GARTH Tander is a three-time winner of the Bathurst 1000, has found success in the inaugural Bathurst 24 Hour and now he has the Bathurst 12 Hour on his hit list.
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The Supercars star has been named as part of the Jamec Pem Racing team which will hunt for glory at Mount Panorama next month.
He will join factory Audi Sport drivers Kelvin van der Linde and Frederic Vervisch in one of two Audis that Jamec Pem Racing has entered in the February 2-4 enduro, the other to be raced by Christopher Mies, Christopher Haase and Markus Winkelhock.
Tander is now something of a regular with the Melbourne-based Jamec Pem team which is run within the Audi Sport Customer Racing Australia outfit that will field multiple R8’s in the race.
As well as making selected appearances in the Australian GT Championship, Tander drove a Jamec Pem Racing Audi R8 LMS in both the 2016 and 2017 Bathurst 12 Hour races, finishing eighth and 13th respectively.
Tander is hoping this year will see his hunt for a 12 Hour podium come to fruition.
“It’s an awesome opportunity to be back with the factory Audi effort, I’m honoured they have asked me back again,” Tander said.
“I have great team-mates in my car with Kevin and Fred and I’m looking forward to sharing my knowledge of the track with them, and having them help me get the most out of the car.
“Our other team car is very strong.”
While he is more familiar with the 6.213 kilometre circuit that many of his rivals, Tander having started the Great Race on 19 occasions, he is still expecting a stern Bathurst challenge this February.
“It will be a very tough race and there are lots of very strong combinations,” he said.
“The race gets bigger and tougher every year. Every opportunity to race at Bathurst is a good opportunity.”
While Tander’s resume at Mount Panorama is impressive, having also placed second in the 2003 Bathurst 24 Hour and third in the Bathurst 1000 twice, his co-drivers are talented behind the wheel as well.
Second-generation South African van der Linde has become a star of the Audi factory driver roster, particularly in Australia whilst racing with Jamec Pem Racing.
He won two races in the 2017 Australian GT Championship, ultimately finishing fourth in the championship, despite missing the final round.
He also paired with Pierre Kaffer and Markus Winkelhock in an Audi R8 LMS to win the California 8 Hours.
Then there’s 31-year-old Belgian ace Vervisch, who races in the Blancpain GT series and the Intercontinental GT Challenge as well as contesting the TCR International Series.