Danny Stutterd, Paul Tracy, Geoff Emery and Max Twigg have combined to give TekworkX Motorsport a Bathurst 12 Hour podium on their debut in the event.

The quartet fielded an IRC GT, competing in the Invitational Class. After 12 hours of racing, the team crossed the line to take second place in what was also the IRC GT’s first outing in Australia’s International Endurance Race.

It was a path to success that highlighted the resilience of all involved in the TekworkX squad. After topping the timesheets for Invitational Class on Friday, the team was hit with gear selection issues which effectively ruled them out of practice six on Saturday morning. After a rallying effort to fix the car, Tracy was able to get out and set a lap to put the car fourth in class in qualifying.

The issue was still present however and the team again rallied to replace the gearbox overnight before the race start at 5:45am on Sunday. Emery started the race but was struck with visibility issues in the pre-dawn conditions. Once the sun had risen the team settled into the race and clawed their way back to the class podium after initially falling backwards.

Heavy rain began falling shortly after halfway, and Tracy had a brush with the wall in the slippery conditions. The contact damaged the front clip of the car, pushing it against the tyres and damaging the radiator, which coupled with the slope of the track left Tracy stranded at The Cutting.

After returning to the garage on a flatbed, the team worked feverishly as they put a new front clip on the IRC GT, replaced the radiator and got the car back on track within an hour. Battling from laps down, Stutterd, Emery, Tracy and Twigg steered the car towards the end and fought back to the podium all while navigating constantly changing conditions.

Stutterd took the car to the chequered flag, with the #702 crossing the line second in Invitational Class.

It came amidst a sweep of the podium from IRC GT cars, with T2 Racing winning the class with support from the TekworkX team.

TekworkX will be in action from March 21-24, when Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup kicks off for 2024 as part of the Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix.