Peter Conroy Motorsport has signed on a formidable driver line-up for its 2015 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour campaign.
Popular television personality Grant Denyer and Porsche Carrera Cup Australia front-runner Tony Bates will join team owner Peter Conroy in the team’s Porsche 911 GT3 Cup entry, which will compete in Class B.
All three drivers boast significant experience in endurance racing at Mount Panorama. Peter Conroy has six previous starts in the once-around-the-clock marathon, with a best result of fourth outright in 2010, along with class wins in 2009 and 2011.
Denyer has competed in the 12 Hour on three occasions; he finished second outright in 2008. Denyer also contested last decade’s two 24 hour races at the holy grail of Australian motorsport, finishing 6th outright in 2003.
Tony Bates is no stranger to Mount Panorama, having turned laps in Commodore Cup (including a twin-driver enduro in 2011), V8 Supercar Development Series and more recently, Porsche Carrera Cup.
Conroy said the three drivers’ familiarity with the circuit will be one of their strengths.
“All three of us have completed a lot of laps around Mount Panorama, and it is the sort of circuit where experience counts for a lot,” Conroy said.
“In an endurance race like the 12 Hour, consistency, reliability and awareness are much more important than raw, outright speed over one lap, and Grant and Tony have both proven to be very smart, tactical drivers.
“With such a large field, traffic management will be critical and Class B is an interesting one, because we have to think about negotiating slower traffic while also being aware of the faster Class A cars coming up behind us.
“Even in Class B, there is a lot of depth and some very talented drivers, so a top three result would be a great achievement.”
Practice for the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour commences on Friday, 6 February, followed by qualifying on Saturday, 7 February.
The 12 Hour race commences at 5:50am on Sunday, 8 February and will be shown live on Channel 7 and 7MATE (check local guides).