Grid 2 Bathurst

[Robinette Ith]

Inthe gripping Top 10 Shootout on the spectacular 6.213 kilometre Mount Panorama Circuit, the Porsche works driver Earl Bamber (New Zealand) posted the seventh quickest time in temperatures of 35 degrees Celsius. His teammates for the race are Kvin Estre (France) and Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium). The more than 500 hp customer sports racer was designed for worldwide GT3 series on the basis of the 911 GT3 RS production sports car and is fielded in the top Class A-GT3 Pro-Pro by the Australian Walkinshaw GT3 squad.

The 911 GT3 R run by Competition Motorsports takes up the race from the fifth grid row, after the Australian Porsche Junior, Matt Campbell, posted the ninth fastest time. His teammates are the Porsche factory pilots Marc Lieb (Germany) and Patrick Long (USA) as well as his compatriot David Calvert-Jones. They were the only entries in Class A-GT3 Pro-Am to make it into the Top 10 Shootout.

The 6.213-kilometre Mount Panorama Circuit offers an extraordinary mix of 23 fast and slow corners. The picturesque rollercoaster track has gradients of up to 16 percent, with a 174-metre elevation variance between the Pit Straight and the Skyline, the highest and lowest points. The circuit runs counter clockwise. For most of the year the storied racetrack, built as a part of an employment relief effort in the 1930s, serves as a public road.

The cockpit of the 911 GT3 R fielded by Walkinshaw GT3 with the starting number 911 is shared by Porsche works drivers Earl Bamber (New Zealand), overall Le Mans winner of 2015, Kvin Estre (France) as well as Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium), the 2016 winner of the FIA GT World and the Intercontinental GT Challenge. They will contest the Top Class A-GT3 Pro-Pro. In the 911 GT3 R of Competition Motorsports (#12) their factory driver colleague Patrick Long (USA) joins forces with Marc Lieb (Germany), the 2016 outright winner of the Le Mans 24 Hours and the winner of the FIA World Endurance Championship, to tackle the Class A-GT3 Pro-Am. They are supported by two local aces, Porsche Junior Matt Campbell and David Calvert-Jones. Other Porsche customer teams also campaigning the 911 GT3 R are Craft Bamboo Racing (A-GT3 Pro-Pro), AMAC Motorsport (A-GT3 AM) and Walkinshaw GT3 with a second car (A-GT3 Am). Grove Motorsport, 2016 class winner with Earl Bamber, will line up to contest the Class B-GT3 with a 911 GT3 Cup.

The 911 GT3 R was designed by Porsche for worldwide GT3 series on the basis of the 911 GT3 RS production sports car. Mounted with the new ultra-modern, four-litre flat-six engine with direct fuel injection, the 368 kW (500 hp) customer sports racer celebrated its race debut in January 2016 at the Daytona 24-hour race. In its development, engineers put special emphasis on uncompromising lightweight design, improved aerodynamic efficiency, lower fuel consumption and even better driveability. Already in its maiden season, the 911 GT3 R celebrated many successes in international racing series, for example in the IMSA SportsCar Championship, the World Challenge, the ADAC GT Masters as well as the VLN Long Distance Championship Nrburgring on the demanding Nordschleife.

* Where values are indicated as ranges, they do not refer to a single, specific vehicle and are not part of the offered product range. They are only for the purposes of comparison between different vehicle types. Additional equipment and accessories (add-on parts, tyre formats etc.) can change relevant vehicle parameters such as weight, rolling resistance and aerodynamics. These factors, in addition to weather, traffic conditions and driving behaviour, can influence the fuel/electricity consumption, CO2 emissions, range and performance values of a vehicle.

Sheldon van der Linde took out the Allan Simonsen Pole Award for the first time with a 2m01.9810s lap in the Top 10 Shootout to give he and teammates Dries Vanthoor and Charles Weerts pole position in their #32 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3.

The #701 Vortex qualified 26th but was handed a three-place grid penalty after Lionel Amrouche was found to have been doing 51km/h in the 40km/h pit lane during the session, dropping it to the 28th on the grid sheet published by the stewards on Saturday evening.

Transgrid is applying the Regulatory Investment Test for Transmission (RIT-T) to options for maintaining reliable supply in the Bathurst, Orange and Parkes areas in Central West NSW. This would involve new infrastructure to address load growth in the area.

