By the numbers: LIQUI MOLY Bathurst 12 Hour

The countdown is firmly on to the first LIQUI MOLY Bathurst 12 Hour to be held since 2020.

It will have been 833 days between races when lights go out on Sunday morning.

Tickets for the LIQUI MOLY Bathurst 12 Hour are on sale now.

This weekend’s event doubles as the opening round of the Intercontinental GT Challenge powered by AWS.

It is also the opening round of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS Endurance Championship.

Overall Pro-Am honours will be fought between Audi, Mercedes-AMG, Porsche and Lamborghini.

Some of the best endurance drivers from around the world will tackle some supreme local talent.

Supercars.com has listed key stats that will shape this weekend’s 19th running of the Bathurst 12 Hour.

314: The most laps completed in a Bathurst 12 Hour was in 2020; the winning Bentley completed 314 laps, or 1950.882km. Seven cars were on the lead lap.

3: John Bowe has the most wins in the event with three, although just one came in the GT3 era (2014).

The 2020 podium

4: Mazda is the most successful overall marque with four event wins, all four coming consecutively between 1992 and 1995. The 1995 race was held at Eastern Creek. All four Mazda wins came in the production car era.

Audi has won three times in the GT3 era (2011, 2012, 2018).

7: Seven different marques have won the race in the GT3 era; Audi (three), Ferrari (two), Mercedes-AMG, Nissan, McLaren, Porsche and Bentley (one).

5: Five drivers have won a GT3 era 12 Hour and Bathurst 1000; John Bowe, Craig Lowndes, Shane van Gisbergen, Jonathan Webb and Jamie Whincup.

Great Race winners Bowe, Allan Grice, Gregg Hansford, Paul Morris, Tony Longhurst and Dick Johnson all won 12 Hours between 1991 and 2010.

2:01.286: Shane van Gisbergen’s 2016 pole lap time remains the fastest ever 12 Hour pole time. Van Gisbergen set a 2:01.286s aboard his McLaren; he went on to win the race.

2:01.567: Shane van Gisbergen also set the fastest race lap in 2016, a 2:01.567s.

0.4: The closest winning margin came in 2014, when Craig Lowndes beat Maximilian Buhk by 0.413s. Lowndes was part of Audi’s form finish in 2011, with the margin 0.7s.

7: Seven cars have finished on the lead lap in the last three 12 Hours. There were five lead-lap cars in 2014 and 2015, four in 2016, two in 2011 and 2012, and one in 2013 and 2017.

18: A record 18 Safety Car deployments punctuated the 2018 race, beating the previous record of 16 set 12 months earlier. Conversely, the 2019 race featured just eight Safety Cars.

The 2022 race will feature its earliest start time

5: Five drivers have won consecutive 12 Hours; Garry Waldon (1992-93), Rod Salmon and Damien White (2008-09), Christopher Mies and Darryl O’Young (2011-12).

Craig Lowndes missed the 2015 and 2016 races, but won in consecutive attempts (2014 and 2017).

6: There are six Bathurst 1000 winners on the grid; Shane van Gisbergen, Chaz Mostert, Lee Holdsworth, Craig Lowndes, Nick Percat and David Reynolds.

34: The 2020 race set a record for the number of lead changes with 34.

11: 2020 was the first time the race had been won from outside seventh position on the grid; the winning Bentley started 11th.

5:15: The 2022 race will feature its earliest ever start time at 5:15am local time. It will also feature up to 90 minutes of night running.