A cross section of champion drivers from Australia and New Zealand will be joined by world champions, ex-Formula 1 drivers, GT world title winners and some of the best young rising stars in a fiercely competitive field that will produce a spectacular race.

In total 17 different nationalities are represented amongst the more than 175 drivers who are set to tackle the race this Sunday.

One of those who will be getting behind the wheel is Dean Grant, the BMW Team SRM driver looking to add to his Class B victory from last year when he lines up for his eighth Bathurst 12 Hour.

“The M4 GT4 is a beautiful little car and, being a BMW, it will run all day. I’d love to go back-to-back and score two class wins in successive years in the 12 Hour,” Grant said.

“The Bathurst 12 Hour is a race that never goes as you expect it to, so you have to be prepared for the unexpected. I’m thrilled to be part of the driving team in the car, and it has air conditioning too, so it’s always nice to have some creature comforts.”

The Bathurst enduro doubles as the opening round of the Intercontinental GT Challenge, a four-round series that also includes the Spa 24 Hour, Suzuka 10 Hour and California 8 Hour enduros. 

A host of major global brands compete to win the prestigious title, taken out by Audi last year, with 12 manufacturers to be represented on the grid this year. 

Factory supported or assisted teams from Bentley, Audi, BMW, Mercedes-AMG, McLaren, Porsche, KTM, Ginetta and Lamborghini will compete for outright or class victory at Bathurst, as will the Australian designed and built MARC Cars Australia entries.

International teams include current World Rally Champions M-Sport, Audi Sport team WRT and the iconic BMW Schnitzer outfit.

A host of privateer runners in each class will uphold the Bathurst tradition of smaller teams punching above their weights to achieve a result.

The field includes current Supercars champion Jamie Whincup and runner-up Scott McLaughlin, defending Bathurst 1000 winners David Reynolds and Luke Youlden plus defending Bathurst 12 Hour winners, Whincup and Craig Lowndes.

More than one-third of the current full-time Supercars Championship field will be represented with 401 Australian Touring Car Championship / Supercars Championship victories counted amongst the grid. 

Nine Bathurst 12 Hour winners are entered in the race, which is now regarded by brands and drivers as one of the four major endurance races primarily for GT cars in the world.