Dylan O’Keeffe will line up for his fifth start in the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour on 3-5 February, driving the My Land Partners Audi R8 GT3 Evo 2 alongside Daniel Gaunt and Andrew Fawcet in the Silver Class.
The Audi has been entered by Melbourne Performance Centre, and will be run by a crew from the New Zealand-based International Motorsport operation.
It will be the third time O’Keeffe has raced an Audi in the 12 Hour – he drove an R8 GT3 alongside Gaunt and Ash Samadi in 2018, and teamed up with Tony Bates, Geoff Emery and Max Twigg in 2020.
His other Bathurst 12 Hour appearances came in a Porsche GT3 Cup car in 2017 (in which he won Class B on debut) and a MARC car in 2019.
The Melbourne Carrera Cup and TCR star is excited to be back behind the wheel of a fully-fledged GT3 car for a crack at one of Australia’s great endurance races.
“Driving a GT3 car around Bathurst is such a mind-blowing experience – there’s nothing like plunging down through Sulman Park towards the metal grate at 200km/h with the concrete walls just centimetres away. You’re literally holding your breath and telling yourself to trust the downforce,” O’Keeffe said.
Gaunt and Fawcet have enjoyed recent success in New Zealand GT racing, finishing second in both the North and South Island Endurance Series last year aboard a McLaren. O’Keeffe is expecting the trio to be a strong combination in the Silver Class.
“Daniel and Andrew have both had plenty of recent seat time in GT3 cars, and I’ve done a lot of racing at Bathurst lately, so our combined knowledge will stand us in good stead for the 12 Hour,” O’Keeffe said.
“Like any endurance race, the key will be to stay out of trouble in the early stages and make sure we’re in a position to race hard at the finish.”
The Bathurst 12 Hour formalities commence on Thursday, 2 February with the now-traditional “Town to Track” street parade and car display.
Live coverage of the Bathurst 12 Hour will be provided by Channel 7, 7Plus, Fox Sports and Kayo.
2023 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour Schedule
Thursday, 2 February
10:30am – Town to Track Parade (2 hr 30 min)
Friday, 3 February
9:45am – Practice 1 (40 min)
11:05am – Practice 2 Bronze Drivers (40 min)
2:00pm – Practice 3 Bronze Drivers (40 min)
4:10pm – Practice 4 (40 min)
Saturday, 4 February
8:35am – Practice 5 (1 hr)
10:50am – Practice 6 (1 hr)
12:45pm – Qualifying (25 min)
4:10pm – Top 10 Shootout Part 1 (15 min)
4:35pm – Top 10 Shootout Part 2 (15 min)
Sunday, 5 February
5:45am – Bathurst 12 Hour (12 hr)
