The 2026 running of the IGTC Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour burst into life across two intense days of practice at Mount Panorama Circuit. Teams wasted no time revealing their intent, with BMW, Mercedes-AMG and Audi trading blows at the top of the timing screens. From punctures and near misses to late-session flyers and red flags, every session delivered fresh intrigue ahead of Qualifying.
IGTC: 2026 Bathurst 12 Hours: Practice 1 – BMW strikes first
Reigning winners WRT made an immediate statement in the opening session of the Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour, with the #32 BMW topping Practice 1 at Mount Panorama Circuit.
Charles Weerts delivered the decisive lap in the closing minutes, stopping the clock at 2:03.8685s to become the first driver of the weekend to dip into the 2:03s. The late flyer ensured BMW struck first, exactly 12 months on from its breakthrough Bathurst victory.
Kelvin van der Linde had already laid the groundwork. The South African set a rapid early rhythm, punching in consecutive fastest laps of 2:10.9234s, 2:07.4630s and 2:05.3918s as grip steadily improved. The sister #46 BMW, driven by Augusto Farfus, briefly lowered the benchmark to 2:05.0714s as the times began tumbling.
Tony D’Alberto pushed the #93 Lamborghini into the 2:04s with a 2:04.7392s, before Lee Holdsworth responded in the #9 Audi with a 2:04.5334s. Kai Allen then emerged as a surprise leader in the #100 Mercedes-AMG, clocking a 2:04.3854s.
Cam Waters raised the bar in the #222 STM Mercedes-AMG, delivering a 2:04.1558s to edge nearly three tenths clear. Alex Peroni immediately slotted the #268 Team BRM Audi into second with a near-identical 2:04.1610s.
Weerts’ final effort ultimately sealed the session. Four manufacturers filled the top four, with Matt Campbell elevating the #911 Porsche to fourth late in the piece.
Drama struck early when Maxime Martin limped the #888 Mercedes-AMG back to the pits with a puncture, leaving it 26th. The #64 HRT Ford ended 18th, while the #2 JMR Corvette was 23rd.
Practice 1 Results
IGTC: 2026 Bathurst 12 Hours: Practice 2 (Bronze) – Margins measured in hundredths
Mercedes-AMG, BMW and Audi locked out the top three in a fiercely contested first Bronze session at the 2026 Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour, with margins measured in hundredths at Mount Panorama Circuit.
After 40 minutes of running, the #45 RAM/GWR Mercedes-AMG emerged on top courtesy of a late flyer from Australian driver Brett Hobson. His 2:05.3176s proved just 0.0225s quicker than the #89 Team KRC BMW M4 GT3 EVO of Dutch driver Maxime Oosten.
Brad Schumacher ensured Audi representation inside the top three, guiding the #55 Jamec Racing Team MPC R8 LMS Evo II to third after producing consecutive laps strong enough to hold position.
Schumacher opened proceedings among 21 of the weekend’s 35 cars with a 2:14.8743s, before two-time Bathurst 12 Hour winner Kenny Habul surged to the top in the 75 Express Mercedes-AMG with a 2:10.1429s. Habul ultimately finished fifth but remained consistently competitive.
Eduardo Barrichello then moved the #27 Heart of Racing by SPS Mercedes-AMG to the summit as times rapidly tumbled. Schumacher (2:09.9074s) briefly reclaimed control before Oosten dipped into the 2:06s with a 2:06.5974s.
Fabio Babini elevated the #79 TSUNAMI RT Porsche into second, while Kerong Li improved to a 2:06.2798s. Oosten then laid down a decisive 2:05.3401s that appeared secure.
In the dying minutes, Hobson produced the session’s standout lap to snatch top spot by the narrowest of margins, confirming just how tight the Bronze contest is shaping up to be.
Practice 2 Results
IGTC: 2026 Bathurst 12 Hours: Practice 3 – Brown leads Audi charge
Former Supercars champion Will Brown put Audi firmly in the spotlight during Practice 3 of the 2026 Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour, delivering the fastest lap of the weekend to that point at Mount Panorama Circuit.
In the first truly representative “hot” session, teams worked through pit stop drills and driver change rehearsals, but the focus remained on outright speed. Brown, sharing the #55 Jamec Racing/Team MPC Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II with Brad Schumacher and Christopher Haase, nailed a 2:03.8992s in the closing minutes of the 40-minute session to secure top spot.
The Audi was 0.25 seconds quicker than the #61 Earl Bamber Motorsport Porsche of Ricardo Feller, Laurin Heinrich and Klaus Bachler. Heinrich set the car’s best lap, although the Porsche endured a messy mid-session period, stranded in pit lane for several minutes amid a sequence of botched driver changes.
There was drama elsewhere in the Porsche camp. Dane Anders Fjordbach lost control of the #86 High Class Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) across the top of the Mountain, spinning towards the wall on approach to McPhillamy. The Danish driver avoided heavy contact, but the Pro-Am entry finished a lowly 23rd.
The opening minutes also produced near misses. Haase was forced to take evasive action from Maxime Martin’s #888 Mercedes-AMG, while Fabian Schiller escaped down the Hell Corner run-off in the #6 Mercedes-AMG.
Despite the incidents, Brown’s late flyer stood unchallenged, marking Audi as a genuine outright contender.
Practice 3 Results
IGTC: 2026 Bathurst 12 Hours: Practice 4 (Bronze) – Waters delivers the final Friday statement
Drama struck late in the final Friday Bronze session of the 2026 Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour, with the #7 Team NZ Aston Martin Vantage GT4 becoming the first major casualty of the weekend at Mount Panorama Circuit.
