THE entry list for the 2019 Bathurst 12 Hour has revealed an incredible field of some of the world’s best teams, cars and drivers.
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More than 120 drivers from 22 different nationalities representing 13 different brands and entered by teams from 10 different countries feature on the full list released on Friday.
“It’s a great grid. It’s probably the best mixture of Australian and New Zealand drivers that local fans know and love from the Supercars Championship, mixed with some of the finest international drivers and teams around,” the event’s media manager, Richard Craill, said.
The list includes seven former winners of the 12-Hour - for a total of nine wins - and three Allan Simonsen Pole award winners, including defending pole-sitter Chaz Mostert.
Current Intercontinental GT Challenge Manufacturers Champions Audi and reigning ICGT drivers (Tristan Vautier) and Bronze drivers (Kenny Habul) champions will all commence their respective title defences at Bathurst.
The field also includes eight Bathurst 1000 winners, who between them account for 19 victories in the great race.
Meanwhile, Bathurst 6 Hour victors Paul Morris and Mostert will also be on the grid, driving for MARC Cars Australia and BMW Team Schnitzer respectively.
The current outright (Christopher Mies), Bathurst 12 Hour (Shane van Gisbergen), Supercars (David Reynolds), Carrera Cup (Jaxon Evans) and Production Car (Chaz Mostert) lap record holders at Mount Panorama all feature in the field as well.
The Supercars Championship is represented by drivers that have won 338 races and 12 championships in Australia's top category, including seven-time champion Jamie Whincup.
Multiple Super2 series winners are also included, as are winners of Porsche Carrera Cup Australia and the Australian GT Championship.
The international component includes drivers to have won more than 30 different highly regarded major national or international racing championships around the world, including the FIA World Endurance Championship and a majority of the major GT3-based championships around the world.
Champions of the Blancpain GT Endurance, Sprint and Asian titles are among the field, while British Touring Car and DTM Champions will join their Supercars relatives on the grid, representing the best Touring Car competitions in the world.
Two outright (and six class) winners of the LeMans 24 Hour, seven Spa 24 Hour winners and 10 Nurburgring 24 Hour winners also feature.
There are three former Formula One drivers accounting for 126 Grands Prix starts entered, as is a former IndyCar series champion with 30 victories to his credit.
The 2019 grid includes 28 cars in the outright GT3 class, representing 10 manufacturers. This group will be split between Pro, Pro-Am and Am categories prior to the race.
Class B's all Porsche battle includes champions of the top one-make racers from both the Australian and Asian series, plus a Porsche WEC staple.
Class C for GT4 vehicles will see a battle between BMW, Ginetta and KTM for class honours. The Ginetta team is yet to confirm their final driving line-up.
The Invitational class will see a pair each of Generation 1 and Generation 2 MARC Cars competing for their own spot on the Bathurst podium.
The 2019 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour commences on Thursday, 31 January with 12-Hour cars hitting the circuit for the first time the following day.
