar will be 24h Nürburgring on June 19-22, before the Spa 24h the following weekend.
