Canberra racer Cameron Hill will start second on the grid in Class C for his debut in the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour tomorrow, after a fine performance in today’s qualifying session.

The BMW Team SRM operation adopted a conservative approach to qualifying with the BP Ultimate M4 GT4, and Hill said the day was all about finding a sustainable race setup for tomorrow’s once-around-the-clock marathon.

“We didn’t use a new set of tyres for qualifying, and we were still able to qualify second in class,” Hill said.

“More importantly, the car’s pace was very consistent – it was looking after its tyres well.

“My co-drivers Dean Grant and Xavier West were both feeling comfortable in the car so we achieved all of the objectives of our pre-race program.”

Hill said staying out of trouble early in the race will be critical.

“It’s a big and competitive field this weekend, and we’re expecting a lot of fierce battling for position,” Hill said.

“Our plan is to avoid the early-race drama, and focus on being in a position to race for a good result when it counts at the end.

“The plan is for me to start the race, but the situation in this race can change very quickly with Safety Cars – the BMW Team SRM guys are very good with strategy so they will be able to adapt depending on what unfolds.”

The 2018 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour commences at 5:45am tomorrow – the full race will be shown live on 7MATE, with coverage starting at 5:30.