2020 4 Hours of The Bend

The 2020 4 Hours of The Bend was an endurance sportscar racing event held on January 12, 2020, at The Bend Motorsport Park in Tailem Bend, Australia. It served as the second round of the 2019-20 Asian Le Mans Series season.^[1]

Background

The race was announced in 16 February 2019,^[2] and included into the Asian Le Mans Series season calendar by replacing the 4 Hours of Fuji five days later.^[3] The competing classes were LMP2, LMP3 and GT, with both LMP2 and GT split to include the AM class.

The race was the first major international motor race held on The Bend's 35 turn, 7.770 km (4.828 mi) long GT Circuit, officially the second longest permanent motor racing circuit in the world behind only the 20.832 km (12.944 mi) Nürburgring Nordschleife. The race was attended by the President of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO), Pierre Fillon.^[4]^[5]

Schedule

Date	Time (local: ACDT)	Event
Friday, 10 January	16:10	Free Practice 1
Saturday, 11 January	9:30	Free Practice 2
Saturday, 11 January	13:30	Qualifying
Sunday, 12 January	13:00	Race
Source:^[6]

Free practice

Only the fastest car in each class is shown.

Free Practice 1	Class	No.	Entrant	Time
	LMP2	1	Eurasia Motorsport	2:36.496
	LMP2 Am	59	RLR MSport	2:46.312
	LMP3	12	ACE1 Villorba Corse	2:52.431
	GT	88	Team JLOC	2:59.913
	GT Am	—
Free Practice 2	Class	No.	Entrant	Time
	LMP2	26	G-Drive Racing with Algarve	2:35.418
	LMP2 Am	59	RLR MSport	2:43.416
	LMP3	12	ACE1 Villorba Corse	2:50.933
	GT	88	Team JLOC	2:58.787
	GT Am	16	Astro Veloce Motorsport	3:04.525
Source:^[7]^[8]

Qualifying

British driver Ben Barnicoat took pole position for the 4 Hours of The Bend with a time of 2:35.698 driving a Dallara P217 LMP2 for Thunderhead Carlin Racing. It was the first time that the Dallara P217 had scored a pole position in any LMP2 competition. Young Scottish driver Colin Noble took pole in LMP3 with a time of 2:50.802 in his Norma M30 for Nielsen Racing's first ever LMP3 pole, while Italian Davide Rigon scored the GT pole in the HubAuto Corsa's Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020 with a 2:56.109 lap.^[9]^[10]

Qualifying results

Pole positions in each class are indicated in bold.

Pos.	Class	No.	Entry	Car	Time
1	LMP2	45	Thunderhead Carlin Racing	Dallara P217	2:35.698
2	LMP2	1	Eurasia Motorsport	Ligier JS P217	2:35.870
3	LMP2	26	G-Drive Racing with Algarve	Aurus 01	2:36.711
4	LMP2	34	Inter Europol Endurance	Ligier JS P217	2:36.772
5	LMP2	36	Eurasia Motorsport	Ligier JS P217	2:37.262
6	LMP2 Am	59	RLR MSport	Oreca 05	2:43.235
7	LMP2 Am	4	ARC Bratislava	Ligier JS P2	2:43.957
8	LMP2 Am	52	Rick Ware Racing	Ligier JS P2	2:44.884
9	LMP2	33	Inter Europol Endurance	Ligier JS P217	2:46.044
10	LMP2 Am	25	Rick Ware Racing	Ligier JS P2	2:48.471
11	LMP3	2	Nielsen Racing	Norma M30	2:50.802
12	LMP3	12	ACE1 Villorba Corse	Ligier JS P3	2:51.925
13	LMP3	9	Graff Racing	Norma M30	2:51.952
14	LMP3	13	Inter Europol Competition	Ligier JS P3	2:52.298
15	LMP3	14	Inter Europol Competition	Ligier JS P3	2:54.512
16	GT	27	HubAuto Corsa	Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020	2:56.109
17	GT	7	Car Guy Racing	Ferrari 488 GT3	2:56.924
18	GT	17	Astro Veloce Motorsport	BMW M6 GT3	2:58.442
19	GT	75	T2 Motorsports	Ferrari 488 GT3	2:58.462
20	GT	51	Spirit of Race	Ferrari 488 GT3	2:58.509
21	GT	88	Team JLOC	Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo	2:58.605
22	GT	77	D'station Racing AMR	Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3	2:59.284
23	LMP3	65	Viper Niza Racing	Ligier JS P3	3:08.667
24	GT Am	16	Astro Veloce Motorsport	BMW M6 GT3	3:20.329
25	LMP3	3	Nielsen Racing	Norma M30	—
Source:^[11]

