The Bathurst 12 Hour records to beat
The 2022 LIQUI MOLY Bathurst 12 Hour has many different benchmarks to chase in the event's return.
The last edition in 2020 reset a number of records, some which will be very hard to beat.
The 2020 was the longest 12 Hour Hour ever, with the race nearly going above 2000km in distance.
Assuming weather plays ball, a number of records could drop this weekend.
That includes the 2000km marker; the winner must clock 322 laps.
Cool mid-year temperatures could influence record-breaking lap times, although rain is forecast.
Here are some of the markers the field will be aiming to topple in 2022.
Tickets for the LIQUI MOLY Bathurst 12 Hour are on sale now.
Race distance
The race lap record is 314 laps, set in 2020. That equates to a distance of 1950.88km. The shortest Bathurst 12 Hour was in the 2010 production car race; the race was suspended for an hour after a tree fell across Conrod Straight. Just 202 laps (1255.026km) were completed.
Margins of victory
The smallest margin of victory was set in 2014; Craig Lowndes held off a charging Maximilian Buhk by just 0.4138s. Lowndes also jointly holds the the largest margin of victory. The 2013 races and 2017 races were won by a lap; Lowndes partner with Jamie Whincup and Toni Vilander to win in 2017.
Race lap record
Shane van Gisbergen set the lap record en route to victory in 2016 aboard his McLaren 650S GT3; the Supercars star lit up the time sheets with a 2:01.567s.
Qualifying record
Van Gisbergen’s victory charge was set up by a remarkable 2:01.286s lap in qualifying. It remains the outright event qualifying record.
Cars on lead lap
The 2018, 2019 and 2020 races had a record seven cars on the lead lap. Conversely, the 2013 and 2017 winners lapped the field.
Lowest winning position
The winning Bentley in 2020 set a new record for lowest winning position. The entry won the race from 11th on the grid; it was the first time the race had been won from outside seventh position on the grid.
Lowest number of finishers
Just 18 cars were classified in the 2012 race; 20 cars are set to start this weekend's race.
Most Safety Cars
The 2018 race featured a whopping 18 Safety Car deployments.
New winning brand?
Six different brands have won the last six races. Nissan won in 2015, McLaren in 2016, Ferrari in 2017, Audi in 2018, Porsche in 2019 and Bentley in 2020. Mercedes won in 2013, and will have a strong cavalry of cars for this year’s race.Lamborghini has never won the race, and has a strong Pro-Am entry entered.
Audi’s shot at overall glory
A win this weekend will give Audi its fourth Bathurst 12 Hour win, which would make it the most successful brand in Bathurst 12 Hour history. No brand in 12 Hour history dating back to 1991 has won more than three times. Mazda won three Bathurst 12 Hours in the production car era.
Earliest race start
This weekend's race will set a new benchmark for the earliest race start; Sunday's race will start at 5:15am local time. The 2007, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 races started at 5:45am.
