V8 Supercars heroes set for Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour
V8 Supercars drivers Craig Lowndes, Garth Tander, Tim Slade, Scott McLaughlin, Nick Percat, Dale Wood, Warren Luff and Steve Owen are set to compete in February’s Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour race.
Reigning Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 winner Lowndes will team with Garth Tander in an Audi R8, the first time the pair of Bathurst and V8 Supercars champions will have shared a car.
Slade will race a McLaren, Percat and Wood are Lamborghini-bound while McLaughlin will steer a Porsche GT3 Cup Car.
They will be among a world class grid of cars and drivers from around the globe that will tackle the famous Mount Panorama circuit on February 5-7 2016**.**
International heroes like Finnish Formula One ace Mika Salo, LeMans 24 Hour winner Earl Bamber, GT world champion Toni Vilander and double Bathurst 12 Hour winner, German ace Christopher Mies, are amongst the overseas names already locked in.
With 50 days remaining until teams hit the track, the current entry list includes teams representing some of the world’s most famous automotive brands including Nissan, Audi, Mercedes Benz, Bentley, McLaren and Ferrari.
The 2016 race is set to be the start of an exciting new era with the commencement of the Intercontinental GT Challenge, the first ever global series for GT3 vehicles. The Challenge will see Bathurst partnered with events in Europe (Spa 24 Hour), America (Austin 6 Hours) and Asia (2016 Sepang 12 Hour) for the first time.
For the second year running the entire Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour race will be broadcast live and free on the Seven Network around Australia.
Announced this morning on Sunrise, the latest entry list includes a two-car squad co-entered by V8 Supercars team Tekno Autosport and the factory British-based McLaren GT outfit, running a pair of stunning McLaren 650S GT3s.
The team is yet to confirm drivers however is expected to draw from both V8 Supercars and McLaren’s global pool of works drivers to ensure both cars have a chance of victory. Tekno and McLaren will confirm further details in due course.
Bentley are another famous marque to confirm their return to the Mountain, the famous M-Sport team entering a pair of their stunning Continental GT3s after narrowly missing out on the podium in the closing stages of the 2015 race.
Audi will return in force with German outfit Phoenix Racing leading the charge alongside several strong Australian-entered R8 models. Two-time Bathurst winners Audi present the most numerical of the GT brands entered with no less than seven current and previous-specification R8s listed.
Defending champions Nissan will return with their NISMO Global Athlete Team in a quest for back-to-back Bathurst victories, while former winners Maranello Motorsport (2014) and Erebus Motorsport (2013) both compete with support from the customer racing outlets of Ferrari and Mercedes-Benz / AMG, respectively.
15 entries have been entered by international teams from countries like Japan, Germany, Great Britain and New Zealand.
Driving combinations are beginning to firm with a host of frontline V8 Supercars stars set to race alongside some of the best GT drivers from around the world once again.
Record pre-event ticket sales and sold-out campgrounds point to this being the biggest Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour yet.
It was announced this week that the paddock campground has completely sold out while new sites have been opened for fans at Reid and Sulman Park at the top of Mount Panorama. The existing McPhillamy Park campground is at near capacity with fans urged to secure sites well in advance to avoid disappointment.
Seats in the pit straight grandstand have also sold out however tickets remain available at early bird prices via Ticketek until 31 December 2015.
