Mercedes-AMG beats Porsche, BMW to win chaotic 2026 Bathurst 12 Hour race

Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images

Mercedes-AMG won an action-packed Bathurst 12 Hour endurance race that saw eight safety cars deployed to clear chaos on track, including a high-speed crash with a kangaroo.

The first-placed AMG set the record for the lowest starting position to claim victory in the Bathurst 12 Hour's history, with one of its drivers, Germany's Maro Engel, finally mounting the top step after nine previous attempts at the race win.

Completing the podium was one of five Porsche 911 GT3 Rs in the 35-car field – only 34 of which started Sunday's race – and a BMW M4 GT3 counting nine-time MotoGP motorcycle racing champion Valentino Rossi among its drivers.

Among the most chaotic moments of the race was an early collision with a kangaroo by a Ford Mustang GT3 driven by Chris Mies, at an estimated 250km/h down the circuit's famous Conrod Straight, shortly after the 5:45am race start.

Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images

"It was very unfortunate and it was quite a big one, but honestly, I’m glad that we have such a safe race car, it could have been much worse," Mies told motorsport website Speedcafe.

"If I can just imagine the whole kangaroo would have come inside. I mean, half of it was inside, so I’m glad I’m standing here now."

Minutes later, a mechanical failure for the invitational-class KTM brought out the second safety car.

The longest safety car period of the race came early afternoon, when the #268 Audi driven by James Golding ran wide at the top of the mountain – on entry to the ‘metal grate’ at Sulman Park – backing into the wall at high speed, and slowing the race for an hour.

Photo via BMW Group media.

Yet, just as racing was set to restart, the leading #77 AMG driven by Ralf Aron smashed into the stationary Porsche of Johannes Zelger, which had spun to face the wall at the entry to Forrest's Elbow, shortly after unlapping itself.

After time in the lead and the top three, the #2 JMR Chevrolet Corvette GT3.R – making its Bathurst 12 Hour GT3 debut, alongside the Mustang – suffered a mechanical failure on its way down the hill, spinning before failing to make it back to the pit lane under its own power.

A battle between the #32 BMW of Kelvin van der Linde and the #75 Mercedes-AMG of Jules Gounon saw both cars make contact under braking into the first corner, running wide and allowing eventual race winner Maxime Martin to benefit.

The #75 AMG and the #32 BMW would both carry damaged cars to the finish, placing seventh and 12th, respectively.

Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images

The #888 Team GMR Mercedes-AMG, of Maxime Martin, would lead the field for the remaining 40 minutes, winning alongside Maro Engel and Canadian Mikael Grenier.

The driver combination suffered technical gremlins in qualifying the day before, which set them to start 29th out of 35 cars, the lowest starting position to win in Bathurst 12 Hour history.

Engel said during the post-race press conference: "I’ve waited a long time for this, and it’s every bit as special as I dreamt it would be."

He added: "I’m so happy. Big thank you to Mercedes-AMG, Team GMR and to my fantastic teammates, who drove their hearts out. It feels really good."

Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images

Second place went to High Class Racing, driven by Dorian Boccolacci, Anders Fjordbach, and Kerong Li, who started the #86 Porsche 911 in 30th – ahead of the #46 WRT BMW in third, driven by Augusto Farfus, Raffaele Marciello, and former MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi.

The drama-filled race saw eight safety cars and seven retirements, and only 13 cars finished on the lead lap.

Bathurst local and Australian TV star Grant Denyer finished 15th in the Wall Racing Lamborghini Huracan, while the #55 Audi driven by Supercars star Will Brown, plus Christopher Haase and Bathurst business owner Brad Schumacher, placed fourth.

A pair of Mercedes-AMGs – one driven by Supercars aces Chaz Mostert, Thomas Randle, and Cam Waters, and the other by racers including 2026 Supercars driver Jayden Ojeda – retired from the race on Lap 238 after making contact with each other.