*Bathurst 🇦🇺: Pro-Am podium for The Bend* ➡️ Absolute Racing crossed the line in sixth as The Bend finished second in the Pro-Am class at the 2025 edition of the Bathurst 12 Hour at the Mount Panorama Circuit, the first stop on this year’s Intercontinental GT Challenge calendar. In traditional Bathurst 12 Hour fashion, the race began in darkness at 05:45 local time, making for one of the most picturesque opening hours in endurance racing as the sun rises. The Bend’s #91 Porsche GT3 R – driven by Sam and Yasser Shahin from Australia 🇦🇺, Dutchman Morris Schuring 🇳🇱 and former Porsche Junior Laurin Heinrich from Germany 🇩🇪 – secured sixth overall in the top-10 qualifying shootout while also taking Pro-Am pole position thanks to an excellent one-lap performance by Heinrich on his Bathurst debut. Yasser Shahin – 2024 Le Mans 24 Hours LMGT3 class winner – started for the EMA Motorsport-run car. Throughout the event the four drivers battled for the lead in Pro-Am while staying competitive in the overall order, eventually finishing second in class and 10th overall. Meanwhile, the Absolute Racing crew made up of two-time Bathurst winner Matt Campbell 🇦🇺 and Ayhancan Güven 🇹🇷 alongside former Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific Selected Driver Alessio Picariello from Belgium 🇧🇪 – narrowly missed out on the top ten shootout. They would begin the enduro in 11th. Güven started the race and quickly made his way forward, battling through the field to lead at the end of his second stint, with several Safety Car interventions causing an intriguing strategy battle. Later on, Picariello produced some brilliant defending in a battle for the final spot on the podium, before handing over to hometown hero and Porsche works driver Campbell to complete the enduro in sixth place. The next stop on the 2025 Intercontinental GT Challenge calendar will be 24h Nürburgring on 19-22 June.