24h Le Mans
This past weekend, within the three driver line-ups to claim a podium finish at the 12 Hours of Bathurst, the biggest endurance race in Australia, there were two previous 24 Hours of Le Mans overall winners, Marc Lieb and Guy Smith, and three previous class winners, Toni Vilander, the winner in Australia, Patrick Long and Jonny Kane.
On Saturday at 5:45 a.m. local time, three previous overall winners at the 24 Hours of Le Mans took the start at the 12 Hours of Bathurst (Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour) and two among them reached the podium at the top Australian endurance race.
Marc Lieb, who won at the last edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, claimed the second step on the podium along with another official Porsche driver, Patrick Long, who won the former classes LM GT in 2004 and LM GT2 in 2007. Guy Smith finished third in Australia with former Audi driver Oliver Jarvis, and won at Le Mans in 2003 with Bentley along with Tom Kristensen, win record-holder (nine victories) at the 24 Hours, and Dindo Capello (three victories).
The highest step on the podium at the Mount Panorama circuit was claimed by Toni Vilander - as it was at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2012 and 2014 in LM GTE Pro (second in 2016 with Risi Competizione) with AF Corse's Ferrari 458 Italia - Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup, two of the top active Australian drivers.
Official Aston Martin driver Darren Turner (see article about his 2017 program) had to settle for 26th place, whereas the trio Paul Dalla Lana, Pedro Lamy and Mathias Lauda, on the invitees list to the 2017 24 Hours with Aston Martin in LM GTE Am, were forced to retire, as was Earl Bamber, overall winner at Le Mans in 2015.
Photo: Toni Vilander (with helmet, at right) getting ready to take the wheel of Risi Competizione's #82 Ferrari 488 at the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans.
