Manthey EMA trio Matt Campbell, Ayhancan Guven and Laurens Vanthoor took on the challenging and unforgiving Mount Panorama and emerged victorious in the Repco Bathurst 12 Hour to claim the first win of the Intercontinental GT Challenge championship season.
The ‘Grello’ Porsche 911 GT3 R put on a dominant performance for the large majority of the grueling competition, remaining in the lead for 195 out of the 275 laps completed in the race, an impressive feat that has never been accomplished before in the event’s history. The team faced a late-stage challenge once a caution period emerged and moved another six cars within striking distance. Campbell handled the pressure and was able to fend off Jules Gounon in the SunEnergy1 Mercedes-AMG and Christopher Haase in the Wash It Team MPC Audi R8 LMS.
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The 2024 edition of the Repco Bathurst 12 Hour was a thrilling battle from dawn to dusk, further cementing it as one the great spectacles in motorsport. Although the Grello established itself as the frontrunner early on, frequent Safety Car interruptions prevented the Porsche from pulling ahead and establishing a sizable gap to the rest of the field. The weather conditions also came into play, with frequent heavy rain adding to the intensity.
However, an incorrectly served drive-through penalty for a pitlane infringement added an extra challenge for Manthey EMA as the team subsequently needed to stop through the pits again. Despite the setback, the Porsche reasserted its superiority. Campbell was exceptionally fast in all conditions, but Guven’s grunt work also played a key role in getting the 911 back towards the front of the pack.
The team’s alternative strategy clouded its car’s true place in the pecking order until the penultimate round of pit stops. Campbell had established a 13-second lead prior to the final caution of the race, but now found himself being chased by Gounon, who was pushing his Mercedes-AMG hard in an effort to catch the Porsche while simultaneously defending from looming threats behind. However, Gounon’s task was compromised by traffic through The Dipper, further allowing Campbell to extend his lead to six seconds by the time he took the checkered flag to secure the victory.
Manthey EMA also won the event’s Pro-Am class thanks to Alessio Picariello, Jordan King and Yasser Shahin.
Porsche has surged ahead in the Intercontinental GT Challenge manufacturers’ championship standings, boasting a 12-point lead over Mercedes-AMG in second place, with BMW sitting in third, an additional 16 points behind.
IGTC now moves on to the Nordschleife and the ADAC Ravenol 24h Nurburgring on May 30 – 2 June.
