High Class Racing, the highest-ranked of a total of five Porsche customer teams, made it onto the podium in Bathurst, Australia. The trio of drivers also won the bronze class with their Porsche 911 GT3 R, surprisingly beating numerous teams made up entirely of professional drivers.
The spectacular Mount Panorama Circuit in the Australian state of New South Wales features a fast uphill section with a 174-meter elevation gain, a winding downhill section, and long high-speed straights. The 12-hour race on the 6.213-kilometer track was first held in 1995. Since then, it has become one of the highlights of the international GT3 racing calendar and is one of the most important sports car events in the Asian-Pacific region. Since 2016, it serves as the season opener for the Intercontinental GT Challenge, in which Porsche emerged as the manufacturer’s champion in 2024, following on from 2019 and 2020.
In 2019, a Porsche 911 GT3 R entered the winners’ list of the Bathurst 12 Hour for the first time when German driver Dirk Werner won for Earl Bamber Motorsport together with former Porsche Juniors Dennis Olsen (Norway) and Matt Campbell (Australia). Local hero Campbell, alongside Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium) and Ayhancan Güven (Turkey), was also part of the driver trio that took first place in Bathurst with the Manthey Porsche in 2024.
Porsche customer team High Class Racing with a strong final phase
After a challenging qualifying session, Boccolacci, Fjordbach, and Li had to start the race from 32nd place on the grid. Like their team High Class Racing, the Frenchman, the Dane, and the Chinese driver were also making their debut on the demanding track.
Halfway through the race, they were already in 15th position. When an accident knocked Tsunami RT’s 911 out of the bronze classification, there was a lengthy interruption to the race. Further safety car deployments during the turbulent final stages also worked in the Danish team’s favor. When the race was restarted a good 40 minutes before the end of the time distance, Boccolacci was in top form and fought his way up from fourth to second place. In the end, he crossed the line barely more than a second behind the winners Maro Engel, Mikael Grenier, and Maxime Martin.
Both Porsche cars from the Pro category are among the top 8
A total of five 911 GT3 R lined up at the start of the endurance race at 5:45 a.m. on Sunday morning, including two all-professional crews: factory driver Matt Campbell, Belgian Alessio Picariello, and former Porsche Junior Bastian Buus from Denmark competed for Absolute Racing. At Earl Bamber Motorsport, factory driver Laurin Heinrich from Germany, Austrian Klaus Bachler, and Ricardo Feller from Switzerland formed a team. This trio had to line up at the back of the grid because their fastest qualifying lap had been canceled due to an incorrectly adjusted rear wing.
Campbell, Picariello, and Buus started the race from fourth position and quickly improved to third place. Before dawn, an accident involving wildlife triggered a lengthy safety car phase, and the team decided to bring forward their pit stop. This caused the #911 Porsche to lose direct contact with the leaders. Absolute Racing crossed the finish line in sixth place.
Heinrich, Bachler, and Feller advanced steadily, delivering a flawless performance. By halftime, the EBM Porsche had regained its place in the top 10. However, after the race was interrupted, the team was unable to resume the attack and ultimately finished eighth. The 911 GT3 R from Herberth Motorsport took eleventh place after a strong race. The Germans Ralf Bohn, Robert, and Alfred Renauer also secured fourth place in the bronze classification.
Highlights
Above contents © 2026 Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG reviewed and edited by Rex McAfee , @rexmcafee
