Volante Rosso Confirms McLaren Deal, Names Bathurst Drivers

Volante Rosso Motorsport has confirmed a new partnership with McLaren to campaign a 720S GT3 Evo in Australia, starting with next week’s Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour.

Having campaigned Aston Martin machinery in GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS since mid-2024, the Sydney-based team has begun a tie-up with McLaren Customer Racing ahead of the new season, which begins at Phillip Island in March.

Prior to that, the Silver class-entered Volante Rosso McLaren will be raced at Bathurst by Rylan Gray, Bayley Hall and Marcos Flack, plus a yet-to-be-announced fourth driver.

Gray, who is set to embark on his first season of Australian Supercars this year after winning last year’s Super2 title, will make his Bathurst 12H debut aged 19, while Flack will be contesting the event in a GT3 car for the first time.

Team owner Josh Hunt is set to shake down the new car, which will receive factory support from the UK, at Queensland Raceway on Wednesday.

“This is the right time for our team to compete with McLaren,” commented Hunt. “Not only are we seeing more and more of their cars on our roads, but its Formula 1 team is at the top of its game, winning the world championship.

“It also helps that we now link Australian F1 driver Oscar Piastri with McLaren too, so the appreciation for the brand is at an all time high.

“But more so, the McLaren [720S] GT3 Evo is an extremely competitive package. It has won races and championships all across the world, and we know that we are going to be able to compete against the best teams.

“Starting our new partnership with McLaren at the Bathurst 12 Hour is very exciting too. There’s no place like it, and the 2026 race has seen a huge resurgence with a range of new brands coming back Down Under to race.”

As revealed in December by the initial Bathurst 12H entry list, Volante Rosso will also campaign its existing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 at Mount Panorama.

That car, which the team hopes to continue campaigning in GTWC Australia this year, is set to be shared by Bryce Fullwood, Damien Hamilton, Maxime Robin and Andres Pato.