GARTH Tander might be quick to nominate a favourite for next month’s Bathurst 12 Hour, yet the Supercars star also feels there are a host of threats throughout the field.
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Tander will link with works Audi drivers Christoper Mies and Christoper Haase in next month’s enduro at Mount Panorama for JAMEC-PEM Racing.
It is a combination that can challenge for outright honours, but Tander feels the team of another Supercars talent – Shane van Gisbergen – are the ones to beat.
The Kiwi is the defending Supercars champion, Baird an experienced enduro driver and multiple Carrera Cup champion, while Engel stood on the top tier of the Nurburgring 24 Hour podium last year.
“He’s [van Gisbergen] in a Mercedes and is sharing the car with Craig Baird and factory Mercedes driver Maro Engel, they’re probably the favourites,” Tander told Sunrise.
“But there’s factory Bentley cars coming from the UK, there’s McLaren, Mercedes, Audi, Porsche, Aston Martin – there are a huge amount of cars that are capable of winning this race.
“I think really there are 20 cars capable of winning it.”
While there are a host of big name international drivers headed to the Mount, Tander thinks there plenty of Australians who could feature.
“There are a lot of Australians guys. Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup in a Ferrari, even Skaifey is teaming up with Russell Ingall in a BMW,” he said.
“So it’s going to be an interesting afternoon of racing.”
The 12 Hour runs from February 3-5.