In a great warm up to the Clipsal 500 this weekend, Jim Beam Racing’s Steve Johnson has walked away from the Bathurst 12 Hour with the Class B category win, but also a fantastic 4th place overall.
The Hunter Sports Group #3 Porsche 997 GT3, piloted by Steve Johnson, Steve Richards and Nathan Tinkler, was on pace all weekend. In a race full of action, Safety Cars and Bathurst's most fickle weather, Johnson and his team mates drove superbly, keeping to a solid race strategy.
"We were not really pushing it, but short shifting and looking after the tyres, we knew we could push hard when it mattered," a very happy Johnson said after the race.
"The car was faultless really. Nathan did a great job and gained in confidence with his stints. He ran a lot in the wet and every time Richo or I jumped back in we hadn’t lost much time to the Porsche behind us,” Steve added. "A great result and a credit to the team and a great start to 2012!"
When asked about the Bathurst 12 Hour event overall, Johnson commented, "I’ve had a great time here. It is a completely different race to the 1000k V8 Supercar event. A different atmosphere and a very relaxed feel. But the event needs more cars - fast and slow to make the it grow.
“I have to thank Nathan and the crew, as we came here before in Production Falcon XR8, but to step up to the Porsche this year was really good. Hopefully he is keen to come back again." Steve added.
The #3 Porsche covered 254 laps won Class B by a margin of 10 laps from the #65 Porsche. The outright race was won by 2011 winners Audi and Phoenix Motorsport.
The Hunter Sports Group #3 Porsche 997 GT3, piloted by Steve Johnson, Steve Richards and Nathan Tinkler, was on pace all weekend. In a race full of action, Safety Cars and Bathurst's most fickle weather, Johnson and his team mates drove superbly, keeping to a solid race strategy.
"We were not really pushing it, but short shifting and looking after the tyres, we knew we could push hard when it mattered," a very happy Johnson said after the race.
"The car was faultless really. Nathan did a great job and gained in confidence with his stints. He ran a lot in the wet and every time Richo or I jumped back in we hadn’t lost much time to the Porsche behind us,” Steve added. "A great result and a credit to the team and a great start to 2012!"
When asked about the Bathurst 12 Hour event overall, Johnson commented, "I’ve had a great time here. It is a completely different race to the 1000k V8 Supercar event. A different atmosphere and a very relaxed feel. But the event needs more cars - fast and slow to make the it grow.
“I have to thank Nathan and the crew, as we came here before in Production Falcon XR8, but to step up to the Porsche this year was really good. Hopefully he is keen to come back again." Steve added.
The #3 Porsche covered 254 laps won Class B by a margin of 10 laps from the #65 Porsche. The outright race was won by 2011 winners Audi and Phoenix Motorsport.