The Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12-Hour Race is back again for 2018, with the race which continues to grow in popularity each year, is quickly approaching, February 2-4 to be exact. As driver lineups fall into place, we know the action is going to be fast paced and brilliant to watch, but when the inevitable accidents happen on the famous circuit, there’ll be a pretty impressive safety car to slow down the field.
For the fourth consecutive year, Mercedes-Benz gets the nod and will supply the Safety and Course cars. This year the field will be led by the Mercedes-AMG E 63 S 4MATIC+ Safety Car and when needed, across all on-track sessions, including the big race on Sunday. Keeping pace with million dollar+ GT3 cars is no easy feat, so Merc provided the power, strapping in a 4.0L turbo V8 engine pumping out 450 kW of power and 850 Nm of torque. That’s good for shooting the AMG E 63 S 4MATIC+ from zero to 100 km/h in just 3.4 seconds. Just in case the drivers get a little carried away down conrod, there’s an electronically controlled top speed of 300 km/h.
Also lending a helping hand, will be a pair of Mercedes-AMG C 63 S models plus two Mercedes-AMG C 43 4MATIC saloons will perform official duties as Course Cars across the weekend at Mount Panorama. The Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour Event Director John Casey welcomed Mercedes-Benz back to ‘Australia’s International Endurance Race’.
“It is fantastic to once again be working with Mercedes-Benz. They have an outstanding presence both on and off the track that I know our fans really enjoy.
“We value our partnership with Mercedes-Benz enormously and thank them for their ongoing support.”
Following the conclusion of the 12-Hour race, a group of Mercedes-AMG customers will be able to join the on-track action on Monday and Tuesday. Participants will pilot a fleet of performance-focused Mercedes-AMG cars through an exciting series of exercises under the tutelage of professional racing instructors, culminating in the ultimate experience – laps of the famous 6.2-kilometre Mount Panorama circuit.
The livery this year is a striking red, black and white combination that’s incredibly unique and will definitely have motorsport fans debating if it looks good or not. Personally I think it achieves what it needs to, you’ll easily tell it apart from the rest of the field on the circuit, although I’m not sure it shows off the curves of the car at the rear in the best light. The rear quarter gets a little lost in all that red, but the front looks fantastic in a glossy ice white finish. The hard contrast from the stark white boot lid to the solid red of the lower rear bar is certainly not my favourite part, it could have had some added visual interest like the large multicoloured blocks splashed across the the rear door. Each to their own, but like I said, it’ll certainly stand out.
More information on the event, or to access the live stream, head to bathurst12hour.com.au