Spotter’s guide: Supercars stars in Bathurst 12 Hour
Between the 40 cars on the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour grid, there will be a host of Supercars regulars behind the wheel.
This year marks the 10th edition of the 12 Hour in the GT3 format, with a record 11 different manufacturers taking part for the occasion.
Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour | Tickets | Event Info
With no current Supercars driver winning the 2019 event, a strong contingent will take part today through Sunday in their mission to conquer the Mountain.
Here are those cars to look for…
Craig Lowndes
#1 Earl Bamber Motorsport Porsche GT3 R in Class A (Pro)
With no seat available at Triple Eight, Bathurst legend Lowndes joins the defending champion’s 12 Hour defence.
Lowndes teams up with 2019 WeatherTech SportsCar GTLM class champions Earl Bamber and Laurens Vanthoor in a Meguiar’s-backed Porsche.
They will don the #1, following their success with Matt Campbell, Dennis Olsen and Dirk Werner in last year’s race.
Lowndes has already won this race twice before to go with his seven victories over the 1000km distance.
Lee Holdsworth
#9 Hallmarc Audi R8 LMS GT3 in Class A (Pro-Am)
Holdsworth, Dean Fiore and Marc Cini return for a fourth 12 Hour campaign together.
An outright ninth on their first attempt in 2017 remains their best result to date, having placed 11th last year.
Holdsworth and Fiore will both be in new Supercars colours later this year, the former’s Tickford Mustang switching to Truck Assist backing and the latter joining Team 18 as Scott Pye’s co-driver.
Garth Tander
#22 Audi Sport Team Valvoline Audi R8 LMS GT3 in Class A (Pro)
Tander forms part of an experienced line-up with German two-time 12 Hour winner Chris Mies and Italy’s Mirko Bortolotti, who competed in last weekend’s Rolex 24 at Daytona.
It’s the second time Tander and Mies have joined forces and the latter boasts the fastest official lap – a 1:59.2910 – around Mount Panorama in a GT3.
Tander, 42, proved he is as sharp as ever behind the wheel with a stellar PIRTEK Enduro Cup campaign for the Red Bull Holden Racing Team last spring.
Chaz Mostert
#34 Walkenhorst Motorsport BMW M6 GT3 in Class A (Pro)
Mostert heads to Bathurst looking to capture coveted endurance trophies in successive weekends.
Having won the 2014 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 as a 22-year-old, the Walkinshaw Andretti United recruit added the Rolex 24 at Daytona to his resume in a fine drive for BMW.
He, Augusto Farfus and Nicky Catsburg partner up as the sole BMW on the grid this weekend.
This is Mostert’s fourth attempt at the Mountain aboard a BMW M6.
David Reynolds
#75 SunEnergy1 Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 in Class A (Pro-Am)
Four years ago, Reynolds netted fifth for Erebus Motorsport at the 12 Hour and that remains his career-best to date.
The following year he won the Great Race… perhaps he’s due for a return to the winner’s circle at Bathurst, at least in his class.
Reynolds will share his Pro-Am Mercedes entry with Kenny Habul and Austrian duo Dominik Baumann and Martin Konrad.
Rick Kelly
#76 R Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 in Class A (Pro)
There’s a lot to like about the Castrol-backed line-up, with Kelly and the R Motorsport/Jake Dennis combination all looking to go one better in the 12 Hour.
Kelly finished runner-up in 2016 for Nissan, while Dennis was second last year.
The third driver on their roster? None other than Kiwi IndyCar legend Scott Dixon, who is fresh off clinching his third outright Daytona 24 Hour win last weekend.
Nick Percat
#91 SCANDIA Racing MARC II in Invitational Class
Coming off a career-best Supercars campaign, Percat is hoping for a case of third time lucky at the Bathurst 12 Hour this weekend.
The 31-year-old was involved in costly incidents in his first two attempts at the 12 Hour, first in a Lamborghini in 2016 and then aboard a Ferrari last year.
Percat will team with young gun Broc Feeney and Aaron Cameron in the lead MARC entry this time around.
Anton De Pasquale
#777 The Bend Motorsport Park Mercedes-AMG GT3 in Class A (Pro-Am)
De Pasquale is back for his second shot at the 12 Hour, having debuted with MARC Cars last February.
This time around he’s in a Triple Eight-run Mercedes, although he and T8 supremo Roland Dane have downplayed any significance of that link-up.
The 24-year-old will team up with Nick Foster and brothers Yasser and Sam Shahin.
Shane van Gisbergen/Jamie Whincup
#888 Triple Eight Race Engineering Mercedes-AMG GT3 in Class A (Pro)
Triple Eight’s lead entry has been tasked with replicating their 2017 fortunes, when campaigning a Ferrari.
AMG backing has seen factory driver Maximilian Götz displace Lowndes from the squad that battled to fourth last year.
Van Gisbergen and Whincup each have one event win to their name, in 2016 and 2017 respectively.
Other familiar faces…
Two-time Supercars race winner Tim Slade spearheads the #27 HubAuto Corsa Ferrari 488 GT3, joined by Brazilians Daniel Serra and Marcos Gomes.
Slade, who this year steps back to be a PIRTEK Enduro Cup specialist, won the California 8 Hours last year for HubAuto.
His fellow Shell V-Power Racing co-driver Tony D’Alberto will be in the #6 Wall Racing Lamborghini, pictured above, along with Adrian Deitz, Julian Westwood and Cameron McConville.
Veteran co-driver Dean Canto will be at the wheel of the #29 Trofeo Motorsport Lamborghini, paired with Liam Talbot, Marcel Zalloua and Grant Denyer.
Warren Luff, who has five Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 podiums in the last eight years, shares the #95 MARC entry with Geoff Taunton, Bayley Hall and Brad Schumacher.
Feeney meanwhile is not the only Dunlop Super2 representative; others include Tyler Everingham (#92 MARC) and Kurt Kostecki (#96 Hobson Motorsport Nissan).
