James Golding is excited to make his Bathurst 12 Hour debut for Schumacher PremiAir Racing

He's about to make his Bathurst 12 Hour debut for Schumacher PremiAir Racing.

Though the laps he will cut in the team's Audi R8 LMS Evo II won't be as rapid as what he did behind the wheel of unrestricted S5000 machinery in his record run at the Mount, Golding still can't wait for the enduro.

"I've been actively looking to get into the 12 Hour over the last couple of years and haven't quite got there," Golding said.

"Bathurst is an awesome track and any time you race around there is good. The 12 Hour has got good heritage and endurance racing is something I really enjoy as well.

"Obviously in Supercars we only do a couple of enduros each year, but it's really cool and something you want to get your hands on if you can."

After being the first S5000 driver to win a race at Mount Panorama in 2021 - he clocked a race lap record 1:59.8375 that weekend - Golding made a mid-season return to the Supercars series for PremiAir Racing last year.

It's that link with PremiAir Racing that has helped him get his chance to finally drive in the Bathurst 12 Hour.

Looking to make a step in GT racing, PremiAir Racing has formed an alliance with Bathurst team Schumacher Motorsport for the Bathurst 12 Hour.

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Schumacher Motorsport has raced in the GT World Challenge Australia series for the past two seasons and driver Brad Schumacher has previously driven for three other teams in the 12 Hour.

"The team was in contact with Brad to see what kind of opportunities might be there and that's pretty much how it all came about. They rang me up and said there was an opportunity to drive with him and I obviously jumped straight at it," Golding said.

"Brad's a really nice guy and local at Bathurst, so that's pretty much what you want heading into a race like that.

"He's definitely one of the most competitive amateurs in the country, so to partner up with him to be a strong force in the ProAm class, but also I think outright with Brad's speed, we're definitely a chance to get a good result."

Though Golding will be a Bathurst 12 Hour debutant, he's contested the past seven editions of the Bathurst 1000 and twice placed in the top 10.

Then there was his spectacular demonstration lap in the S5000 car during last year's inaugural Bathurst International that saw him eclipse the previous track record of German GT star Christopher Mies (1:59.2910).

"Driving around that track in any car, as I've said, is great, but to be in the fastest racing cars in Australia around there and to break the record is an awesome feeling," Golding said.

"You don't really get too caught up in how scary it is because you're just focussed on driving around, but it's pretty thrilling, that's for sure."

Last Friday at Phillip Island, Golding got his first chance to drive the Audi he'll share with Schumacher and Audi factory ace Frédéric Vervisch in the 12 Hour.

It was an adjustment, but he learned quickly and can't wait to pick up more tips once Vervisch joins the team in February.

"The main thing for me was just getting used to the car, I haven't driven a GT car before. Obviously I've driven aero cars in S5000, but it's a totally different kettle of fish driving with traction control and ABS all those sorts of things," he said.

"It's a few more buttons to get used to, but I really enjoyed it and got a good feel for the car.

"We weren't quite sure who the third driver was going to be, but I'm really stoked to be driving with him [Vervisch]. I'm excited to see what I can learn form him.

"Driving these cars all the time, there's certainly going to be tricks here and there that he can pass on to me and we can bring the car as far forward as possible."

Though Schumacher has made no secret of his ambition not only to take the ProAm victory in the 12 Hour but challenge for outright glory, Golding is just aiming to do a solid job.

"I just want to do a solid job and wherever we think we're capable of finishing on the day, if I can achieve that, then I'll be happy," he said.

"Whether that's a podium, we don't really know, we'll just have assess ourselves on pace and everyone else's pace. If I do a solid job, no mistakes, keep the car clean and tidy and we're there at the end, then we can have crack at having a good result."

The Bathurst 12 Hour runs from February 3-5.

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