55 Entries for Bathurst 12H

A grid that will rival any major GT endurance race in the world will feature in the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour next February, at the iconic Mount Panorama circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales.

Event organizers have released the final entry list for the Feb. 6-8 Event which includes 55 cars and a diverse mix of the best GT cars, teams and drivers from Australia and the world.

ENTRY LIST: Bathurst 12 Hour

The entry list released today represents all teams to have properly completed the entry process by lodging a completed form, along with the required entry fee, by the closing time on Thursday, December 11.

The 30 cars currently entered in the outright class represent nine of the top GT3 brands with defending champions Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, Lamborghini, Audi, Porsche, Nissan, McLaren, Bentley and Aston Martin all entered for a shot at an outright victory.

The outright class is the strongest ever for the 12-hour with the 2015 grid likely to represent a substantial increase on the 2014 field.

Entries were received from 10 countries in total, including five from New Zealand, three each from Germany and the United Kingdom and two from the United States.

NSW Deputy Premier and Minister for Tourism and Major Events Troy Grant said: “I am delighted by the field announced for next year’s Bathurst 12 Hour, which confirms the international appeal and prestige of Australia’s longest endurance motor race and the iconic Mount Panorama circuit on which it is held.”

“The NSW Government is proud to support the Bathurst 12 Hour through our tourism and major events agency Destination NSW, as part of an outstanding calendar of motorsport events for the State in 2015, and a key event for Regional NSW,” he said.

Seventeen different brands and 22 different models are represented on the entry list with 20 cars traveling from overseas to be part of the race.

With 12 entries, Porsche is the most represented brand (thanks to their 10 nominations in class B) while Ferrari have seven 458 GT3s entered in Class A – the most for any one brand in the outright category.

Six Audi R8 LMSs and five Mercedes Benz SLS AMGs give the German brands plenty of firepower to compete against the defending Bathurst winners.

Forty three entries have been accepted from the three GT classes eligible for the race, the largest grid of pure GT cars assembled in Australia.

A further 12 cars will compete in a pair of invitational classes, one for production-based vehicles like BMWs 1M and the Audi TT, and another for endurance-racing specials like the Australian designed and built MARC Focus racers and a pair of unique ex-Grand Am series Mazda RX8 GT cars originally from America.

Though final driver pairings are yet to be confirmed for a majority of entrants, the field will certainly not be lacking star power.

Former LeMans winner David Brabham headlines an incredible array of driving talent already confirmed that includes works Porsche ace Patrick Long, former F1 drivers Mika Salo (the defending winner) and Markus Winkelhock, and a host of the world’s best current GT stars like Laurens Vanthoor and Rene Rast, plus former British Touring Car Champion Gordon Shedden.

Felix Baumgartner, the extreme athlete who in 2012 set world records after skydiving from nearly 40km above the Earth, will race an Audi R8 LMS with Phoenix Racing.

Triple Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour winner John Bowe will also return to defend his crown, teaming with Brabham and Peter Edwards in the Flying B Racing Bentley Continental GT3.

The 2015 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour will commence at 5:50am on Sunday, Feb. 8.