FCY hands STM Mercedes lead into final hours

THE Repco Bathurst 12 Hour is set for a thrilling climax after a dramatic opening nine hours, which has seen the #222 Scott Taylor Motorsport Mercedes-AMG emerge a shock leader.

Ayhancan Güven returned the #912 Porsche to the front after a spirited stint by 2019 winner Matt Campbell, who opened up a 15-second lead in wet conditions.

With nine hours and 20 minutes on the clock, Thomas Randle pitted the #222 from the lead under a Full Course Yellow, with the field neutralised.

Supercars driver Randle, racing with Cam Waters and two-time winner Craig Lowndes, was trailed by Güven, Maximilian Gotz (#77 Craft-Bamboo Mercedes-AMG) and Kelvin van der Linde (#22 Wash It Team MPC Audi) when the race went green.

Jules Gounon (#75 SunEnergy1 Mercedes-AMG) inherited the lead with three hours and 17 minutes to go after Campbell helped the #912 to the front in a major recovery effort.

The #912 Porsche served two drive-throughs – one under Safety Car, and then one after the restart – but Campbell put over 15 seconds on the field by his stop with eight hours and 43 minutes to go.

Regardless, Manthey EMA faced a tricky run home to make the chequered flag after 12 hours of racing.

That didn’t stop Güven from closing on Randle after the FCY period — the margin was 11.8s when the race resumed, with Güven slashing the margin to 1.3s in just six laps.

At the nine-hour mark, the #75 Sun Energy1 Mercedes-AMG led the #77 Craft-Bamboo Mercedes by one second, ahead of the #46 WRT BMW, the #13 Phantom Global Porsche, the #22 Wash It Team MPC Audi, and the #888 Triple Eight Mercedes-AMG.

Earlier, Mikaël Grenier in the #888 was sent spinning at The Chase by Felipe Fraga (#130 GruppeM Mercedes-AMG), who was handed a drive-through penalty.

The errors were coming thick and fast in the wet conditions, with Valentino Rossi running the #46 WRT BMW off the road at The Chase at the start of the seventh hour.

The sixth Safety Car period of the race was called when John Holinger (#10 SupaGlass IRC) was turned into the wall at The Esses by Ricardo Feller (#2 KFC Team MPC Audi). Feller would be slapped with a two-minute penalty.

WRT brought Rossi in, with Raffaele Marciello taking over up. The rest of the top 10 pitted over the next two laps, and Campbell emerged ahead of Bastian Buus (#13 Phantom Global Porsche), Daniel Juncadella (#77 Craft-Bamboo Mercedes-AMG), Maro Engel (#130 GruppeM Mercedes-AMG), and the #46 BMW.

The #222 Mercedes-AMG had Cam Waters at the wheel, with the Supercars star later staying out when rain got heavier after 177 laps. It proved the wrong decision, with Waters running off at McPhillamy before pitting for wet tyres.

Before the downpour, the #912 Porsche and #46 BMW were penalised, with the former undone by a Safety Car period. Campbell took the drive-through under yellow and emerged in sixth, but had to take it again when the race resumed.

The #13 Porsche inherited the lead from the #77 Mercedes-AMG, the #130 Mercedes-AMG, the #46 BMW, the #911 Porsche, the #912 Porsche, the #222 Mercedes-AMG, the #75 Mercedes-AMG, the #88 Mercedes-AMG, and the #22 Audi.

The #888 Mercedes-AMG was 13th after Feeney pitted under Safety Car, while the #2 Audi managed to stay on the lead lap in 16th.

Campbell and Raffaele Marciello (#46 WRT BMW) served their penalties, and with the track drying, drivers began to opt for dry tyres.

The Safety Car was called again on lap 172 when Cameron Hill ran long into the Griffins Bend tyres in the #10. The Pro-Am #911 The Bend Manthey EMA Porsche had yet to pit, with Alessio Picariello handing over to Yasser Shahin in the lead for the restart.

Jaxon Evans (#13 Phantom Global Porsche) went by Shahin on the restart, before Maxime Martin fired the #46 WRT BMW off the road at Murray's Corner.

The rain returned and Waters suffered his off as drivers changed to wets, with Jack Le Brocq crashing the #48 M Motorsport Mercedes-AMG into the wall at Skyline.

The Safety Car was called for a ninth time, with the #912 Porsche leading the #77 Mercedes-AMG, the #130 Mercedes-AMG, the #75 Mercedes-AMG, the #888 Mercedes-AMG, the #13 Phanton Global Porsche, the #22 Audi, the #46 BMW, the Silver-leading #93 Wall Lamborghini, the #2 Audi, the #911 Porsche, and the #88 Mercedes-AMG.

Randle was 14th in the #222 Mercedes-AMG when the race restarted, and Conditions were treacherous for the Lap 185 restart and Jules Gounon passed Fraga for third when the latter ran wide at Hell Corner.

All the while, Campbell bolted into a big lead ahead of his stop, before the first FCY was called when the #111 MRA Motorsport IRC was hit by the #47 Supabarn Mercedes-AMG exiting The Dipper.

On the restart, Grenier was sent into a spin by Fraga, with van der Linde forced onto the grass as the #888 came back onto the track.