Van der Linde puts Audi on top in Bathurst 12 Hour Practice 1

Van der Linde went as quick as a 2:02.7346s in the 40-minute session, with the #22 Audi finishing half a second ahead of the two Team WRT BMWs, Charles Weerts having set a 2:03.2445s in Car #32 and Raffaele Marciello a 2:03.3544s in Car #46.

The 2022 and 2023 race winners, SunEnergy1, ended up fourth thanks to Luca Stolz’ 2:03.4664s in the #75 Mercedes-AMG, ahead of the #2 MPC Audi, the #912 Manthey EMA Porsche, and the #888 Triple Eight Race Engineering Mercedes-AMG.

Overnight rain had left the Mount Panorama Motor Racing Circuit damp off-line when the field exited pit lane at 08:15 local time in overcast conditions.

Kelvin van der Linde kicked things off with a 2:09.3553s and then a 2:06.2403s in the #22 Audi, before being usurped by brother Sheldon van der Linde on a 2:04.6305s in the #32 BMW as drivers’ Pirelli tyres came up to temperature.

Kelvin van der Linde then made contact with an Invitational class entry when he caught the #702 TekWorkX Motorsport IRC at The Cutting, but it was a light nudge and the Audi pilot was back on top when he clocked a 2:03.9010s on his fifth lap.

The van der Linde versus van der Linde theme continued when Sheldon set a 2:03.8561s, before Kelvin nailed a 2:02.8839s and a 2:02.7346s when he found some clear track.

SunEnergy1’s Stolz split them with a 2:03.4664s to put the #75 Mercedes-AMG into second before he followed Kelvin van der Linde into pit lane.

By then, the #32 BMW had undergone a driver change and, with just under five minutes to go, Weerts put it back into second on the timing screen with a 2:03.2445s, before Marciello moved into third with a 2:03.3544s in the sister #46 M4.

The #75 SunEnergy1 Mercedes-AMG thus ended up fourth and the #2 MPC Audi fifth after Ricardo Feller’s 2:03.8867s during the opening run.

First of the Pro-Am entries was the #27 Heart of Racing/SPS Mercedes-AMG in eighth outright on a 2:04.5711s, with the #88 Triple Eight Mercedes-AMG second in class in 10th outright on a 2:04.6846s.

Practice 2, for Bronze drivers only, starts at 09:50 local time/AEDT.

Results: Practice 1 All drivers