Audi confirms 2012 Bathurst 12 Hour lineup

Audi has confirmed its car and driver lineup for the 2012 Bathurst 12 Hour. The race takes place on 24–26 February 2012 and will again see two factory-backed R8 LMS cars at Mount Panorama to defend their title.

Defending winners Darryl O’Young (Hong Kong) and Christopher Mies (Germany) return and will be joined by Christer Jöns (Germany). The second R8 LMS will be the same all-Australian lineup of Craig Lowndes, Warren Luff and Mark Eddy that raced together in February this year.

Managing the two cars will be Phoenix Racing, making their debut at Bathurst and they have big boots to fill after the one–two success enjoyed by Audi Sport experience Team Joest.

The gauntlet has well and truly been laid down by Allan Simonsen and his Ferrari 458 GT3. And with the growing appeal for overseas teams, the 2012 12 Hour is shaping up as the strongest yet.

Audi as title defender at Bathurst in 2012

• Two Audi R8 LMS cars to compete at the Bathurst 12 Hours
  
• Phoenix Racing to make debut in Australia with R8 LMS
  
• Strong driver line-up of local and international drivers

Ingolstadt, 2011-11-18 – The Audi R8 LMS will return to Australia as the title defender. After the one-two result at the Bathurst 12 Hours last February, the successful GT3 sports car will again compete at the endurance classic from February 24 to 26. The high-caliber driver line-up has already been confirmed.

Both sports cars on the front row, a one-two result with a one-lap lead and a new lap record on the challenging track: The Audi R8 LMS delivered an impeccable showing on its debut at Mount Panorama nine months ago. In February 2012, the 411 kW (560 HP) GT3 sports car is to defend its victory on this legendary circuit. The customer sports car that is fielded at worldwide events has meanwhile clinched 115 single victories and twelve titles in only three years. At Bathurst, Team Phoenix Racing will be fielding the two Audi R8 LMS vehicles. As an Audi factory team, Ernst Moser’s squad won the DTM title this year with Martin Tomczyk.

A top-caliber international driver line-up has already been confirmed for the 12-hour race. The German Christopher Mies and Darryl O’Young from Hong Kong, who won the endurance race in February, will again share a cockpit. They will be reinforced by Christer Jöns. The German driver clinched four podium results this year in the ADAC GT Masters and, like Christopher Mies, was part of the Audi factory team at the Nürburgring 24 Hours.

Of special interest to the enthusiastic Australian audience will be the driver squad for the second R8 LMS. Mark Eddy/Craig Lowndes/Warren Luff will be competing under the symbol of the four rings together for the second consecutive time. Before the finale next weekend, Mark Eddy is leading the Australian GT Championship in his own Audi R8 LMS with a 46-point advantage. The seasoned touring car racer Warren Luff posted the fastest lap of all Audi drivers in qualifying at Bathurst in 2011. Craig Lowndes is regarded as a touring car legend and has won the V8 Supercar series three times and the Bathurst 1000 race five times. The trio finished the Bathurst 12 Hours as the runners-up in February.