Race

Race results

The minimum number of laps for classification (70% of overall winning car's distance) was 54 laps. Class winners are marked in bold.

Pos.	Class	No.	Entry	Drivers	Car	Laps	Time/Gap
Pos.	Class	No.	Entry	Drivers	Engine	Laps	Time/Gap
1	LMP2	26	G-Drive Racing with Algarve	James French Leonard Hoogenboom Roman Rusinov	Aurus 01	78	4:05:23.417
1	LMP2	26	G-Drive Racing with Algarve	James French Leonard Hoogenboom Roman Rusinov	Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8	78	4:05:23.417
2	LMP2	36	Eurasia Motorsport	Nick Foster Roberto Merhi Aidan Read	Ligier JS P217	78	+44.886
2	LMP2	36	Eurasia Motorsport	Nick Foster Roberto Merhi Aidan Read	Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8	78	+44.886
3	LMP2	45	Thunderhead Carlin Racing	Ben Barnicoat Jack Manchester Harry Tincknell	Dallara P217	78	+2:10.774
3	LMP2	45	Thunderhead Carlin Racing	Ben Barnicoat Jack Manchester Harry Tincknell	Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8	78	+2:10.774
4	LMP2	33	Inter Europol Endurance	John Corbett Nathan Kumar Mitchell Neilson	Ligier JS P217	75	+3 Laps
4	LMP2	33	Inter Europol Endurance	John Corbett Nathan Kumar Mitchell Neilson	Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8	75	+3 Laps
5	LMP2 Am	52	Rick Ware Racing	Gustas Grinbergas Cody Ware	Ligier JS P2	75	+3 Laps
5	LMP2 Am	52	Rick Ware Racing	Gustas Grinbergas Cody Ware	Nissan VK45DE 4.5 L V8	75	+3 Laps
6	LMP2 Am	25	Rick Ware Racing	Philippe Mulacek Guy Cosmo Anthony Lazzaro	Ligier JS P2	75	+3 Laps
6	LMP2 Am	25	Rick Ware Racing	Philippe Mulacek Guy Cosmo Anthony Lazzaro	Nissan VK45DE 4.5 L V8	75	+3 Laps
7	LMP2 Am	4	ARC Bratislava	Miro Konôpka Andreas Laskaratos Garnet Patterson	Ligier JS P2	74	+4 Laps
7	LMP2 Am	4	ARC Bratislava	Miro Konôpka Andreas Laskaratos Garnet Patterson	Nissan VK45DE 4.5 L V8	74	+4 Laps
8	LMP3	2	Nielsen Racing	Colin Noble Tony Wells	Norma M30	73	+5 Laps
8	LMP3	2	Nielsen Racing	Colin Noble Tony Wells	Nissan VK50 5.0 L V8	73	+5 Laps
9	LMP3	13	Inter Europol Competition	Martin Hippe Nigel Moore	Ligier JS P3	73	+5 Laps
9	LMP3	13	Inter Europol Competition	Martin Hippe Nigel Moore	Nissan VK50 5.0 L V8	73	+5 Laps
10	LMP3	12	ACE1 Villorba Corse	Alessandro Bressan Gabriele Lancieri David Fumanelli	Ligier JS P3	73	+5 Laps
10	LMP3	12	ACE1 Villorba Corse	Alessandro Bressan Gabriele Lancieri David Fumanelli	Nissan VK50 5.0 L V8	73	+5 Laps
11	GT	7	Car Guy Racing	Kei Cozzolino Takeshi Kimura Côme Ledogar	Ferrari 488 GT3	71	+7 Laps
11	GT	7	Car Guy Racing	Kei Cozzolino Takeshi Kimura Côme Ledogar	Ferrari F154CB 3.9 L Turbo V8	71	+7 Laps
12	GT	27	HubAuto Corsa	Liam Talbot Marcos Gomes Davide Rigon	Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020	71	+7 Laps
