The 2026 edition of the Bathurst 12 Hour ended with a bitter retirement for Alex Fontana. The Swiss driver was at the wheel of Tsunami R.T.’s Porsche 911 GT3 R (992), together for the first time on the Australian circuit. Sharing the driving duties with Alex in the Bronze category were Fabio Babini and Johannes Zelger - teammates with whom Alex had already competed in the 24 Hours of Dubai in January.
It was Alex Fontana who drove in qualifying for the Tsunami team, recording a time of 2:02.802 that put him in 22nd place overall and 6th in the Bronze class, a significant result that showcased his potential.
The start, traditionally scheduled at dawn, was entrusted to Babini, who dropped to 8th place ten minutes after the green flag. The Italian managed to recover the lost positions by taking advantage of a safety car that arrived 30 minutes after the start, returning to the fight for 5th place in the class. Alex Fontana took the wheel after 3 hours and 20 minutes, continuing Zelger’s work. The numerous safety car appearances led to the cars having very different strategies, with the Swiss driver finding himself moving from 7th to 4th place, which he then consolidated thanks to his race pace: one of the fastest among the Bronze crews.
After a double stint by the Swiss driver, the car was handed over to Babini, then back to Alex after about an hour and a half. Fontana continued the excellent work of the first stint, fighting for 4th place. With four hours to go, the Tsunami team took advantage of a safety car to make a driver change, but unfortunately Zelger was involved in an accident during the restart. The Veronese driver first spun at the Esses before being violently rammed by the race leader, causing both cars to retire. It was a spectacular accident, but fortunately without serious consequences for either driver involved.
It was Alex Fontana who drove in qualifying for the Tsunami team, recording a time of 2:02.802 that put him in 22nd place overall and 6th in the Bronze class, a significant result that showcased his potential.
The start, traditionally scheduled at dawn, was entrusted to Babini, who dropped to 8th place ten minutes after the green flag. The Italian managed to recover the lost positions by taking advantage of a safety car that arrived 30 minutes after the start, returning to the fight for 5th place in the class. Alex Fontana took the wheel after 3 hours and 20 minutes, continuing Zelger’s work. The numerous safety car appearances led to the cars having very different strategies, with the Swiss driver finding himself moving from 7th to 4th place, which he then consolidated thanks to his race pace: one of the fastest among the Bronze crews.
After a double stint by the Swiss driver, the car was handed over to Babini, then back to Alex after about an hour and a half. Fontana continued the excellent work of the first stint, fighting for 4th place. With four hours to go, the Tsunami team took advantage of a safety car to make a driver change, but unfortunately Zelger was involved in an accident during the restart. The Veronese driver first spun at the Esses before being violently rammed by the race leader, causing both cars to retire. It was a spectacular accident, but fortunately without serious consequences for either driver involved.