GWR Australia and RAM Motorsport have triumphed in Australia’s international endurance race, Brett Hobson, Garth Walden and Dylan O’Keeffe winning the Pro-Am Class at the 2026 Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour.
Starting 19th on the grid and third in class, the trio worked their way into the class lead by the four-hour mark and from there they were never headed; they finished a fine 13th overall, completing 262 laps – the same number as the outright race winner and one more than the next-best Pro-Am entry.
Walden said the result was made possible by a combination of exemplary driving and flawless strategic execution.
“It’s very rare that you have an endurance race where everything goes perfectly to plan, but that was how Sunday panned out for us,” Walden said.
“We worked our way into the race lead in the early stages and we were able to extend a considerable margin over our rivals thanks to some sharp strategic decisions by our crew.
“The red flag in the last third of the race meant we had to change our strategy slightly to ensure Brett and I fulfilled our mandatory driving time requirements, but by that stage we were well and truly on the front foot.
“It’s my third Bathurst 12 Hour class win, but it’s my first in the GT era of the race. It means an enormous amount not only to me, but the entire team and especially the car owner Mike Sheargold, who has been enormously invested in this project and unwavering in his support.”
Hobson, who started the race in the #45 Mercedes-AMG GT3 before completing two further stints, was fortunate not to be involved in a massive accident that caused the race to be suspended for an hour.
“As I came down the hill towards Forrest Elbow, I could see a Porsche that had spun and I just managed to squeeze through on the inside,” Hobson said.
“Coming down Conrod Straight, I got on the radio to the crew and said ‘wow, that was close!’
“It was one of those lucky days where incidents seemed to be happening all around us, but we managed to avoid them.”
O’Keeffe said the highlight of the race was taking the chequered flag at the end of his final stint.
“The last stint was great – by that stage, Brett and Garth had done an amazing job to build up a big lead, so I just had to bring it home,” he said.
“Coming out of Murray’s Corner and seeing the guys hanging over the fence was a very cool moment. I’ve had a few class wins at the Bathurst 12 Hour, but this one feels particularly special.”
GWR Australia’s attention now turns towards the rest of their 2026 motorsport program, which includes entries in categories such as Porsche Carrera Cup Australia, Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge, Radical Cup Australia and NSW SuperSports.
