THE FIELD is set for the 2023 running of the LIQUI MOLY Bathurst 12 Hour, Australia’s International Endurance Race.
The world will return to Mount Panorama this February 3-5 with entries from Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Hong Kong, Belgium and the United States all featured on a 28-strong entry list of GT3 and invited vehicles.
The race will again double as the opening round of the Intercontinental GT Challenge powered by Pirelli.
The 22-strong GT3 entry, spread across Pro, Bausele Pro-Am and Silver categories, includes manufacturer representation from Mercedes-AMG, Audi, BMW, Porsche and Lamborghini.
Nine Mercedes AMG GT3s are entered, the most of any single GT3 model in the 12-Hour’s history, while BMWs M4 GT3 will make its Bathurst debut this February.
The field is headlined by an eight-strong GT3 Pro contingent which includes each of the defending 2022 race podium finishers: winners SunEnergy1 Racing, Craft-Bamboo Racing and Triple Eight Race Engineering.
The pair of BMW Team WRT entries will also contest for outright honours, while Audi will field an all-Pro entry in their bid for a record fourth 12-Hour win.
The exciting addition of Manthey EMA ensure the all-German battle for outright supremacy will continue to include a Porsche 911 GT3 R.
The Bausele Pro-Am category will also be fiercely competitive and includes another eight cars, including Grove Racing – who will partner with EBM (Earl Bamber Motorsport) Giga Racing.
Triple Eight Race Engineering will field a Pro-Am entry alongside their Professional class car, while Pro-Am will also be the home of the Scott Taylor Motorsport / Prostate Cancer Foundation squad headed by Craig Lowndes.
The first of two GT3 entries from Volante Rosso Motorsport features in Pro-Am, with a sister car in the Silver class.
A host of competitive Audi R8’s and Mercedes AMG GT3s add to the Pro-Am battle, as does a second EBM Giga Racing Porsche 911 GT3R.
Notable among the Pro-Am entries is Hallmarc Racing and their Audi, long-time owner / driver Marc Cini who should start a record 11th Bathurst 12-Hour race this year.
The Silver class has received six entries, including the lone Lamborghini Huracan GT3 in the race.
A six-strong Invitational Class adds further variety to the field: a pair of the ever-popular MARC Cars Australia cars are entered, as is the KTM X-Bow GT2 fielded by M Motorsport and the Our Kloud – Up To 11 MotorSport Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Car.
Mark Griffith will enter his Mercedes-AMG GT4 in the category, while a wildcard and likely popular addition to the field will be the Sin R1 entered by the Daytona Sports Cars team, who previously contested the race on several occasions with a Daytona Coupe and a Dodge Viper.
Drivers already confirmed include MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi, Bathurst legend Craig Lowndes, current Repco Supercars Champion Shane van Gisbergen, reigning DTM champion Sheldon van der Linde and a host of other superstar drivers from here and abroad.
The full entry list, including drivers, will be released closer to the event.
2023 LIQUI MOLY BATHURST 12 HOUR – ENTRY LIST (Team, Class, Car)
Sun Energy 1 PRO Mercedes-AMG AMG GT3
Supercheap Auto Racing PRO Mercedes-AMG AMG GT3
GruppeM Racing PRO Mercedes-AMG AMG GT3
Mercedes-AMG Craft-Bamboo Racing PRO Mercedes-AMG AMG GT3
Melbourne Performance Centre PRO Audi R8 LMS Evo 2
Team WRT PRO BMW M4GT3
Team WRT PRO BMW M4GT3
Manthey EMA PRO Porsche 911 GT3R
Schumacher Motorsport Fuchs Racing PRO-AM Audi R8 LMS Evo 2
Melbourne Performance Centre PRO-AM Audi R8 LMS Evo 2
Hallmarc PRO-AM Audi R8 LMS Evo 2
Makita Volante Rosso Motorsport PRO-AM Mercedes-AMG AMG GT3
Triple Eight Race Engineering PRO-AM Mercedes-AMG AMG GT3
Scott Taylor Motorsport PRO-AM Mercedes-AMG AMG GT3
EBM Giga Racing PRO-AM Porsche 911 GT3R
EBM Giga Racing PRO-AM Porsche 911 GT3R
Harrolds Volante Rosso Motorsport SILVER Mercedes-AMG AMG GT3
Valmont Racing SILVER Mercedes-AMG AMG GT3
Wall Racing SILVER Lamborghini Huracan
Supabarn SILVER Audi R8 LMS Evo 2
Melbourne Performance Centre SILVER Audi R8 LMS Evo 2
Melbourne Performance Centre SILVER Audi R8 LMS Evo 2
Our Kloud – UpTo 11 MotorSport INV Porsche 991 GT3 Cup Gen II
Nineteen Corporation INV Mercedes-AMG GT4
MMotorsport / Vantage Racing INV KTM GT XBOW
Daytona Sports Cars INV SIN R1
MRA Motorsport INV MARC I Mazda
Wheels / FX Racing INV MARC II V8
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