FRIDAY: Wait ends as 12-Hour cars get on track
31 Jan 2019
ATFER 12 months of waiting, the cars and stars of the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour hit the track for the first time today.
Four practice sessions headline the ‘Fast Friday’ program as teams and drivers prepare for Australia’s International Enduro on Sunday.
A live audio stream of commentary for the 12-hour sessions will be available via the Bathurst 12 Hour website and radiolemans.com today.
The first session for the 12 Hour cars will kick off at 8:50, open for any silver and bronze class driver as well as cars from classes B, C and I. Running for 30 minutes, it will allow those not up to speed with their cars or the track to get their eyes in for the first time over the weekend.
A short five-minute break between the first and second sessions will give time for the platinum and gold class drivers in the GT3 cars to get strapped in for the next hour, joining the rest of the pack on track.
Just under an hour will be allowed from the end of practice two until practice three, starting at 11:10 and running for an hour, which may see qualifying simulation runs to let teams prepare for the grid-setting session the next day.
The sessions in the middle of the day are likely to be a qualifying simulation as teams dial in their cars for similar conditions on Saturday when the grid is set.
The fourth and last practice of the day kicks off at 3:15, also running for 60 minutes to close out the day of the 12 Hour pack tuning up their cars for the next two days.
Four races will be run as a part of the packed support category bill over the course of Friday, with the Radical Australia Cup being the first cabs off the rank at 7:15. This will be followed by the second race of the weekend for the Skye Sands Combined Sedans just before the first 12 Hour session.
Formula Ford’s second race of the weekend will begin at 10:30, breaking up two of the long 12 Hour sessions. Group S will resume on-track action after the lunch break at 13:30 before the day is closed out with more 12 Hour running.
SCHEDULE
Friday February 1
Start | Finish | Session | |
7:15 | 8:00 | Radical | Race 1 |
8:05 | 8:40 | Combined Sedans | Race 2 |
8:50 | 9:20 | Bathurst 12 Hour | Practice 1 (excluding Class A Platinum and Gold drivers) |
9:25 | 10:25 | Bathurst 12 Hour | Practice 2 |
10:30 | 11:00 | Formula Ford | Race 2 |
11:10 | 12:10 | Bathurst 12 Hour | Practice 3 |
12:25 | 13:15 | Resident Access | |
13:30 | 14:00 | Group S | Race 2 |
14:05 | 15:05 | Porsche Sports Session | Driving Experience |
15:05 | 15:10 | Sponsor ride session | Entertainment Session |
15:15 | 16:15 | Bathurst 12 Hour | Practice 4 |
16:25 | 16:35 | TV Track Session | |
16:40 | 17:40 | Porsche Sports Session | Driving Experience |
Words: Jordan Mulach