12	GT	27	HubAuto Corsa	Liam Talbot Marcos Gomes Davide Rigon	Ferrari F154CB 3.9 L Turbo V8	71	+7 Laps
13	GT	51	Spirit of Race	Oswaldo Negri Jr. Alessandro Pier Guidi Francesco Piovanetti	Ferrari 488 GT3	71	+7 Laps
13	GT	51	Spirit of Race		Ferrari F154CB 3.9 L Turbo V8	71	+7 Laps
14	GT	75	T2 Motorsports	Christian Colombo Rio Haryanto David Tjiptobiantoro	Ferrari 488 GT3	71	+7 Laps
14	GT	75	T2 Motorsports	Christian Colombo Rio Haryanto David Tjiptobiantoro	Ferrari F154CB 3.9 L Turbo V8	71	+7 Laps
15	GT	17	Astro Veloce Motorsport	Jens Klingmann Aven Qi Max Wiser	BMW M6 GT3	71	+7 Laps
15	GT	17	Astro Veloce Motorsport	Jens Klingmann Aven Qi Max Wiser	BMW 4.4 L V8	71	+7 Laps
16	LMP3	14	Inter Europol Competition	Peter Paddon Garth Walden Austin McCusker	Ligier JS P3	68	+10 Laps
16	LMP3	14	Inter Europol Competition	Peter Paddon Garth Walden Austin McCusker	Nissan VK50 5.0 L V8	68	+10 Laps
17	GT	77	D'station Racing AMR	Tomonobu Fujii Ross Gunn Satoshi Hoshino	Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3	65	+13 Laps
17	GT	77	D'station Racing AMR	Tomonobu Fujii Ross Gunn Satoshi Hoshino	Aston Martin 4.0 L Turbo V8	65	+13 Laps
18	GT	88	Team JLOC	André Couto Yuya Motojima Yusaku Shibata	Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo	54	+24 Laps
18	GT	88	Team JLOC	André Couto Yuya Motojima Yusaku Shibata	Lamborghini 5.2 L V10	54	+24 Laps
Not Classified
DNF	LMP2	1	Eurasia Motorsport	Daniel Gaunt Nick Cassidy Shane van Gisbergen	Ligier JS P217	73
DNF	LMP2	1	Eurasia Motorsport	Daniel Gaunt Nick Cassidy Shane van Gisbergen	Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8	73
DNF	LMP3	9	Graff Racing	David Droux Eric Trouillet Ricky Capo	Norma M30	63
DNF	LMP3	9	Graff Racing	David Droux Eric Trouillet Ricky Capo	Nissan VK50 5.0 L V8	63
DNF	GT Am	16	Astro Veloce Motorsport	Michael Lu David Weian Chen Dennis Zhang	BMW M6 GT3	59
DNF	GT Am	16	Astro Veloce Motorsport	Michael Lu David Weian Chen Dennis Zhang	BMW 4.4 L V8	59
DNF	LMP3	65	Viper Niza Racing	Dominc Ang Douglas Khoo	Ligier JS P3	57
DNF	LMP3	65	Viper Niza Racing	Dominc Ang Douglas Khoo	Nissan VK50 5.0 L V8	57
DNF	LMP2 Am	59	RLR MSport	John Farano Andrew Higgins Arjun Maini	Oreca 05	26
DNF	LMP2 Am	59	RLR MSport	John Farano Andrew Higgins Arjun Maini	Nissan VK45DE 4.5 L V8	26
DNF	LMP3	3	Nielsen Racing	Charles Crews Garett Grist Rob Hodes	Norma M30	23
DNF	LMP3	3	Nielsen Racing	Charles Crews Garett Grist Rob Hodes	Nissan VK50 5.0 L V8	23
DNF	LMP2	34	Inter Europol Endurance	Mathias Beche Jakub Śmiechowski James Winslow	Ligier JS P217	19
DNF	LMP2	34	Inter Europol Endurance	Mathias Beche Jakub Śmiechowski James Winslow	Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8	19
Source:^[12]

