BMW has scored maximum Intercontinental GT Challenge points in 2025’s season opener at the Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour where Augusto Farfus and Van der Linde brothers Kelvin and Sheldon beat team-mates Raffaele Marciello, Valentino Rossi and Charles Weerts.

10 seconds separated the #32 and #46 M4 GT3s, while Kenny Habul, Jules Gounon and Luca Stolz extended theirs and 75 Express’ collective podium streak at Mount Panorama to four races by finishing one second further back.

BMW was one of this event’s heavyweights in its production car days but had never won in the GT3 era despite twice claiming pole. WRT’s victory drought at Australia’s International Enduro wasn’t quite as long but did stretch back to 2018 – remarkable considering its success elsewhere.

Sheldon and Kelvin, meanwhile, have become the first siblings to share a winning car since David and Geoff Brabham won the Bathurst 1000 – also with BMW, incidentally – in 1997.

Craft-Bamboo’s Mercedes-AMG led away from pole but was overhauled before the end of the opening stint by a flying Chaz Mostert who started Arise Racing’s Ferrari fifth. The Supercars ace then established a nine-second advantage before pitstop strategies amidst several Safety Car periods jumbled the order.

Instead, it was Absolute Racing’s Porsche and WRT’s BMWs that became the regular frontrunners through mid-morning. But while the 911’s speed appeared to tail off, the M4s maintained their metronomic pace out front as first #46 and then #32 became the de facto leaders.

Further caution periods kept their advantage in check but by mid-afternoon it was clear that the Van der Lindes and Farfus were in the box seat despite Craft-Bamboo’s Mercedes-AMG, the Arise Ferrari and Absolute’s Porsche remaining within striking distance as the race ticked into its final quarter.

The 296 and 911 were first to fall away, while earlier strategy calls left Craft-Bamboo’s Maximilian Götz, Jayden Ojeda and Lucas Auer – who set pole yesterday – just outside of the optimum refuelling window. Pitting six minutes before the finish cost them a certain podium.

Second place instead went to WRT’s other BMW, but only after Marciello passed Gounon around the outside of the kink via a trip over Conrod Straight’s grass in the final 10 minutes.

The 75 Express Mercedes-AMG is always a contender at Bathurst and so it was again despite the nature of its Pro class crew. Habul completed his drive time before half distance and crucially remained on the lead lap to give Stolz and Gounon a chance of closing down the leaders.

Their cause was helped by Arise having to stop late for fuel. Daniel Serra and Broc Feeney were as fast as always, but it was Mostert who caught everyone’s attention in the final hour when he relieved Kelvin van der Linde of the lead. WRT would have been unconcerned given the Ferrari’s final late fuel stop was already well telegraphed, but it did serve as a reminder of what might have been for the reigning GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS champions who ultimately finished fourth.

Craft-Bamboo and Absolute completed the top six for Mercedes-AMG and Porsche, respectively, while Heart of Racing by SPS’s Ian James, Ross Gunn and Zach Robichon won the event’s Bronze class in seventh overall.

Behind, Arise Racing’s other Ferrari finished eighth on the road but scored seventh place IGTC points for its manufacturer. And the Bend Motorsport Park’s 911 rounded out Intercontinental’s top eight in 10th overall. 

Notable retirees included GruppeM’s Mercedes-AMG, which went hard into the wall exiting The Chase, and Jamec/MPC’s Audi that qualified second but ended its race deep in the gravel trap overlooked by the Rydges Hotel.

Craft-Bamboo and Mercedes-AMG will start 2025’s Intercontinental GT Challenge season opener from pole position thanks to Lucas Auer who claimed his first Allan Simonsen Trophy at the Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour.

The Austrian earnt his place in the top 10 shootout by setting seventh fastest time across Q1 and Q2. Clearly, however, he’d saved a little more for when it mattered most in the final 15-minute Pirelli Pole Battle.

His first and, as it turned out, only flying lap – 2m01.2760s – was the second fastest pole time in 12 Hour history and 0.1250s quicker than Ricardo Feller’s best in the Jamec Racing / Team MPC Audi that earlier topped combined qualifying.

Maro Engel heads up row two in GMR’s Mercedes-AMG after chipping away at Auer’s time. The German ultimately fell 0.284s shy but did get the better of WRT’s #32 BMW driven by Sheldon van der Linde. Last year’s pole winner opted to wait before joining the action but couldn’t repeat the same feat as 12 months ago.

The best of Arise Racing’s Ferraris was next up courtesy of Chaz Mostert who also made gains as the session developed. He ended up less than 0.02s behind Van der Linde and almost two tenths clear of The Bend’s Laurin Heinrich whose Porsche completed a top six comprising five manufacturers.

Two-time 12 Hour winner Luca Stolz starts seventh for 75 Express, while Scott Andrews’ Audi moved up two places after scraping into the Pole Battle at Matt Campbell’s expense.

Cam Waters paced Practice 5 and 6 earlier today so might be disappointed with qualifying  STM’s Mercedes-AMG ninth, one place ahead of the event’s best placed Bronze entry driven by Lee Holdsworth.

Two pro entries – Absolute’s Porsche and WRT’s #46 BMW – failed to reach the Pole Battle and therefore start where they qualified in 11th and 12th, respectively.

However, with half a day’s racing ahead of them both can still score significant IGTC points for their manufacturers.

The Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour goes green at 05:45 AEDT (GMT +11) on Sunday. International viewers can watch it live on SRO’s GT World YouTube channel, while Seven Network, Fox Sports and Sky Sport NZ will broadcast the same coverage in Australia and New Zealand where geo restrictions apply.