Bathurst 24: Front runners have settled into rhythmn

Mount Panorama, Bathurst (NSW) 22-23 November 2003
Update at 8.00 AM Sunday

Monaro, Monaro, Porsche, Porsche, Mosler, Porsche, Porsche, Porsche, Lamborghini, BMW.

The order of the Bathurst 24-Hour front runners has settled into a steady rhythmn as the final daylight stages gets under way.

With the 427# and 05# Monaros so strongly in command and running nose-to-tail, the question arises whether they will keep their positions as the race winds down or stage a race between them that could see Peter Brock win his 10th Bathburst enduro.

Paul Morris, from the Gold Coast, is 10 laps behind the second Monaro in the Falken Tyres Porsche GT3 # Cup, while the Alzen brothers from Germany are on the same, in fourth outright, and leading Class B by 17 laps.

There are still six hours to go -- almost the duration of a Bathurst 1000 km race -- and the leaders in 427# Monaro had covered 392 laps by 8 am.

The Lamborghini was in ninth place, having suffered four tyre failures since the race start at 2 pm. The team has changed tyre compounds to try to cure the problem. The Cirteki Porsche GT3 RS retired just after 8 am with electrical problems.

The Newcastle-owned BMW M Coupe team of Russell/King/Stubber/Cramp is leading Class D and in a superb 10th outright, but with the BMW M3 currently driver by Rick Bates just one lap behind. <pre> Outright 1. 427# Holden Monaro Tander/Richards/Pretty/McConville 392 laps 2. 05# Holden Brock/Murphy/Bright/Kelly 3. 54# Porsche GT3 Cup Shearman/Teulan/Fitzgerald/Morris 4. 6# Porsche GT3 Cup Alzen/Alzen/Klasen/Bartels 5. 900# Mosler Short/Pearce/Lamb/Spurle

Class A - 427# Holden Monaro            Tander/Richards/Pretty/McConville
Class B -   6# Porsche GT3 Cup          Alzen/Alzen/Klasen/Bartels
Class D -  27# BMW M Coupe              Russell/Cramp/King/Stuber,
Class E -  62# Holden Commodore SS      Loadsman/Luff/Luff/Russell
Class F -  59# Holden Commodore         Williams/Moore/Bosnjak

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