Two-time Bathurst 12 Hour winner Kenny Habul topped the session for 75 Express with a commanding 2:04.9062s, but attention quickly shifted to a bizarre collision between Graeme Dowsett and Alfred Renauer. The #7 Aston Martin appeared to turn in on the #21 Herberth Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) at Reid Park, sending Dowsett into the concrete on the run toward McPhillamy Park. With only two GT4 cars on the grid, the impact could prove terminal for the Aston’s weekend.
Officials red-flagged the session with five minutes remaining and declared it early, confirming Habul as Friday’s Bronze pacesetter.
Earlier, Habul had steadily lowered the benchmark from 2:13.6684s to 2:10.8371s before Grant Denyer surged ahead in the #93 Lamborghini with a 2:08.9664s. Brad Schumacher and Ruan Cunfan remained within reach, but it was Brett Hobson who briefly controlled proceedings in the #45 Mercedes-AMG, improving to a 2:06.2656s.
Habul responded emphatically, first with a 2:05.4050s and then the session-best 2:04.9062s to move nearly a second clear. Schumacher trimmed the margin to second before the red flag intervened.
The stoppage capped a scrappy session that also featured an early spin for Ralf Bohn at The Chase and minor contact between Tony Quinn and Schumacher at Forrest’s Elbow.
IGTC: 2026 Bathurst 12 Hours: Practice 5 – Audi dominate Saturday Morning
Audi set the tone for a crucial Saturday at the 2026 Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour, with Will Brown topping Practice 5 at Mount Panorama Circuit.
The #55 Jamec Racing/Team MPC Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II, shared by Brown, Christopher Haase and Brad Schumacher, finished the session fastest with a 2:04.0404s. Brown delivered the decisive lap, improving on Haase’s earlier benchmark to cement Audi’s growing status as a genuine contender.
The session ran uninterrupted but featured several tense moments. Gentle contact occurred at Murray’s Corner between the #86 High Class Racing Porsche and the #47 Supabarn/Tigani Mercedes-AMG, while Haase was forced to take evasive action at the same corner after a close call with the #93 Wall Racing Lamborghini. Maxime Martin also escaped down the Hell Corner run-off in the #888 Mercedes-AMG.
There was more serious trouble for the #26 Arise Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 of Jaxon Evans, Davide Rigon and Daniel Serra. The car returned to the garage with a suspected sensor issue before rapidly leaking coolant, completing just five laps.
On track, times tumbled as conditions improved. Augusto Farfus briefly led in the #46 WRT BMW with a 2:05.1866s. James Golding then put the #268 Team BRM Audi on top before Thomas Randle fired the #222 Mercedes-AMG to a 2:03.6309s.
Brown answered with successive improvements, but Alex Peroni momentarily stole top spot in the sister Audi. Haase reclaimed control with a 2:03.0404s, and although Jules Gounon and Cam Waters split the Audi pair, no one could dislodge the #55 from the summit.
Practice 5 Results
IGTC: 2026 Bathurst 24 Hours: Practice 6 – Waters strikes late to close final practice session
Cam Waters continued his mastery of Mount Panorama by topping Practice 6 at the 2026 Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour, putting the #222 Scott Taylor Motorsport Mercedes-AMG firmly on the radar ahead of qualifying. The Supercars star clocked a stunning 2:02.3574s in the closing minutes, improving on his 2025 benchmark by 0.34 seconds, signaling that lap times were still falling as the weekend progressed.
The session was full of surprises and setbacks, with five prominent Pro entries failing to reach Q2: the #26 Arise Ferrari, #61 EBM Porsche, #2 JMR Corvette, #77 Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing Mercedes-AMG, and #888 Mercedes-AMG Team GMR entry. Early in the session, Maxime Martin (2:08.4092s), Chaz Mostert (2:07.5507s) and Daniel Serra (2:07.3430s) set the initial pace. Charles Weerts broke into the 2:06s with a 2:06.8627s in the WRT BMW, while teammate Valentino Rossi followed closely.
The session escalated rapidly as Mostert unleashed a 2:04.7058s, dominating the timing screens, with Ben Barnicoat’s Optimum Motorsport McLaren also joining the 2:04s battle. Martin then reset the pace to 2:04.4378s, briefly leading before heading to the pits. Meanwhile, Alfred Renauer recovered from Friday’s incident to post a 2:04.5546s, with Roman De Angelis and Renauer trading top spots as times approached the 2:03s.
Christopher Haase was first under the 2:03 barrier with a 2:03.7038s, followed by Matt Campbell and Broc Feeney pushing into the 2:02s. Mapelli’s #93 Lamborghini rose to third at 2:02.5768s. Kelvin van der Linde, Raffaele Marciello, Scott Andrews, and Ryder Quinn all improved late in the session. Waters’ final flyer vaulted the #222 Mercedes-AMG to P1, while Kai Allen’s late run elevated the #100 Penrite Mercedes-AMG into eighth, highlighting the competitive intensity ahead of the Allan Simonsen Pole Trophy battle.
Practice 6 Results
A Qualifying shootout awaits
Practice across Friday and Saturday confirmed that the 2026 Bathurst 12 Hour will deliver one of the most competitive editions in recent memory. BMW struck early, Audi surged mid-weekend, and Mercedes-AMG landed the final blow through Waters’ late heroics.
With lap times tumbling into the low 2:02s and margins measured in hundredths, the fight for the Allan Simonsen Pole Trophy promises to be relentless. Mount Panorama has already demanded precision, bravery and resilience — and the race itself has yet to begin.
