|
looks like we might have a few slovaks at the race next year!
THE NEW ZEALAND connection looks set to return to the Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour bigger and better than ever next year – and they could bring friends from even further afield.
Hampton Downs-based Motorsport Services team owner Dave Taylor has confirmed his team will return to the Mountain with at least three cars – with the potential of more to follow from as far away as Slovakia.
Slovak driver Miro Konopka drove a Porsche 996 GT3 Cup Car for the team in this years’ race and was so impressed by the experience that he is currently working on bringing two cars over from his home country for the race.
Driving with Kiwi’s Simon McLennan and Scott O’Donnell, Konopka’s car completed 264 laps and finished an outstanding 7th outright this year – scoring second in class B. Motorsport Services’ second Porsche finished just behind in eighth position, whilst their BMW 130i entered in the Production Car ranks finished 14th and second in class.
Taylor says his team was ready to return to the mountain next year with two GT cars and a new Production racer.
“I’ve got a waiting list of 10-15 guys who all want to drive,” he said.
“We will be back with at least three cars, a 135i BMW, one of our existing 996 Porsche GT3 Cup Cars and a 997 GT3 Cup Car as well.
“Miro (Konopka) is working on bringing two cars down from Slovakia and we would assist them running them – they would be a 997 GT3 Cup Porsche and potentially a Dodge Viper.
“A lot of the drivers from this year’s race are already locked in and ready to come back so we’ll have guys with at least one race under their belts, which will be a big help. We’re excited about coming back over for what should be an even bigger Event next year.”
It turns out that the Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour is big in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia.
The Slovak input in the 2011 race saw surprising interest from the nation, Konopka’s media representative attending the race and filing regular reports to their home media. Meanwhile, the online streaming coverage of the race recorded hundreds of hits from people watching their drivers’ progress from afar.
“It’s surprising, but it seems like the place to be,” Taylor said.
“I was there recently and it’s a big motorsport hub. It’s not far from Brno (Czech Republic) and from the Hugaroring so it’s very energised there. They love motorsport.”
Taylor said the expanded eligibility list for the 2012 race was making it easier for overseas teams to enter the race.
“It’s not been as much a benefit for us here (New Zealand) because, like Australia, we tend to run our own rules and regulations, but for those teams coming from Europe it will make it much easier to bring cars down,” he explained.
“It will be huge for the Event to be opened up like that.”
The 2012 Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour will be contested on February 24-26, 2012 and will feature an action-packed program including four strong support categories; Sports Sedans, Saloon Cars, Formula Ford and Improved Production.
|