Former Bathurst 12 Hour Winner Confirms Audi Program

1991 Bathurst 12 Hour winner Peter Fitzgerald has gone public with his plans to add a second victory to his CV in 2015.

‘Fitzy’ posted photos on his Facebook page of the Audi R8 LMS he has entered under the AFES Engineering/Evolve Technik banner for the 2015 race.

“Our main aim for running this year is to get some time and experience in the car before heading to the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour in February 2015,” Fitzgerald posted on his public Facebook driver page.

“Until we find some serious sponsors that want to partner with us we will be running with the AFES Engineering / Evolve Technik signage, but we’re looking for other partners to come on board.”

Fitzgerald will debut the car at the Australian GT Championship Highlands 101 in New Zealand in November before tackling the 12-hour and a full Aussie GT campaign next year.

“I will be joined in NZ and Bathurst by the talented Carrera Cup driver, Michael Almond, and for Bathurst we are negotiating on utilising the skills of an Audi factory driver as our 3rd driver.”

Fitzgerald is one of the most experienced drivers still competing and made his ‘full-time’ return to racing last year in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge, driving a Porsche 997 GT3 Cup Car. He finished fifth outright in the one-make Porsche championship this year.

Fitzgerald won the inaugural Bathurst 12 Hour race, held in 1991. Sharing a Toyota Supra Turbo with Allan Grice and Nigel Arkell, the team completed 242 laps and beat home a Ford Laser TX3 Turbo driven by brothers Brett and Kent Youlden, and Ken Douglas, by a lap.

He later teamed with Bathurst great Jim Richards and Nicolas Leutwiler in a Porsche 968CS to finish second in 1994 behind the all-conquering Mazda RX7 SP driven by Neil Crompton and the late Gregg Hansford.

Michael Almond finished second in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge last year before moving to Porsche Carrera Cup Australia this season.