Maro Engel has continued his incredible pace in the #999 GruppeM Mercedes, setting an all-new Bathurst qualifying record. After setting a 2:01.9536 to top qualifying, Engel backed it up with a 2:00.8819 to be the first driver ever to dip into the 2-minute-zero bracket in a competitive qualifying session at The Mountain.
“it’s amazing. I’m lost for words. The grip level this weekend has been amazing. Partly due to the new tyres but the grip around this place, it’s just mega.
“Big thanks to the team, to these guys for trusting me, and for an amazing car. It was a pleasure!”
Engel was pushed all the way by young-gun Broc Feeney, who was given shootout duties in the #888. Feeney set a 2:01.0983, just shades away from Engel’s provisional lap, but Engel stretched the margin with his final lap of the session.
The top three was completed by Matt Campbell in the #912 Manthey EMA Porsche, who set a 2:01. The top three cars separated by only 3 tenths of a second.
Jules Gounon put the #75 SunEnergy1 Mercedes into fourth, with Dries Vanthoor completing the top 5 in the #32 WRT BMW.
Chaz Mostert put the #65 Sportsbet Audi at the head of the Q1 session and ended as the fastest Pro-Am runner finishing in 6th, and was the only driver in Q1 to set a 2:01. The top 10 was completed by Mathieu Drudi in the #74 AudiSport Team MPC, the #46 WRT BMW with Maxime Martin, Aaron Campbell in the #44 Valmont Racing Mercedes, and the #77 Craft Bamboo Mercedes of Daniel Juncadella.
Engel becomes the third two-time Pole sitter of the Bathurst 12 Hour, joining Chaz Mostert (18, 22) and Steve Owen, who qualified pole in 2009 and 2010, in the pre-GT3 era. It is the fourth pole position at The Mountain for Mercedes, equalling the record set by Audi last year.
The Bathurst 12 hour kicks off at 5:45 AEDT (UTC+11) Sunday morning. Coverage will be broadcast on channel 7 and Fox Sports in Australia, Sky in New Zealand, and streamed on Kayo for Australian viewers. International audiences can tune in via the Bathurst 12 Hour YouTube Channel.
