A Chaotic Start to the Bathurst 12-Hour: Kangaroos, Crashes, and a Surprising Victory
The Bathurst 12-Hour endurance race kicked off with an eventful start, leaving spectators on the edge of their seats. Former Supercars driver Maro Engel and Team GMR made history, but not in the way they had hoped. In a dramatic turn of events, their Ford entry crashed out after a kangaroo intervention, setting the tone for a wild race.
Engel's Mercedes, with co-drivers Mikael Grenier and Maxime Martin, claimed victory despite the initial setback. They crossed the finish line at Mount Panorama first, securing the win by a narrow margin of 1.036 seconds over the No.86 Team High Class Racing Porsche. This triumph was all the more remarkable considering their lowly 29th starting position out of 34 cars, a new record for the lowest grid spot to win an endurance race.
The race took an unexpected turn when Supercars star Broc Feeney's HRT Ford Racing car, driven by Christopher Mies, hit a kangaroo at top speed on Conrod Straight. The impact caused extensive damage to the front-left of the car, and Feeney had to exit the field's sole Ford entry, covered in kangaroo blood. Mies, racing at 250km/h, was fortunate to be cleared by the medical team.
Dennis Olsen, the third driver in the Mustang, confirmed the incident, expressing relief that Mies was unharmed. He highlighted the impact of the collision, but emphasized the positive outcome.
The race also witnessed the involvement of legendary MotoGP rider Valentino Rossi, who finished third in the No.26 Team WRT BMW. This marked a significant improvement from his second-place finish the previous year.
The race's dramatic moments continued as Ralf Aron's Mercedes burst into flames after a collision with Johannes Zelger's Porsche, leading to a red-flag suspension for an hour. James Golding, a Supercars driver, also met a similar fate, crashing heavily against a concrete wall after brushing the barrier.
Despite the chaos, Engel and his team's victory stood, leaving them with a unique and memorable triumph in the Bathurst 12-Hour.
The race's unpredictable nature kept spectators on the edge of their seats, with a mix of crashes, kangaroos, and surprising comebacks. As the dust settled, Engel's victory with a lowly starting position became a testament to the race's unpredictability and the thrill of endurance racing.
