Kavich brothers’ Race for a Cure BMW M2 just one of a record 70 entries for this weekend’s Bathurst enduro
The biggest ever grid for an endurance race at Bathurst will contest the 2022 Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst 6 Hour at Mount Panorama this Easter Sunday (April 17).
And among the 70-car entry list – comprising 15 different brands, 34 different models and more than 160 drivers, including Supercars stars like Shane van Gisbergen – will be a brand-new BMW M2 Competition driven by brothers Ben and Michael Kavich and supported by Race for a Cure.
As one of three 6 Hour cars built by Garth Walden Racing, the Kavich car will mark the BMW M2’s Bathurst debut as well as raising critical funds for breast cancer clinical trials research.
Founded in 2017 by Ben Kavich’s wife Toula after her own breast cancer diagnoses just two weeks after the inaugural Bathurst 6 Hour in 2016, Race for a Cure has raised over $100,000 for breast cancer clinical trials research. With 55 people diagnosed with breast cancer every day in Australia, this race is close to home for many Aussie families.
“While learning about the research and what breast cancer trials do to enable the types of drugs they make – and having received those drugs and knowing they were benefiting our lives directly – we thought how do we help to make that happen quicker for everybody,” said Ben Kavich, adding that it takes a community effort to solve this problem.
Race for a Cure was the answer and the Bathurst 6 Hour a fitting stage. The yellow and pink-liveried Kavich M2 is also supported by Hi-Tec Oils, PPG Paints, Workhorse Collision Repairs, Workhorse Fleet Maintenance, Fleetsmart Rentals and Hornsby BMW, but its major backer is Yellow Pages, which supported racer and father Tony Kavich in the 1980s.
“We are thrilled to be continuing this long-standing partnership with both the Kavich family and Race for a Cure, and to be supporting the life-saving breast cancer trials research. We are proud to be supporting a cause that has such an impact on so many women across Australia,” said Yellow’s CRO, Elise Balsillie.
The Kavich brothers will contest their sixth consecutive Bathurst 6 Hour and while mechanical issues have set the duo back in recent years, with a 10th place their best finish to date, their motivation remains strong.
“It [the race] feels different for both of us now because we’re not just competing for the sport, we know we’re achieving another goal by raising awareness and funds,” said Kavich.
He added that investing in breast cancer trials can help cancer research more broadly, with some of the drugs successful in treating other types of cancer.
It goes without saying that every dollar counts. All donations are tax deductible and 100 per cent of money raised goes to breast cancer trials research. You can donate here.
This year’s star-studded Bathurst 6 Hour will comprise eight classes separated by price and performance levels, including several $130,000-plus BMWs in the Outright category, through to $20,000 Suzuki Swift Sports in Class E.
The 2022 field is not only the largest, but also the most competitive assembled in Bathurst 6 Hour history, including the last three outright winning combinations led by defending champions van Gisbergen, Rob Rubis and Shane Smollen in their BMW M4.
Van Gisbergen is the defending Australian Supercars champion and one of only two people in history to claim the 6-hour, 12-hour and Bathurst 1000 treble.
2019 winners Beric Lynton and Tim Leahey will be joined by Supercars star and former Bathurst 1000 winner Will Davison in a bid to add another Mount Panorama title, while the 2018 winners Grant and Iain Sherrin will also return.
The all-star grid also includes notables like Tim Slade, Will Brown, Tony D’Alberto, David Russell, Bathurst legend John Bowe and the racing return of Supercars and NASCAR legend Marcos Ambrose – who will drive a Ford Mustang with George Miedecke.
BMWs dominate the Outright class (X – Extreme Performance), but the addition of several new cars could see the German marque – currently unbeaten in the 6 Hour – challenged this year.
Several brand-new and upgraded Ford Mustangs are entered, while Lexus will enter the fray in the top category via the Bathurst debut of the V8-powered RC F.
A BMW M2 entered by reigning Porsche Carrera Cup champion Cameron Hill will also look to shake up the internal BMW battle.
The six-hour is Mount Panorama’s most accessible endurance race and a host of combinations from across the motorsport spectrum have entered the race as a result.
There’s also a notable family theme spread across the field, with 11 of the 70 entries comprised either entirely or in part of related family members.
Several combinations where a father will pair with his son – or sons – including former Bathurst 1000 podium finisher Steven Ellery with sons Tristan and Dalton, and Touring Car privateer Wayne Russell with sons Drew and Aaren.
The entry list also includes teams where driving duties will be shared by cousins and multiple entries where brothers will join forces.
1987 Bathurst 1000 winner Peter McLeod is entered alongside his grandson, Benjamin, in a HSV Astra in Class C, while his other two grandsons – Nick and Cameron – will share a Ford Mustang with Supercars driver and team owner, Tim Blanchard.
The 2022 Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst 6 Hour will be the culmination of a massive Easter long weekend of racing at Mount Panorama.
The program includes the third round of the 2022 Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series, the Turtle Wax Trans Am Series, MRF Pulsar Racing Series, NSW Historic Touring Cars and HQ Holdens.
The event will be broadcast live, ad-break free and on demand on Stan Sports on April 16-17, and tickets are available online via the official event website.
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Keyword: Racing for a good cause at Bathurst 6 Hour