References

^ "4H The Bend: Wednesday Paddock Notes". www.dailysportscar.com. 8 January 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
^ Goodwin, Graham (16 February 2019). "Asian Le Mans Series Confirms Date For 2020 Race At The Bend, South Australia". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
^ Kilshaw, Jake (21 February 2019). "The Bend Replaces Fuji on 2019-20 Schedule". www.sportscar365.com. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
^ EPMtv for Asian Le Mans Series 4-Hrs of THE BEND - Highlights
^ 4H of The Bend - LIVE - Round 2 -2019/20 Asian Le Mans Series - Full Race
^ "4 Hours of The Bend | Asian Le Mans Series". www.asianlemansseries.com. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
^ "2020 4 Hours of The Bend Free Practice 1 Results" (PDF). Asian Le Mans Series. 10 January 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
^ "2020 4 Hours of The Bend Free Practice 2 Results" (PDF). Asian Le Mans Series. 11 January 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
^ "2020 4 Hours of The Bend Qualifying Results" (PDF). Asian Le Mans Series. 11 January 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
^ ASIAN LE MANS SERIES - 4 Hours of The Bend - Qualifying Highlights from Australia
^ "2020 4 Hours of The Bend Qualifying Results" (PDF). Asian Le Mans Series. 11 January 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
^ "2020 4 Hours of The Bend Race Results" (PDF). Asian Le Mans Series. 12 January 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2024.

External links

Official website

[1] "4H The Bend: Wednesday Paddock Notes". www.dailysportscar.com. 8 January 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2024.

[2] Goodwin, Graham (16 February 2019). "Asian Le Mans Series Confirms Date For 2020 Race At The Bend, South Australia". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 15 June 2025.

[3] Kilshaw, Jake (21 February 2019). "The Bend Replaces Fuji on 2019-20 Schedule". www.sportscar365.com. Retrieved 15 June 2025.

[4] EPMtv for Asian Le Mans Series 4-Hrs of THE BEND - Highlights

[5] 4H of The Bend - LIVE - Round 2 -2019/20 Asian Le Mans Series - Full Race

[6] "4 Hours of The Bend | Asian Le Mans Series". www.asianlemansseries.com. Retrieved 14 September 2024.

[7] "2020 4 Hours of The Bend Free Practice 1 Results" (PDF). Asian Le Mans Series. 10 January 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2024.

[8] "2020 4 Hours of The Bend Free Practice 2 Results" (PDF). Asian Le Mans Series. 11 January 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2024.

[9] "2020 4 Hours of The Bend Qualifying Results" (PDF). Asian Le Mans Series. 11 January 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2024.

[10] ASIAN LE MANS SERIES - 4 Hours of The Bend - Qualifying Highlights from Australia

[11] "2020 4 Hours of The Bend Qualifying Results" (PDF). Asian Le Mans Series. 11 January 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2024.

[12] "2020 4 Hours of The Bend Race Results" (PDF). Asian Le Mans Series. 12 January 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2024.

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