R-MOTORSPORT has confirmed a Castrol and BP-backed Aston Martin Vantage GT3 entry will be piloted by Rick Kelly, Scott Dixon and Jake Dennis in the 2020 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour.
The all-star combination will pair the former Supercars champion and double Bathurst winner Kelly, five-time IndyCar Champion and Indy 500 winner Dixon and R-Motorsport’s DTM driver Dennis – who also starred on his Bathurst debut earlier this year.
R-Motorsport will field a pair of the new Aston Martin Vantage GT3 entries in the race next year, doubling as the opening round of the Intercontinental GT Challenge powered by Pirelli.
While 2019 marked the swansong of the V12 powered Vantage GT3, 2020 will see the Bathurst debut of the current V8-powered car, battle hardened this year in the Blancpain GT Series.
Dixon has never raced at Mount Panorama, while double Bathurst 1000 winner Kelly has a best 12-Hour finish of second, in 2016.
24-year-old Dennis starred on the Mountain, topping the Pirelli Shootout only for his time to be removed due to a minor technical infringement discovered following qualifying.
Starting 10th, Dennis led the race in the closing stages and ultimately finished second to give R Motorsport and Aston Martin their best Bathurst result.
Castrol will feature as the major sponsor on the car, with additional support from BP.
The car and driver combination was unveiled prior to the outfit’s pre-Bathurst test at the Portimau circuit in Portugal – attended by all three drivers.
“I have never raced at Bathurst before, but I’ve watched races at the Mount Panorama Circuit back when I was a teenager,” Dixon said.
Despite his status as an IndyCar legend, the champion New Zealand driver is no stranger to long-distance racing and is a former outright winner of the 24 Hours of Daytona.
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