The Gold Coast Marine Industry will have a strong presence at next weekend’s (February 3-5) Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour with several partners joining forces with premium Gold Coast boatyard Owner, Tony Longhurst’s BMW M6 GT3 effort.
Longhurst will be joined at the Bathurst 12 Hour by former Formula 1 star, Timo Glock and fellow Bathurst 1000 victors, Mark Skaife and Russell Ingall in a mighty BMW M6 GT3 that has major backing from Castrol EDGE and Vodafone.
Leading the local support will be Longhurst’s business, The Boat Works. The Coomera, Gold Coast based boatyard is Australia’s Greatest Boatyard and provides premium refit and maintenance facilities.
The entry will have the eyes of the Gold Coast on it when the race begins at 4:45am (Queensland time) Sunday, February 5 and will go right throughout the day with coverage live on 7mate nationally and a huge international audience through the event’s livestream.
The Boat Works boss, Longhurst has also drawn support locally from Stefan Boating World, Club Marine Insurance, Alucobond and Gold Coast luxury yacht manufacturer, Riviera.
Gold Coast BMW has extended its strong existing relationship with Longhurst and The Boat Works to support the team’s debut of the German marque’s spectacular M6 GT3 at Mount Panorama.
Aside from his racing exploits that has seen him win two Bathurst 1000s, Longhurst is a passionate advocate for the marine industry on the Gold Coast and has been spearheading a movement to bring a Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series round to the Coast.
It was his passion for the marine industry that led to the establishment of The Boat Works – conveniently located for a ‘pit stop’ and refresh halfway between Sydney and the Whitsundays.
Longhurst’s work ethic, focus on customer service, winning spirit and ‘we won’t be beaten’ attitude have been the key ingredients in the success of The Boat Works and that has fostered a strong team spirit among the 500-plus that work within the confines of the sprawling facility adjacent to Dreamworld.
“The Bathurst 12 Hour program is something that I’ve been excited by for a long, long time,” said Longhurst. “We launched the program in October and really shocked a few people with the names that we’ve been able to bring together. Never before have so many Bathurst 1000 winners been in one team – let alone sharing a car, then add Timo Glock who has an indisputable record in Formula 1, DTM racing in Europe and Sportscars to the mix, and it is a strong combination.
“The response from the marine industry since we first unveiled the look of the car and team has been excellent. There is a real buzz leading up to February 3-5 and everyone I talk to whether in racing or in the marine industry has been keeping an eye on our development.
“This has led to some of the biggest names on the Gold Coast and in the marine industry putting their support behind us. They know what we can do at The Boat Works and what we’ve accomplished in a short amount of time.
“The same approach has been applied to building the Bathurst 12 Hour program with BMW, Castrol and Vodafone. We have best of breed people both in our driving and engineering teams and it is wonderful to bring on board legendary companies like Riviera, Club Marine, Stefan Boating World and Alucobond, along with Gold Coast BMW.
“We’ll have plenty of support on track at Bathurst but I also think many people on the Gold Coast will have their eyes glued to 7mate throughout the course of the race weekend watching our progress against what is potentially the strongest line-up of GT racers the world has ever seen.”
BATHURST 12 HOUR SCHEDULE (Note Times AEDST – subtract one hour for Queensland):
Friday, February 3
8:50am-9:50am – Practice
12:35pm-1:35pm – Practice
4:05pm-4:55pm – Practice
Saturday, February 4
8:00am-9:00am – Practice
10:40am-11:40am – Qualifying
11:50am-12:10am – Qualifying Class A only
Sunday, February 5
5:45am-5:45pm – Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour
