Allan Simonsen has staked his claim to the honour of being the fastest ever man around Mount Panorama in a tin-top car during preparations for next February’s Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour.
The Dane lapped the 6.21km course aboard a Maranello Motorsport-prepared Ferrari 458 GT3 in 2:04.9560s during the annual Sprint Bathurst event, which sees a variety of race and performance road cars take to the track for a series of non-competitive sprints.
A small selection of Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour contenders used the three-day event as a test session for the once-around-the-clock race, with Roger Lago’s Lamborghini 600 GT3 and Ted Huglin’s Lamborghini LP560 GT3 also cutting laps.
Simonsen will share the 458 with his Le Mans Series team-mate Dominik Farnbacher, touring car legend John Bowe and car owner Peter Edwards in the 12 Hour. Sidelined V8 Supercars driver Jason Richards joined the team today at Bathurst, completing laps in the car during the afternoon.
Lago and his co-driver Wayne Park have both drove the two-time Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge winner’s new Lamborghini across the Sprint Bathurst weekend, with Park setting a relatively sedate best of 2:10.41s. The pair will be joined for the 12 Hour race by Fujitsu V8 Supercars Series front-runner David Russell.
Huglin gave all three of his co-drivers a run at Sprint Bathurst, with Cameron McConville making a quick trip to the Mountain prior to his Symmons Plains commitments.
Dutchman Peter Kox and Australian Luke Searle will also join Huglin for next year’s event, with Kox setting a 2:06.71s lap this afternoon.
