Preview: Bathurst 12 Hour

Widely regarded as one of the most difficult endurance races in the world, the Bathurst 12 Hour has eluded Fischer Motorsport again and again. Last year both cars found their bid to complete the crueling marathon up and down the mountain come to an early end, when both cars were involved in crashes.

The year before, pit stop mistakes and running out of fuel on the track took the team out of contention, before another crash once again took the team out of the race for good.

“I think it’s safe to say, we’ve been paying our dues at this place.”, Pascal Theis says.

“I am super motivated to finally finish this race. It’s been near the top of my sim racing bucket list for a while, simply because it is so incredibly difficult to just get to the finish here.”

Theis isn’t kidding. In previous years often times half or even more than half the starting field retired from the race, making the Mount Panorama Circuit a track with the highest level of attrition on the calendar.

Opened in the early 20th century, around the same time as the Nürburgring in Germany, many compare the two tracks and find similarities.

“I think the biggest two similarities are: Both tracks are rather long & narrow, making it hard to pass. And neither track forgives you anything, not even the slightest mistake.”, Theis added.

Together with Benjamin Fischer and Niclas Pedersen from Denmark, the drivers trio will try to finally crack the code and see the checkers at Bathurst this weekend, driving the No. 84 Porsche 911 GT3 R. The race goes green at 08:30 am Saturday morning, Central European Time and will start in total darkness and finish in total darkness when it concludes at around 8:45 pm Central European Time.