15 GT3 Entries Headline Entry for Bathurst 12H

A field of 15 GT3 cars in the Class A division headlines a 20-car entry list for the return of the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour next weekend, following a one-year absence.

The Australian enduro is back to host Round 1 of the Intercontinental GT Challenge powered by Pirelli season after last year’s event was canceled amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Audi, Mercedes-AMG, Lamborghini and Porsche are represented in the GT3 ranks, with a dozen of those cars competing in the top Pro-Am category, plus three in Am.

The seven-car Audi contingent is the largest from a single manufacturer, although only the top car from each brand will be allowed to score IGTC championship points.

Two of the Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo IIs are running under the Audi Sport Team Valvoline banner with Melbourne Performance Centre running the operation.

Yasser Shahin is named in the No. 777 Valvoline-backed entry, while Brad Schumacher is listed in the No. 74.

Their co-drivers are all to be announced at a later stage, with Audi Sport yet to name the members of its factory roster who will be traveling to Bathurst.

Three of the Melbourne Performance Centre Audi crews were revealed on Tuesday, with Bathurst 1000 winners Chaz Mostert and Lee Holdsworth both involved.

Tony Bates Racing and Team BRM, which confirmed its full lineup in late April, complete the Audi stable.

There are six Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evos on the grid from Craft-Bamboo Racing, SunEnergy1 Racing, Triple Eight Race Engineering, Sheargold Motorsport, Mark Griffith and Valmont Racing.

Most of the AMG crews were previously confirmed, although Sheargold Motorsport’s Am-class entry shows Michael Sheargold alongside Garth Walden and Brett Hobson.

2016 Bathurst 12 Hour winner Shane van Gisbergen is driving for Triple Eight Race Engineering, which is also supporting Kenny Habul’s SunEnergy1 Racing organization.

Two Mercedes-AMG factory drivers, Jules Gounon and Luca Stolz, will line up for SunEnergy1 Racing which is one of three Class A teams with a four-person crew. 

All three of the drivers in Craft-Bamboo Racing’s Mercedes-AMG are yet to be announced, meanwhile.

Notably, GruppeM Racing is absent from the entry list after initially announcing plans to race at Bathurst with a single Mercedes-AMG.

The Hong Kong-based team, which also has operations in Germany, is now running the Sky-Tempesta Racing program in Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Sprint Cup which is holding a round at Magny-Cours on the same weekend as Bathurst.

The only Porsche 911 GT3 R on the grid is the Grove Racing example that will be driven by Brenton Grove, Stephen Grove and FIA World Endurance Championship driver Ben Barker.

Wall Racing is fielding the sole Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo with the previously-announced lineup of Tony D’Alberto, David Wall, Adrian Deitz and Grant Denyer.

Outside the 15-car GT3 entry, Class C for Porsche Cup cars and the Invitational category will also take part.

Class C has two competitors: Eric Constantindis’ Porsche 911 GT3 Cup that the entrant will share with Indiran Padayachee and Aaron Zerefos, and Scott Taylor Motorsport’s car of the same make driven by Alex Davison, Geoff Emery and an unnamed third driver.

The Invitational class field consists of two MARC II V8s and a KTM X-Bow GT2.

The most recent edition of the Bathurst 12 Hour in 2020 attracted a field of 39 cars, but the rescheduling of this year’s event to May, placing it within the European season, has resulted in fewer international entries and manufacturers than usual.

“Considering the challenging environment in which we are staging the race this year, we are pleased with the field,” said Paul Martin, motorsport operations manager of the Bathurst 12 Hour.

“There was no shying away from the fact that this was going to be a challenging year to run the event, but we were committed to putting on the show and we are confident that it will be a very good race based on the field we have.

“It might not be the largest field in Bathurst 12 Hour history, however it is extremely high quality.

“We are thrilled with the way teams have embraced our changes this year, changes that have been designed to support the ‘Am’ drivers as best as possible.

“The quality and depth of talent throughout the grid is already world class, with several of the key international names yet to be unveiled.

“The local names already confirmed are among the best drivers in the country and they will put on a show. There’s no doubt in our minds that this year will be another memorable chapter in the history of the Bathurst 12 Hour.”