Nielsen, Buurman Confirmed in Mercedes GT3 for Bathurst 12H

Long-time Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour contender Mark Griffith has confirmed two stars of the international GT racing scene will join him in this year’s event.

Griffith’s Team Nineteen Corp with Black Falcon Mercedes AMG GT3 entry will field endurance aces Christina Nielsen and Yelmer Buurman, in what is another strong addition to the contenders for Pro-Am class honors this year.

“Christina and Yelmer are both professional drivers in their field and great additions to the team,” Griffith said.

“I’m looking forward to working with them and putting on a good show this year. If things go to plan then we should be able to contend for a Pro-Am win and, like with any race at Bathurst, who knows where we will end up outright if we have a good day.”

Twenty-six-year-old Nielsen, from Denmark, is a regular in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and became the first female driver to win a championship in the series in 2016. She also won the 2017 title, driving a Ferrari for Scuderia Corsa.

“I’m excited to have the opportunity and the new challenge to race with AMG in the Intercontinental GT Challenge and at a track like Bathurst,” Nielsen said.

“It’s particularly special to race there because of the close connection Bathurst has with Allan Simonsen, who was a great friend and mentor for my racing career before he passed away.”

Fellow Danish driver Simonsen was a former lap record holder at Mount Panorama and a star of the race in its formative years as a GT enduro. The Allan Simonsen pole award is named in his honor.

Buurman will join Nielsen and Griffith in also making his first start at Mount Panorama.

With Black Falcon, he partnered with Maro Engel and Luca Stolz to win the 2018 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup, leading a 1-2-3 sweep for Mercedes-AMG teams.

Griffith is a 12-Hour and Australian GT racing regular, and will make his sixth 12-hour start this year. Last year, he combined with John Martin, David Reynolds and Liam Talbot to finish 15th outright in the race.

He finished 14th overall and second in the Invitational class in 2016 when driving a MARC Cars Australia entry.

Team Nineteen will also field a pair of Ginetta entries in the GT4 class this year, with drivers to be announced soon.