The team will run three Mitsubishi Evo IXs – one for Jacob Andrews and Mark Griffith (#65), another with team principal Dylan Thomas and Supercar driver Tim Slade (#68) and the third will be shared by Neale Muston and Peter Paddon (#85).

It will also campaign a Mitsubishi Evo X for customers Andrew Richmond and Karl Reindler (#46) in the race which doubles as the opening round of the 2017 Australian Production Touring Cars series.

“This is easily the biggest event of the year for both our performance and race car prep business - which looks after a wide range of cars in various categories year-round - and the race team,” Thomas said.

“Our cars are usually at the front of any category we run, and we are certainly looking to make sure that the Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst 6 Hour is no different. The preparation has been intense, all cars and drivers have been shaken down, and no stone has been left unturned as we look for a good showing at this event.

“With four entries being run out of our workshop in this year’s event and some good steerers at the wheel, we are confident of some great results for the team.”

Amongst that driver line-up assembled by the team are respected racers from the ranks of Supercars, production cars, Radicals, GTs.

“Reindler is a former Supercar driver and current co-driver, while Richmond is a seasoned campaigner with plenty of miles around the mountain in GTs. In an Evo X, they will be a pretty strong contender for the outright win,” explained Thomas.

“In the #65 Mitsubishi Evo IX we will have Jacob Andrews, who has moved up through our lease programs over the years from Formula Vee through to Production Cars. This will be his first time at Bathurst and so he will be looking to make it to the end first and foremost, but with a pretty good car underneath him anything could happen.

“Andrews will be teaming up with GT racer Griffith, who has replaced Duncan Handley.

“Muston regularly competes in everything from Porsches to Radical to LMP3s overseas. With a lot of seat time at a lot of tracks, I expect him to be competitive.

“Paddon, meanwhile, has just completed the 12 Hour at the mountain in a Ginetta and undertook double-duty that weekend in the Radical Championship, so he has plenty of recent experience around this place.”

As for himself, Thomas is excited to share his seat with Slade as he chases Bathurst 6 Hour glory.

“We are certainly hoping to be outright contenders, especially as we have undertaken some development on our car to hopefully deliver some quicker pace around the mountain this year,” he said.