Supercars star Will Davison will reunite with one of the Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst 6 Hour’s most successful combinations when he returns to the race this April 7-9.
The Shell V-Power Racing driver will line up in a BMW M3 Competition with race stalwarts Beric Lynton and Tim Leahey, winners of the race in 2019.
That year the BMW team led every single lap of the race and won by a full lap, setting a race distance record in the process, in one of the most dominant performances in recent Bathurst history.
They backed up that win with a fighting second in 2021, trailing home the winning BMW – run by the same team – by just seven seconds.
The duo return this year looking to be the first to claim multiple Bathurst 6 Hour wins.
“We’ve been working hard to rebuild the 2019 Bathurst 6 Hour winning Blue car since Tim had a BBQ at Queensland Raceway last year in Australian Production Cars,” Lynton said.
“We ran it on the weekend for the first time. We had some challenges but ticked a lot of boxes. Still some fine tuning but have another test day with APC on Tuesday which is when Tim and Will get their first drive of the year in the old girl.
“I’m looking forward to a good race and there’s plenty of quality in Class X. We obviously come trying to win and hopefully we (Tim and I) can be the first to win two B6HR titles.”
Davison joined the team for the first time last year, having spent the 2021 event in the pit bunker watching Lynton and long-time mate Leahey go to work.
Davison was handed the job of qualifying the car where he ultimately ended in sixth – maintaining the team’s record of a top-six start in every Bathurst 6 Hour.
Unfortunately, the #23 BMW was one of several cars afflicted with mechanical issues early in the race, dropping them several laps from the lead and eventually finishing 27th.
The car has since been completely rebuilt following a fire at the Australian Production Cars (APC) round at Queensland Raceway last year.
Davison’s inclusion means three of the four Dick Johnson Racing endurance drivers will race at this year’s Bathurst 6 Hour.
“I really enjoyed being part of the Bathurst 6 Hour with Beric, Tim and the team last year, unfortunately we had a mechanical issue very early on which put us out of contention,” Davison said.
“I have been very keen to come back and have another shot, I enjoyed the vibe of the event, it’s a fun and different nature of racing, a huge field and massive car speed variances.
“It creates different challenges and has an old school endurance race type feel. All the cars have different strengths and weaknesses and I enjoyed having to adapt to a Production Car and its requirements.
“Importantly we all got on well and had fun, and the chance to race with one of my best friends in Tim is really special, we will be giving it our all for victory this year.”
Anton de Pasquale was recently confirmed to be driving a BMW M4 with Anthony Soole and Adam Burgess, while Tony D’Alberto will return to co-pilot Duane West’s HSV GTS.
The Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst 6 Hour, round 2 of the Shannons SpeedSeries for 2023, will be broadcast live on Stan Sport and the Nine Network across the April 7-9 weekend.
Tickets, camping and corporate remain on sale via Bathurst6hour.com.au.