PIRTEK Racing’s Tabitha Ambrose has won her second Bathurst trophy at just her second attempt with class B1 honors at the Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst 6 Hour at Mt Panorama.
Ambrose again teamed Karlie Buccini and Courtney Prince, with the trio reuniting as an all-female driver combination in the #999 Buccini Racing BMW 340i; a third consecutive class win for the team.
“There is nothing cooler than coming to Bathurst for a race weekend, but to walk away with a class win for the second consecutive year is something special,” said Ambrose.
“Karlie (Buccini) and Courtney (Prince) both did great jobs again and it was nice to be back in the team with them.
“We came into the weekend knowing what we had to do and we did it.
“There were plenty of moments during the race for many of the leading teams, but we managed to keep everything clean and still be there after six hours.
“The race was tough because of the amount of safety cars, but our car ran faultlessly.
“I felt even more confident in the car this year and I was happy with my improved performance.
“I am grateful to the Buccini team for having me back this year and having the privilege of helping the team to three consecutive class wins, which is an amazing accomplishment.
“To come to Mt Panorama as part of an all-girls team is pretty cool, but to come away with another win is special and is hopefully acknowledged accordingly.”
The Bathurst 6 Hour, held at the iconic Mount Panorama Circuit, is one of Australia’s premier production car endurance events, attracting a highly competitive national field each Easter.
Ambrose, the daughter of two-time Supercars champion Marcos Ambrose, continues to build her own reputation in the sport and competing in events like the Bathurst 6-Hour are helping build her depth of experience.
There were plenty of dinner table discussions after last year’s race when it was pointed out that Ambrose, a third generation racer, was the first Ambrose to walk away from Mt Panorama with a race trophy.
Now Tabitha has one more Bathurst trophy in her cabinet.
“I guess this will give me a few more bragging rights for a little while,” laughed Tabitha.
“Mum and dad were enormously supportive all weekend and could not be happier for me.
“I have to thank PIRTEK for their continued personal support and for being on the car today.”
The overall race win was claimed by BMW drivers Thomas Randle and Ben and Michael Kavich after a late-race penalty was handed to Cam Hill.
Hill passed Randle on the penultimate lap of the race and crossed the line first but was handed a 15-second penalty for falling short of the compulsory pit stop time.
Tabitha now returns to her PIRTEK Formula Ford, where she is contesting the national series with PIRTEK backing and support from Repco and Velcro.
While the next round of the national championship is at Queensland Raceway on May 1-3, she will compete at the AASA Short Track Nationals at Sydney Motorsport Park on April 25-26.
