Team completes clean race at Mount Panorama Circuit to finish P5 overall
2nd longest consecutive green flag running in Bathurst 12 Hour history to conclude race puts teams strategy at jeopardy forcing late pit stop
Lucas Auer secures Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing its first-ever Allan Simonsen Pole Award and second-fastest ever Bathurst 12 Hours pole lap time
Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing led another strong effort to fight for overall victory on their eighth attempt at the Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour, which took place at the Mount Panorama Circuit from January 31 to February 2. With a competitive Merecedes-AMG driver lineup consisting of Lucas Auer (AUT), Maximilian Goetz (GER), and Jayden Ojeda (AUST), combined with an optimal pole position start for the main race, clinching the Bathurst podium appeared to be close within the final hour of the race on Sunday - only for it to be snatched away at the remaining minutes following a late fuel stop which dropped the team from P2 to P5 at the checkered flag.
With the race weekend also falling on Lunar New Year, the Hong Kong team was hoping for good fortunes and luck brought by the Year of the Snake. Things looked promising from qualifying on Saturday, as the #77 Colorspec Mercedes-AMG GT3 would begin the main race from P1 of the 22-car grid - thanks to the driving of Lucas Auer in the Pirelli Pole Battle round. Despite it being only his first time racing at the Mount Panorama circuit, the Austrian driver put in a strong qualifying lap time of 2:01.276, claiming pole position and delivering the second-fastest ever pole time in Bathurst 12 Hour history.
Goetz took full advantage of starting from pole position as the green flag was waved to signal the start of the race early Sunday morning. Carefully navigating the #77 car through a skirmish between two other cars in the initial sprint down Mountain Straight, running 3-wide to keep the lead. However, a setback was soon encountered 2 hours in, as contact with a Ferrari spun the #77 Colorspec Mercedes-AMG into the gravel trap in the final corner, dropping the Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing car down to P19 and one lap down. Efforts to recover and rejoin the fight for positions were swift and immediate following some effective strategy calls by the team, allowing #77 to climb back onto the lead lap and up to P3 by the 4-hour mark. Auer took the driver’s seat by the halfway point and was able to hold #77’s P3 for most of his stint, before handing the reins back over to Ojeda, who continued the progress and demonstrated a strong and consistent stint. After 9 hours, the #46 BMW took a penalty, which gave #77 the chance to jump up to P2, setting the team up for one last push entering the homestretch of the race.
Within the final hours, it became clear refueling and pit strategies, combined with maintaining a fast pace were crucial factors amongst the top 5 to determine who would be victorious. Auer drove for the final 2.5 hours, successfully maintaining the hard-fought P2 position, but the team still couldn't match the pace or fuel economy of the BMW ahead.
The team pushed onward, but desperately needed a full-course yellow (FCY) or safety car to have a chance for the win. However, the safety car intervention never came and the final 4.5 hours of the race stayed green - the second longest green flag stretch in the race's history. This forced the team to dive into the pits for fuel with 5 minutes of the race remaining, dropping the #77 Colorspec Mercedes-AMG GT3 down the order from P2 to P5 overall.
Despite the disappointing finish this year, the team is still very proud of everyone’s hard work and dedication to ensure they performed at their best, along with a clean race that ensured the #77 AMG-GT3 car finished all 12 hours of race time without encountering any mechanical issues or race penalties.
Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing would like to thank title sponsor, Colorspec and manufacturer partner, Mercedes-AMG Motorsport, as well as team partners Hong Kong Asia Medical Group, Evisu, FreeM, and Gravity Partnership for their support in this year’s edition of the Bathurst 12 Hours. The team looks forward to returning to the Mountain in 2026.
Darryl O’Young
Team Director Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing
"It was a tough race from the outset, as we could clearly see the BMW’s pace and stint length advantage, highlighted by their ability to run 1-2 laps longer per stint than our car despite our efforts to save fuel. We had to push at full speed to keep up with the BMWs early in the race whilst they conserved their fuel, and when we went to try and conserve fuel ourselves, we simply didn't have the pace to keep up.
As with all races here in Bathurst 12 Hour, it does require some luck, and on race day we didn’t get it as the only way to overcome the BMW’s advantage was to have some luck with a safety car near the final 2 hours of the race. However, the final 4.5 hours of the race stayed green, where we needed an FCY or safety car to be able to push at the end.
I hope the race organizers can take a better look at the BOP and stint length capabilities of each car, to create a more balanced race for the fans to enjoy, as it was a game of who could save the most fuel and stretch the window to refuel, rather than a sprint finish we usually enjoy here at Bathurst. Our hands were tied on pace and stint length, and we did the best with what we had during the race weekend."
Lucas Auer
Driver #77 Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing
“The highlight of this year for me was achieving pole position at qualifying. Our P5 finish is very disappointing - in the end, things did not go to plan as we needed a last minute pitstop to refuel which unfortunately cost us finishing on the podium. But that is how things happen sometimes. It was still great to work with the entire team together this year - we learned a lot from this year’s race and took a lot of notes for analysis on how we can perform better next time. I look forward to working again with Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing in the future.”
Maximilian Goetz
Driver #77 Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing
“Finishing P5 was not the result we were hoping for and came to achieve this year at Bathurst, but we showed a great team effort through every stage. We were slightly off of our strategy by the end as we had to make another stop for fuel in the final minutes and unfortunately lost the podium.
Myself, Jayden, and Lucas were consistent in our performance through each of our stints - just need to come back and make our group effort better next time. It’s been a pleasure working with everyone at Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing again - look forward to our next race together!”
Jayden Ojeda
Driver #77 Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing
“I’m a little bit disappointed with our finish at this year’s Bathurst 12 Hours. We started the race from pole position and had a very strong, competitive car to give us the best chance at being successful this time around. The rival BMWs proved to be very quick, but we really wanted this win so we pushed hard - which meant risking needing a little bit of fuel in the final four hours. Ultimately we all worked together to the very end to try hard to win this year. Look forward to coming back again for another attempt at victory with the team.
