Johor Motorsport Racing JMR leads at the Bathurst 12 Hour at the three-hour mark, with Alexander Sims at the head of the field in the #2 JMR Corvette.

Sims is holding off Chaz Mostert in the #222 STM Mercedes-AMG, with the #46 Team WRT BMW of Valentino Rossi sitting in third.

The current leading group was formed after the second safety car of the race fell directly between the opening pit stops. The early leader – the #77 Craft Bamboo AMG – was one of a number of cars that had to pit for fuel at the 90-minute mark of the race, dropping track position, only for an incident at the top of the mountain bringing out the second Safety Car of the race.

It was called after the #268 Team BRM Audi ended up parked on the entry to Skyline, with the rear right wheel up against the wall. Mark Rosser had dipped the wheel in the grass on the exit of McPhillamy, which spun the car to the inside of the track, where it made contact with the wall. Rosser was okay, but the car returned to the paddock on a flatbed. The crew is currently attempting to repair the car, which requires cutting through the rear right wheel, which is buckled to the hub.

Can’t park there 🫣#B12Hr pic.twitter.com/YqKpduHgtO

— Bathurst 12 Hour (@Bathurst12hour) February 14, 2026

The timing of the Safety car gave both WRT BMWs a free pit stop, along with the #100 Grove Racing Mercedes, both the #911 Absolute and #61 EBM Porsches, the #2 JMR Corvette, and the #26 Arise Racing Ferrari. Those seven cars emerged as the leaders after their pit stops and headed the field as the race got back to green, 17 minutes later.

Both BMW’s got a great restart and set about stretching their lead, but the race was neutralised once again after a scary moment at The Chase for the sole remaining Invitational-class car.

Daniel Stutterd approached the kink at top speed in the 111 Racing IRC GT, only for the rear wing to collapse and pitch the car into a spin. Somehow, Stutterd kept it out of the wall, with the car coming to rest in the gravel trap at the apex of The Chase, without its rear wing and front bodywork, which was scattered across the track.

Not where you want your rear wing fall off…#B12Hr pic.twitter.com/d63BUqVEDo

— Bathurst 12 Hour (@Bathurst12hour) February 14, 2026

Remarkably, Stutterd was able to fire up the IRC and get the car back to the pits. That car has just gotten back on track after a 50-minute repair, now 18 laps down.

The third Safety Car of the race lasted another 20 minutes, and saw a divergence of strategies for some of the leading cars. The Craft Bamboo #77 Mercedes and the #75 75 Express Mercedes elected to pit through the third safety car, sacrificing track position to top up with fuel, and for the #75, completing Kenny Habul’s driver time. Both the #75 and #77 have been working their way back through the field, with the #75 in the top 10, while the #77 sits 16th.

The WRT BMW pair once again led at the restart, but the #32 Team WRT BMW encountered problems shortly after: Lap 1 contact with a Kangaroo had broken part of the splitter, with the initial race-tape repair not holding up, and the front end shedding parts. The car was forced into the pits thanks to a mechanical black flag, with the repair – a whole new front clip – dropping the #32 a lap down.

Without the tail gunner, Valentino Rossi in the #46 Team WRT BMW slowly got reeled back into the pack. It took almost 10 laps, but Alex Sims worked the three-second gap down and took the lead at The Chase just before the cars reached quarter distance, putting the #2 JMR Corvette into the lead. He was very quickly followed through by the #222 STM Mercedes, with Chaz Mostert putting in a great stint to go from eighth up into second.

Daniel Serra in the #26 Arise Racing GT Ferrari and Bastian Buus in the #911 Absolute Racing Porsche complete the top 5, with 6th placed Ziggo Sport Tempesta Ferrari leading the Bronze-class field, Patrese at the wheel.

Dylan O’Keefe leads the Pro-Am category in the #45 RAM/GWR Mercedes in 15th, while it’s been a difficult early part of the race for the #15 Volante Rosso McLaren in the Silver class, going a lap down and then being administered a drive-through penalty for a pit lane infringement, and another for ignoring blue flags.

Also in the wars was the #27 Heart of Racing by SPS Mercedes, who are seven laps down after a rear-left suspension repair cost them 21 minutes, while the #44 Geyer Valmont Mercedes also spent 29 minutes in the garage, now nine laps down.

The pace is heating up as the morning turns to day, with nine hours left to go.

Images courtesy of IGTC & Andrew Hall