The Team GMR trio of Maxime Martin, Maro Engel and Mikael Grenier have been crowned winners of the 2026 Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour at Bathurst’s Mount Panorama.
In an incident-filled race, the race turned on its head following a Safety Car with 40 minutes left in the 12-hour race, with the #32 Team WRT BMW M4 opting to stay out and edge to the front of the pack.
As the race returned to green, Kelvin van der Linde and the #75 Express Mercedes-AMG of Jule Gounon were at the centre of the pivotal racing incident, with Gounon diving up the inside of the BMW at Hell Corner, as van der Linde was forced to defend.
The two made nose-to-tail contact and ran wide as a consequence, allowing the third-placed Martin to swoop into the race lead.
Martin, in the #888 Team GMR Mercedes-AMG, maintained smooth driving to the end of the session and claimed the outright win after beginning the race 29th on the grid. It was notably Engel’s first win at the Bathurst 12 Hour after 10 appearances in the event.
High Class Racing in the Bronze class outfit consisting of Dorian Boccolacci, Anders Fjordbach, and Kerong Li guided the #86 Porsche 911 from 30th on the grid to second, making history as the first Bronze class vehicle to finish on the outright podium.
Team WRT with its other BMW M4 driven by Augusto Farfus, Raffaele Marciello, and Valentino Rossi finished third.
The #45 RAM Motorsport/GWR Australia Mercedes of Brett Hobson, Dylan O’Keeffe and Garth Walden emerged victorious in the Pro-Am class by over a lap’s difference, finishing 13th outright in the process.
Following six Safety Car interventions and the first red flag interruption at the 12 Hour since the race-ending stoppage in 2018, Motorsport Australia’s officials were quick to respond to incidents throughout the day.
Motorsport Australia CEO Josh Blanksby praised the expertise shown by the 12 Hour officials, reiterating the quality of officiating Australia has to offer.
“Motorsport Australia officials at Mount Panorama delivered a flawless performance at the Bathurst 12 Hour, navigating a demanding race with professionalism and precision from start to finish,” Blanksby said.
“Faced with multiple incidents, yellow flags, safety cars and a restart, each official remained composed and completely focused on their roles.
“Led by Race Control Director James Taylor and Deputy Race Directors David Stuart and Kaye Callander, it was a world-class effort again highlighting the strength and expertise of our officials at international events.”
A total of 373 Motorsport Australia officials were on the ground at the 2026 Bathurst 12 Hour, ranging in age from 17 to 87.
New South Wales had the largest share of officials given its role as the host state, accounting for 57 per cent of the cohort. Females made up a quarter of the total officials number.
Head to the Bathurst 12 Hour website for the full race result.
