GT World Challenge powered by AWS regular Jayden Ojeda and his Team Craft-Bamboo Racing teammates Maximillian Gotz and Lucas Auer will start this year’s Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour from Pole Position after Auer produced a lightning quick lap during Pirelli Pole Battle.
Behind the wheel of the team’s Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO, Auer only needed one flying lap to secure the prestigious Allan Simonsen Trophy - his time of 2m01.2760s proving the second fastest pole time in 12 Hour history.
Just over one tenth slower In second place was the Jamec Racing / Team MPC Audi R8 LMS Evo II, led by Ricardo Feller and featuring reigning GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS Driver Champion Liam Talbot and Supercars star Broc Feeney.
The next best placed Aussie outfit was the Arise Racing GT Ferrari 296 GT3 of Talbot’s 2024-title winning teammate Chaz Mostert, who guided the #26 Ferrari he’s sharing with Will Brown and Daniel Serra to fifth.
Rounding out the Aussie charge in the Pros was the #222 Scott Taylor Motorsport (STM) Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO of Cam Waters, Craig Lowndes and Thomas Randle, who qualified in P7 for the class and ninth overall.
Sitting behind the Arise Racing GT Ferrari 296 in sixth outright was The Bend Motorsport Park Porsche 911 GT3R of Sam Shahin, Yasser Shahin, Laurin Heinrich and Morris Schuring - Heinrich securing P1 in Pro-Am in the process.
In eighth overall and second in the Pro-Am class was Geyer Valmont Racing’s Scott Andrews who was steering the Audi R8 LMS EVO II he shares with Marcel Zalloua and Sergio Pires.
Rounding out the outright top 10 was the second Team MPC entry of Dean Fiore, Mark Cini and Lee Holdsworth - the former guiding the Hallmarc Audi R8 LMS EVO II to first in the Bronze class.
Other notable GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS results saw the #4 Grove Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO of Stephen and Brenton Grove third in Bronze class, while the second Arise Racing GT Ferrari 296 GT3 of Jaxon Evans, Alessio Rovera, Brad Schumacher and Elliot Schutte were third in the Pro Am class.
In the Silver Class, a trio of GT World Challenge Australia powered by crews made up the top three, with the AWS Supabarn Supermarkets Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO of James Koundouris, Theo Koundouris, David Russell and Luke Youlden qualifying in top spot for the class.
Qualifying in second was the #93 Wall Racing Lamborghini Huracan of Tony D’Alberto, Adrian Deitz, Grant Denyer and Brendon Leitch, while the Volante Rosso Aston Martin Vantage of Jamie Day, Mateo Villagomez and Jaylyn Robotham rounded out the top three.
The official Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour begins on Sunday 2 February at 5:45am AEDT.