2017 Bathurst 12-Hour – Whincup | Lowndes | Vilander Win For Ferrari

Ferrari’s 488 GT3 was the class of the field on its debut at the Bathurst 12-Hour in the hands of Maranello Motorsport, claiming Ferrari’s second Bathurst enduro victory in four years.

In the hands of experienced Bathurst campaigners Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup, joined by Finnish driver Toni Vilander, it seemed the 488 only needed to stay out of trouble and a successful weekend for the team was assured.

The #88 car was fastest in qualifying and the top-ten shootout, starting from pole position. The team led around half of the racing laps during the 12-Hour endurance event, and Vilander more than matched it with his Supercars Australia teammates.

Mercedes-AMG drivers Craig Baird, Maro Engel and Shane van Gisbergen lifted the number #22 AMG GT to second throughout the day after starting 17th on the grid, leading 57 of the 290 laps (1802km).

In the final hour, after 11h18m of racing, a quick pit stop for the #22 car saw it take the lead with van Gisbergen at the wheel. Two laps later, a determined pass by Whincup on Conrod Straight in the Ferrari reversed the order once again.