We will hold an online Market Forum to brief potential suppliers on August 10 at 10:00am (Australian Eastern Standard Time). We invite all interested parties to attend to hear more about these opportunities.

Parties wishing to participate in the competitive process and access the RFT will need to separately register. Please contact us at BOP...@transgrid.com.au for further details and information and eligibility requirements.

Transgrid must show that the preferred option for maintaining reliable supply in the Bathurst, Orange and Parkes areas will deliver the greatest net benefits to energy consumers. The net benefits delivered by the project are assessed using the Regulatory Investment Test for Transmission (RIT-T) administered by the Australian Energy Regulator (AER).

We have now completed the final stage of the RIT-T and after assessing multiple options, identified that a non-network solution provided through new Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) at Parkes and Panorama along with the installation of dynamic reactive power support devices in the near term is the preferred option for stage 1 of the project. Stage 2 of the project involves a new 132 kV transmission line between Wellington and Parkes in the future, with the date of this line depending on outturn demand forecasts.

The PSCR detailed the need to maintain reliable supply in the Bathurst, Orange and Parkes areas and describes credible options to meet the need, including technical characteristics that would be required of a non-network option.

We received submissions from three parties in response to the PSCR. Additionally, five parties responded to an Expression of Interest (EOI) which was published alongside the PSCR to explore possible non-network solutions that could meet or assist with meeting the Identified Need.

The Project Assessment Draft Report (PADR) , published in February 2022, provides transparency into the planning considerations for investment options to stabilise the central west NSW power system, and the associated market benefits. A key purpose of this PADR, and the RIT-T more broadly, is to provide interested stakeholders the opportunity to review the analysis and assumptions, provide input to the process, and have certainty and confidence that the preferred option has been robustly identified as optimal.

Submissions received in response to the PSCR were considered when preparing the PADR. The PADR includes a full quantitative analysis of the proposed options and expected net market benefit across a range of scenarios and sensitivities. We have published the following supporting documents:

We invited written submissions on the material contained in the PADR. We received submissions from 11 parties in response to the PADR, eight of which are confidential. Submissions approved for publication are from:

The assessment in this PACR finds that a non-network solution provided through new Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) at Parkes and Panorama along with the installation of dynamic reactive power support devices in the near term is the preferred option for stage 1 of the project. Stage 2 of the project involves a new 132 kV transmission line between Wellington and Parkes in the future, with the date of this line depending on outturn demand forecasts.

We will now enter into a competitive procurement process and commercial negotiations with non-network proponents for a network support service and seek to put in place a contract with one of these parties.

A RECORD SIX Porsche Carrera Cup Champions with nine titles in four different series will headline a 30-strong field entered for Round 6 of the 2023 Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship at Mount Panorama.

The return of 2022 champion Harri Joins to the grid will see the Queenslander join 2004 Australian champion Alex Davison, 2005 champion Fabian Coulthard and 2017 champion David Wall on what will be one of the most stacked Carrera Cup grids in series history.

Meanwhile the addition of three-time Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Champion Chris van der Drift, who will deputise for Callum Hedge in the Team Porsche NZ / EBM entry, adds further one-make Porsche success to the field.

His The Bend Motorsport Park-backed 992 GT3 Cup Car remains under repair following the race-ending crash at Sandown, when he was collected by a flying Nick McBride, who in turn had been hit by another car.

Audi Sport Team Valvoline was the best Audi team in qualifying for the Bathurst 12 Hour. Kelvin van der Linde claimed sixth position in the no 22 Audi R8 LMS. The South African and his team mates Frdric Vervisch and Garth Tander will start from third row on the grid. The race starts at 5.45 am local time in Australia. Their team-mate Christopher Haase claimed ninth position in the final qualifying. The German and his fellow drivers Christopher Mies and Markus Winkelhock will start from fifth row into round one of the Intercontinental GT Challenge. Audi has won the race three times so far since 2011.

The final positions for the 5:45am start of the race then will see the #22 Audi on the front row of the grid with Kelvin van der Linde behind the while, while the sister car, #74 will start from the second row in third position. The Belgian Audi Sport Team WRT will start from seventh position to round out the top 10 paces.

Reigning champion Scott McLaughlin will start from second ahead of Chaz Mostert and Shane van Gisbergen, whose Red Bull Holden Racing Team was boosted up a spot following the Top 10 Shootout disqualification of Nick Percat. See the full grid below.

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