Supabarn Switches to Mercedes-AMG for Bathurst 12H

Supabarn Racing has announced a switch from Audi to Mercedes-AMG GT3 machinery for next year’s running of the Repco Bathurst 12 Hour.

The team will run the same driver line-up as it did in this year’s race, when brothers James and Theo Koundouris shared an Audi R8 LMS Evo II with David Russell and Jonathon Webb.

However, Supabarn has swapped its Melbourne Performance Centre-run Audi for a Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo run by Tigani Motorsport for the Intercontinental GT Challenge opener on Feb. 16-18.

The car made its debut in the hands of the Koundouris brothers in the final round of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS on the streets of Adelaide in November.

“For me it’s exciting with such an experienced driver line up,” said Tigani Motorsport managing director Nathan Tigani.

“We showed last year with the Valmont Mercedes that we can produce a fast race car so it’s motivating to be able to put that form and work in to this car and piggy back off the knowledge gained from last year. It already puts us in much better shape.

“We had a great test at Sydney Motorsport Park in early December, and have a few more days planned in January, so we can head to Mount Panorama all guns blazing for a result.”

James and Theo Koundouris each have three Bathurst 12H class wins to their credit, their latest triumph coming in 2022 at the wheel of an Audi with Bathurst 1000 podium finisher Russell and Paul Stokell.

Webb meanwhile is a former outright winner of the event in 2016, lifting the trophy alongside Tekno Autosport McLaren teammates Shane van Gisbergen and Alvaro Parente. He also won the Bathurst 1000 that year with Will Davison.