Harry King secures Bathurst triple on Australian guest outing
Rising star Harry King produced an astonishing performance on his first appearance at the famous Bathurst circuit with a hat-trick of race wins on his debut in the Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia.
With his full-season campaign in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup at an end, and only one round in Carrera Cup Deutschland remaining, Harry took the opportunity to head down under to compete in the support races for one of the biggest sporting events in Australia; the Bathurst 1000.
Inking a deal with the EMA Motorsport team, Harry - one of six drivers in the field with a Carrera Cup title to his name - faced a huge challenge to learn one of the most challenging circuits in global motorsport and came through practice unscathed with the 15th fastest time.
Come qualifying however, the young Briton produced an astonishing performance to secure second on the grid behind Harri Jones - who has been racing alongside him in the Porsche Supercup this season.
A fine start to the opening 15 lap race saw Harry grab the lead going into turn one and established a handy lead early on before eventually taking the flag half a second clear for a debut win.
It also marked a first win in the series for the team, and the second followed a day later after a dramatic nine lap sprint saw Harry go wheel to wheel with Jones for victory.
Keeping the lead at the start despite slight contact through turn one, Harry then found himself under pressure after an early caution period as Jones looked to fight ahead on the restart - the pair again trading paint going into turn two.
Harry managed to hold on however and the pair would again break clear at the front as Harry made it two wins from two.
Completing an astonishing hat-trick, Harry again led every lap in the final race of the weekend despite the best efforts of Jones to try and get ahead, posting a new lap record as he completed a dream debut at the famous circuit.
“A win anywhere is special but to win on the Mountain at Bathurst is an incredible feeling - particularly on my first visit," he said. "To score a victory on my first race is right up there as one of the most memorable wins of my career and it was far from easy as you can’t relax for a moment and have to be mindful of the fact that there is a high risk of a safety car.
"To then double up in race two was fantastic, and to add a third victory was beyond any expectations I had coming into the weekend. It’s the most amazing feeling and I’m so grateful to EMA Motorsport for giving me the opportunity to race at Bathurst, and the tools to do what we have done.
“We proved our dominance in the final race by setting a new lap record so I think we ticked nearly every box that could be ticked. This is the most incredible circuit and to have enjoyed such a dream weekend is something that I’ll remember for a long time to come."