Haase’s “Lucky Moment” That Propelled MPC Audi to Podium

Photo: Audi

Christopher Haase described the closing stages of the Repco Bathurst 12 Hour as a ‘fair and hard fight’ that ultimately saw the German driver claim a podium finish for his Melbourne Performance Centre Audi team.

Haase and co-drivers Kelvin van der Linde and Bronze-rated Liam Talbot came home third in their No. 22 Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II entry after a late charge from Haase, who was locked in a three-way battle for the final podium position.

Having took the final restart with 30 minutes to go in fifth, Haase managed to get around both the No. 46 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 of Maxime Martin and Jaxon Evans’ No. 13 Phantom Global Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R in the final minutes of the Australian enduro.

It came in a mixed-condition race that put competitors on the limit.

“At the end, it was definitely demanding,” Haase said. “Going out on wets, I honestly struggled a bit in the beginning on the wets, to switch them on.

“Finally I had a chance to switch them on. This was really, really difficult.

“I would have expected many more Full Course Yellows in this time because it was kind of sketchy, especially going into The Cutting and up the hill.

“Later on, with the slicks, I think we did a really good job in terms of tire pressure preparing the tires because the car felt very strong right out of the box.

“We had good speed in the car but somehow on the straight line, it was not easy for us to compete with the others.

“My goal was to catch them when they were fighting and in the end, this lucky moment happened. When it happened, I was close enough to take it.

“On the other hand, I have to say it was really fair driven by the other two guys. This is what we’re here for and why we love racing. It was a fair, hard fight.

“I will never forget this.”

Martin, who ended up fifth, echoed Haase’s comments in saying it was a nice ‘fight’ to the checkered flag.

“I had one possibility to pass; I had to try and I went a bit wide, got passed and we finished in P5,” he said.

“It’s a bit of a shame and frustrating but I think with the speed of the Porsche we couldn’t win the race anyway.”

It marked the first overall podium finish for all three of the MPC Audi drivers following a number of years of heartbreak on Mount Panorama.

“It was crazy out there,” van der Linde said. “I think a lot of people watching don’t understand how difficult these cars are to drive between the walls without making a mistake.

“I was also quite surprised at how few Full Course Yellows we had at the end. There was really some tricky conditions out there.

“We managed to survive and the first podium feels awesome.”

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John