Bathurst 12 Hour ever-growing success

EVENT ORGANISERS have affirmed the Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour an ever-growing success as increased numbers of international competitors and expanded media presence marks the 10th running of the epic endurance race at Mount Panorama.
Nearly 200 competitors across five categories contested three-days of solid racing across the weekend, with 15 different manufacturers represented in the 12 Hour race itself and an increase to 10 international entrants participating from as far abroad as Europe, the UK, Asia and New Zealand.
This year’s Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour was not only streamed live again via the web, but saw the last 90 minutes of the race broadcast live and exclusive on Fox Sport’s Speed Channel for the first time – ensuring fans didn’t miss any action no matter whether they were at Mount Panorama or watching from home.
Despite inclement weather and nine safety car periods, spectators were kept on the edge of their seats through to the closing stages of what was an epic day of racing yesterday when the Phoenix Racing’s #1 Audi R8 LMS took back-to-back honours ahead of the #20 Mercedes Benz SLS AMG.
“Our aim has always been to develop the Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour into a genuine international event,” said Event director James O’Brien.

“We’re thrilled that more overseas teams and drivers have been enticed to race at the iconic Mount Panorama circuit. Expanding our web, social media and television coverage has also taken us a step further in growing the Event year on year.”
Event Organisers announced a three-day attendance of 19,728 – an increase of more than 1200 on last year’s figures.
Increased interaction from fans via social networking channels saw presence on Facebook and Twitter expand while live streaming via the official website saw a record amount of traffic visit across the 12 Hour and post-race period.

Twitter was inundated with more than 4000 references while the Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour’s Facebook fan page grew by 1200 new friends, all ensuring the Event has become a leader in allowing fans to interact with the broadcast. 

Audi AG also broadcast the race via their own in-house “Audi TV” online service while Event partners, teams and drivers were provided with a direct link to the live steam for use on their own websites or social platforms.
“Social media has really taken us further afield than we could have expected and the amount of people who tuned into the 12 Hour from around the globe has been phenomenal,” added O’Brien.
“We again have fielded a high standard of teams and drivers from not only Australia but overseas which made for some thrilling action and worthwhile viewing.
“Congratulations to Audi for their impressive win two years in a row. They’ve embraced the Event wholeheartedly and leveraged their involvement very well. They’ve set a very high benchmark when it comes to manufacturer support in endurance racing and this will certainly be a positive example for other manufacturers to hopefully become more involved next year.

“Despite the rainy weather, it’s been a great weekend of racing and a very positive way to increase our footprint as a developing GT event on the international stage,” concluded O’Brien.

In the coming weeks Event Management will continue discussions with the Bathurst Regional Council to plan further growth of the event and to begin working on 2013 plans which will see the 12 Hour again held in February next year.


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