The 2015 Bathurst 12 Hour will feature 55 cars in total from 17 manufacturers and many drivers who hold superstar status on foreign soil.

Bathurst 12 Hour media manager Richard Crail said it continues the trend of growth for the event and will make it difficult to predict which car will claim the chequered flag on February 8.

“It is fantastic and I think the best thing about this event is the outright class, Class A. There are 30 outright cars that are all theoretically a chance of winning the race,” he said.

“It is going to be a very, very, very competitive race and not only just one of the most competitive Bathurst 12 Hour races we’ve had, but one of the most competitive that has been seen at Bathurst.”

The 30 cars entered in the outright class represent nine of the top GT3 brands, with defending champions Ferrari as well as Mercedes-Benz, Lamborghini, Audi, Porsche, Nissan, McLaren, Bentley and Aston Martin all entered.

But through the classes there are also production-based vehicles like BMWs and the Audi TT.

“There are nine different makes in Class A and 17 in the whole field, so there is plenty there for everyone. The beauty of this race is the diversity of it,” Crail said.

“There are cars there that really live up to Bathurst’s heritage – that race-it-Sunday, sell-it-Monday car.”

Aside from the cars that will contest the 2015 Bathurst 12 Hour, Crail is also excited about the calibre of drivers who will steer them.

It has been well publicised that a test day at Sydney will keep V8 Supercars drivers such as Rick Kelly, Will Davison and Craig Lowndes from racing in the Mount Panorama event, but with the likes of former LeMans winner David Brabham set to compete, there is still plenty of star power.

Brabham will join three-time Bathurst 12 Hour winner John Bowe in the Flying B Racing Bentley Continental GT3.

Then there are former Formula 1 drivers Mika Salo and Markus Winkelhock, former British Touring Car champion Gordon Shedden and GT stars like Laurens Vanthoor and Rene Rast.

But it is works Porsche ace Patrick Long that Crail is most excited about seeing in action at Mount Panorama.

“It is great for Australian race fans to be exposed to some of the amazing international drivers we are going to have here,” Crail said.

“Patrick Long, he is one of the most highly rated sports car drivers in the world. He made his 12 Hour debut this year and will be back next year in Class A. I am in race commentary too and it will be great to promote guys like him to the general public at the track and watching at home who might not know who he is.

“This is a very good opportunity to show-case some of the best drivers in the world.

“The drivers all have got a massive foll-owing as well and they will be using Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, so it is a great promotion for Bathurst.”

Entries were received from 10 countries, including five from New Zealand, three each from Germany and the United Kingdom and two from the United States.

They will all be on the grid ready for a 5.50am start on Sunday morning, February 8.

“It will be nice to see the full field barrelling into turn one before the sun comes up,” Crail said.

“It is going to look amazing and it is going to sound amazing.”