This time around, the car will sport a striking new orange livery instead of the traditional white. The team and drivers, owner Peter O’Donnell in his tenth 12/6 Hour enduro, Super 2 driver Matt Chahda, and car preparer Garry Mennell, will also be racing for Ronald McDonald House Central West NSW.
This BMW E92 335i has a remarkable competition history with two Bathurst 12 Hour outright victories, and four class wins. It has been campaigned by many well-known drivers in eleven 12 Hour events, four Bathurst 6 Hours and numerous Challenge Bathurst events.
It has completed more laps and covered greater kilometres than any other on Australia’s most famous racetrack. The car has also competed at various other tracks around Australia like Sandown, Queensland Raceway, Wakefield Park and Sydney Motorsport Park.
On Mount Panorama alone, the BMW 335i has lapped the circuit 3479 times in practice, qualifying and races. That is 21,615.027 kilometres or 13,431 miles. It is more than the distance to circumnavigate the Australian mainland which measures 17,100 kilometres.
This year the team will be supporting Ronald McDonald House Central West NSW. The organisation gives seriously ill children a home-away-from-home for their family with a comfortable place where they can stay together and close to the Hospital.
Ronald McDonald House provides free accommodation for families when they have an ill or injured child in hospital or must travel for medical appointments, and also for pregnant mums and their families pre-birth, and families with a baby in the special care nursery.
So far, many local companies that have shown their support with $1000 sponsorships. They include Elders Insurance – Western Plains, Telescope Tyres, Moxey Farms, Steve Magil Earthmoving, Goodsell Machinery, Agricultural Equipment Holdings, NuPoint – Management System, Kustom Car Wash, McDonalds Mudgee, and Ray White Parkes. Signs-you-see have donated time and product for the stickers.