Three Amigos take on Bathurst 12 Hour

Three Aussie motorsport legends will combine with BMW to take a tilt at the February 2017 Bathurst 12 Hour.

If the burgeoning enduro classic wasn’t almost guaranteed of prominence thanks to a 50-strong field of GT3 and GT4 cars – as well as current Supercar stars including Craig Lowndes, Jamie Whincup and Shane van Gisbergen – then the arrival of the ‘Three Amigos’, Mark Skaife, Russell Ingall and Tony Longhurst, should cement the case.

Skaife, Ingall and Longhurst will team up in one of two BMW M6 GT3s already confirmed for next year’s 12 Hour.

Running under the BMW Team SRM banner, the trio will be ‘shepherded’ by Steve Richards and his squad. Richards will also race – under BMW Australia colours in the M6 he is already campaigning in the Australian GT Championship. His co-drivers will be announced soon.

Skaife, Ingall and Longhurst have ten Bathurst victories between them. Richards adds another four. For 2017, the trio’s M6 will be campaigned in Castrol and Vodafone colours.

Skaife is a six-time winner of the Bathurst 1000. One of those wins came alongside Longhurst (2001), while three others were shared with Jim Richards, father of BMW Team SRM boss, Steve.

Two-times winner Longhurst has also won races at Bathurst with the Richards clan and BMW. Longhurst raced for the Bavarian brand in the Australian Touring Car Championship between 1984 and 1987, and then again between 1991 and 1994.

The return of the trio is a significant coup for BMW. Both Longhurst and Skaife have already tested the car at Phillip Island and the trio will also run the M6 GT3 at November’s Challenge Bathurst sprint and test meeting.

SRM boss Richards denied motoring.com.au’s assertion the exercise was going to be like herding cats.

“We’ve got three guys that have moved away from racing a little bit, but here’s a great opportunity for them to jump back into a totally different car and learn a whole new way of driving,” Richards told motoring.com.au.

“They are totally serious about being competitive but they also want to have a bit of fun along the way.

“It’s fantastic. And it will create a huge amount of interest for motor racing in Australia,” Richards explained.

Even though the race lap record for Supercars was broken at last week’s Bathurst 1000, the GT3 cars are significantly faster around the Mt Panorama circuit. In 2017 qualifying times are expected to be up to three seconds per lap faster than the home-grown V8 racers. So for all the smiles, Skaife and crew are taking it seriously.

“We want to go there and do a good solid job,” Skaife explained.

“You can’t go to a place like Bathurst and not feel comfortable, you have to go there and be able to drive the car well. I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t think we would enjoy the experience and be able to do it properly,” he stated.

Longhurst dusted off his Mt Panorama form with an outing in the Carrera Cup last weekend. Although that didn’t have a fairy-tale ending (he crashed), the Queenlander is keen to perform well at the 12 Hour.

“I started my career back in 1984 with Jim Richards, and this will be my last time at The Mountain, with Steve Richards. That’s pretty neat. And to do it with BMW, that’s very special for me,” Longhurst said.

“The best moments of my career have been in BMWs, but what a difference between the M6 GT3 and the 635 that I drove in 1984. It’s an amazing journey,” Longhurst enthused.

BMW Australia boss Marc Werner is the driving force behind the company’s re-entry into motorsport. A true petrolhead, he’ll be there cheering the two-car effort on.

“We are incredibly excited to be teaming up with some genuine Bathurst legends for the Bathurst 12 Hour. It’s a race that is fast becoming not only one of the most prestigious in the country, but a must-win for teams and manufacturers around the world,” Werner told motoring.com.au.

“This driver line-up is a sign of exactly how serious BMW is taking its return to Mount Panorama,” he said.