Mercedes-AMG has confirmed that nine of its factory drivers will compete in the full Intercontinental GT Challenge season, in likely the largest factory presence in the series.
Its entry for the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour includes two full-factory lineups, with the previously announced Mercedes-AMG Team Craft Bamboo Black Falcon and Team Mann Filter GruppeM Racing cars.
They will be driven by Maro Engel, Gary Paffett and Luca Stolz (Craft Bamboo Black Falcon), and Maxi Buhk, Maxi Goetz and Raffaele Marciello (Mann Filter GruppeM).
In addition, Yelmer Buurman will drive the Black Falcon-run Team Nineteen entry at Bathurst, while Thomas Jaeger and reigning champion Tristan Vautier are in the SunEnergy1 Racing entry.
A statement released by the manufacturer on Friday confirmed that the nine drivers “will all be taking on a full IGTC program while supporting various Mercedes-AMG Performance and Customer Racing Teams in the process.”
While driver pairings haven’t been confirmed past Bathurst, meaning the exact lineups could change throughout the season, the commitment of nine factory drivers is more than any other manufacturer in the field.
“The Intercontinental GT Challenge is a highly attractive series,” said Stefan Wendl, head of Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing.
“All the five endurance races are very demanding and the effort from our rivals is even bigger than in previous years.
“As a result, repeating our achievements from 2018 will not be easy, but we will do our utmost.
“We have put together a super strong driver line-up and numerically, we have the biggest presence in the GT3 field for the Bathurst season opener.
“Therefore, our expectations are at least as high as our anticipation.”