MOTOR SPORT
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ONE of the strongest fields ever assembled will contest the 2016 Bathurst 12 Hour at the iconic Mount Panorama track next month.
Forty entries, including some of Australia’s and the world’s best drivers, will start on the grid at next month’s endurance event.
The international line-up includes 2015 LeMans 24 Hours winner Earl Bamber, former Formula One drivers Mika Salo, Andrea Montermini and Ivan Capelli plus GT stars Christoper Mies, Christoper Haase, Marco Mapelli, Renger Van der Zande, Benny Simonsen, Alvaro Parente, Rob Bell and Toni Vilander.
They will be joined by 14 V8 Supercars drivers, including six-time Bathurst champion Craig Lowndes, Garth Tander, David Reynolds, Scott McLaughlin and Shane van Gisbergen.
Joining that list are Steve Owen and Luke Youlden, who will team with Roger Lago in the JBS Australia Lamborghini Gallardo GT3.
“With the outstanding mix of world-class internationals and some of Australia’s finest V8 Supercars drivers, this is one the most talented fields assembled for the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 hour,” event director John Casey said.
“The growing importance of this race on the global stage, and now as part of the Intercontinental GT Challenge, is reflected by the manufacturer interest and the fact so many great drivers and teams want to come and race on the mountain.
“When Nissan, Bentley, Phoenix Racing and Nissan confirm their drivers within the next two weeks, that list will get even better and we will be in for something special this February.”
Amongst the entries, factory teams from McLaren, Bentley and Nissan will be joined by teams enjoying works-support from Audi, Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Reiter Engineering (Lamborghini).
In total 11 brands and 15 models are represented on the latest entry list, representing Australia, New Zealand, Japan, the United Kingdom, United States and Germany.
It adds up to 33 GT cars across the GT3, GT3 Cup and GT4 classes for this year’s race.
Defending winners Nissan, former race winners Phoenix Racing (Audi R8) and Erebus Motorsport (Mercedes-Benz) are yet to publically announce their driving squads.
However, they are expected to offer race winning potential between Australian and international stars.
A majority of the cars entered in the outright class are expected to feature at least one driver with the capability to contend for the prestigious ‘Allan Simonsen Pole Award’.
The Bathurst 12 Hour runs from February 5-7.