Bathurst win on Engel's bucket list
Maro Engel is desperate to secure a Bathurst win in his return to Mount Panorama this weekend.
Engel will race a Craft-Bamboo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 at this weekend’s LIQUI MOLY Bathurst 12 Hour.
The German driver will share the car with Daniel Juncadella and Kevin Tse.
Engel’s name may be a familiar one to Australian race fans; he raced an Erebus Motorsport Mercedes Supercar in 2013.
He currently races a GruppeM Mercedes in DTM; he secured a pair of top 10s in Portugal last weekend.
Engel’s only Bathurst 1000 start in 2013 resulted in a 20th place finish with Steven Johnson.
Engel on track in 2013
He came close to 12 Hour success in 2017, only for co-driver Shane van Gisbergen to crash late on.
The crash earned the ire of Engel, who sprayed van Gisbergen on the broadcast.
Engel’s podium chances at the 2020 12 Hour evaporated after a late puncture.
Now, with Craft-Bamboo Racing in tow, Engel is eyeing an end to his Bathurst drought.
"It’s amazing to finally race at Bathurst again, it’s such an amazing track,” he said.
"Obviously, nearly the last two years have gone by without a race there and it has been a long wait.
Engel on track in Portugal
"So it is fantastic to get back to Bathurst and to do it with Craft-Bamboo Racing, it's great.
"I know the team very well, we had a very strong race together there in 2020, narrowly missing a podium due to a late puncture.
"We will be looking to make amends and we’ll be as best prepared as possible.”
While his sole Supercars season didn’t go to plan, Engel has since become a sought-after GT star.
He recently finished third at the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup opener at Imola.
Engel will be forced to race against a number of Supercars stars to clinch 12 Hour glory.
An Imola enduro podium
That includes van Gisbergen, who will race a Triple Eight Mercedes.
The Pro-Am field is strong, and Engel believes his crew is well-placed to mount a winning challenge.
"I am looking forward to a strong run and hopefully a strong challenge to try and win the race,” Engel said.
"It's a race I haven't won so far, so it's definitely one that’s very high up on my bucket list.
"Let's see how we go but I am very excited for this challenging race and I know we’ll be strong once the race comes.”
Cars will hit the track on Friday. Tickets for the LIQUI MOLY Bathurst 12 Hour are on sale now.
