BMW takes out the Bathurst 12 hour

The Eastern Creek International Karts BMW 335i driven by Garry Holt, Paul Morris and John Bowe has won a dramatic 2010 Armor All Bathurst 12 hour race. They completed 202 laps in all and finished 3.3 seconds ahead of the East Holiday Parks Mitsubishi EVO IX. It was the second win at the event for Garry Holt and his team who also won the 2007 race.

However, the official winning margin only tells part of the story. The 2010 race was marred by heavy rain which caused a lengthy stint of around three hours behind the Safety Car. Also delaying the race, just as the Safety Car was about to pull in, was a freak incident where a massive gum tree fell and blocked Conrod Straight just after Forrest’s Elbow.

Eric Bana’s Mitusbishi EVO X was also involved in a nasty accident while co-driver Paul Hill was at the wheel. Hill had clipped the wall approaching Reid Park and came to a rest in the middle of the track. An unsighted Dean Herridge, in a Subaru Impreza WRX STi, drove into the back of Hill’s car ending the race for both teams.

There were eight Safety Car periods in all, the last of which caused the race to end under the control of race stewards. Providing some consolation the Safety Car pulled in before the last corner allowing drivers to cross the line at their own pace.

A list of top 10 finishers can be seen below, full results are available on the Natsoft website.

Click on the image above for a larger version.