# 99 Corvette takes 2nd in class in SRO IGT 12-hour race in Australia

The Corvette made its first appearance at the renowned track for sports car racing at Bathurst, about 480 miles northwest of Melbourne in New South Wales Australia.  Not for the faint of heart, the 23-turn 3.86-mile course, some parts on public roads, climbs 570 feet, crests at Mount Panorama before a daunting descent onto to the fast Conrod straight.  The track can take its toll on equipment as things turned out.

The # 99 Team Johor Z06 GT3.R finished runner up in the Pro-Am class before a record crowd of 55,000, enlivened by festivities in town before the big race.

Malaysians Prince Jefri Ibrahim and Prince Abu Bakar Ibrahim, along with British driver Ben Green and Australian Jordan Love finished one lap shy of the 262 laps completed by the Pro-Am # 45 RAM Motorsport/GWR Australia AMG GT3 Evo of Dylan O’Keeffe, Brett Hobson and Garth Walden.

The Pro class consisted of 15 cars, each piloted by professional racers.

After both Corvettes qualified mid-pack, diligent work by the Johor crew nailed the setup.  Alexander Sims in the # 2 Team Johor Z06 GT3.R led at the 3-hour mark.  Teammates Nicky Catsburg and Earl Bamber ran up front for good portions of the race.  

Catsburg came out second after a re-start with under 2.5 hours to go. Bamber took over on a blistering pace when disaster struck.  The left-rear suspension gave way about 1.5 hours shy of the finish.

The # 888 GMR Mercedes AMG GT3 Evo driven by Maro Engel, Mikael Grenier and Maxime Martin emerged to win the Pro class after heavy attrition victimized the # 2 Corvette and others towards the end.

Ford’s IGT debut evaporated in 20 minutes when Chris Mies going full honk on the Conrod straight struck a wayward kangaroo in the # 64 Ford Mustang GT3 that left car and driver in a state of shock.

Photo credits Sportscar 365, SRO IGT, Racer report.