By Joanna Guelas
Former Supercars driver Maro Engel has guided Team GMR to victory in a chaotic Bathurst 12-hour as Ford’s sole entrant crashed out after hitting a kangaroo.
Sunday’s race was also marred by several crashes, including the early morning incident in which the kangaroo was struck by a car racing at 250km/h.
Germany’s Engel crossed the finish line first in the No.888 Mercedes at Mount Panorama to snare victory with co-drivers Mikael Grenier and Maxime Martin.
The dramatic crash involving leader Ralf Aron’s No.77 Mercedes and the No.79 Porsche of Johannes Zelger.Credit: Bathurst 12 Hour
The factory-backed Mercedes outfit won the 262-lap marathon by 1.036 seconds ahead of Team High Class Racing in second.
Legendary MotoGP rider Valentino Rossi was third in the No.26 Team WRT BMW, after finishing second last year. One-time Supercars champion Will Brown led the No.183 Jamec Racing-Team MPC Audi to fourth in front of 55,231 fans.
The race was suspended under the red flag for an hour after then-race leader Ralf Aron’s No.77 Mercedes burst into flames following a collision with the No.79 Porsche of Johannes Zelger.
Unaware Zelger had spun to a halt after the bend at Forrest Elbow, Aron obliterated his car after rocketing into the Porsche with three hours and 40 minutes remaining.
Aron’s No.77 Mercedes wasn’t the only car to be engulfed in flames, with Supercars driver James Golding suffering a similar fate.
Blanchard Racing Team driver Golding had failed to recover after brushing the barrier on the run to McPhillamy Park, resulting in a heavy airborne collision against the concrete wall.
Aron, Golding, and Zelger were able to exit their cars, with Aron taken to hospital in Orange for further assessment.
Tickford ace Cam Waters had snared pole position in the No.222 Scott Taylor Motorsport Mercedes with co-drivers Thomas Randle and defending Supercars champion Chaz Mostert.
But the all-Australian line-up was ruled out of the race with less than an hour on the clock, after Mostert collided with Supercars rookie Jayden Ojeda in No.2 Team Tigani Motorsport Mercedes.
Supercars star Broc Feeney was the first scalp claimed after No.67 HRT Ford Racing co-driver Christopher Mies hit a kangaroo at top speed on Conrod Straight less than 20 minutes into the 12-hour marathon.
The two-time Bathurst 12-hour winner was able to exit the field’s sole Ford entrant, but was covered in kangaroo blood as the car sustained extensive damage to its front-left.
Mustang third driver Dennis Olsen said Mies had hit the kangaroo while racing at 250km/h, but did not appear to suffer any injuries, having been assessed by the medical team.
“Luckily, Mies is OK,” Olsen told Fox Sports.
“We can see that he was for sure impacted by that. I’m glad he’s OK, that’s the main thing.”
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: www.smh.com.au
