AMG confirms Bathurst 12 Hour driver line-up
And tilts at Bathurst street car lap record with Green Hell refugeeMercedes-AMG is gunning for two ‘titles’ at this weekend’s Bathurst 12 Hour (#B12Hr) endurance race.
In the race itself it has confirmed three top-notch crews in a corresponding trio of AMG GT3 race cars, while it now looks certain it will attempt a street car lap record with its latest, hottest version of the AMG GT.
The street car lap record could come in one of the manufacturer sessions included in the Bathurst 12 Hour (#B12Hr) program for the first time. The tilt will be made in AMG’s new GT R, a new powered-up 430kW version of the bespoke AMG two-seater. Mercedes-Benz Australia has now confirmed AMG ambassador and ‘Chief Performance Officer’ Bernd Schneider will be behind the wheel.
It will be the Australian debut for the R version of the GT. Pricing for the car is expected to be confirmed at the event.
Schneider will be up against it, however. Ferrari Australia is expected to fire back at any hot lap heroism via the presence of its La Ferrari hypercar.
The AMG GT3 crews for 2017 race itself will Bernd Schneider and fellow former race winners Craig Baird and last year’s Bathurst 12 Hour and Virgin Australia Supercars Championship victor, Shane van Gisbergen.
Baird and Van Gisbergen will team up with AMG DTM driver Maro Engel in the #22 Scott Taylor Motorsport/HTP Motorsport AMG GT3 with Schneider seated in the #83 second HTP entry alongside Paul Dalla Lana, Pedro Lamy and Mathias Lauda (yes, that Lauda!).
The final GT3 AMG crew is the #61 Hogs Breath Café entry of Mark Griffith, Dominic Storey and David Reynolds.
"This year’s Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour race is set to be one of the most exciting yet for race fans,” said Jochen Bitzer, head of Mercedes-AMG Customer Sports.
“We're confident in both the teams and drivers who are piloting the Mercedes-AMG GT3 race cars. This is the first time our AMG GT3 will compete around Mount Panorama so of course this is a very important race to our brand.
“Another first, will be the Australian premiere of the Mercedes-AMG GT R, our new beast will make its way around one of the greatest race tracks in the world, Mount Panorama. This is the natural setting for our track honed road car to be first seen and heard by some of the most loyal fans of the Mercedes-AMG brand,” Bitzer stated.
The 2017 #B12Hr ‘festival kicks off early on Friday (February 3). Tickets and Camping packages remain on sale for the event and are available via the official Bathurst 12 Hour website.
Race day general admission tickets start at $35 with limited grandstand seats available. For the first time a new covered stand, with its own big screen, has been set up on the exit of turn one.
VIP Parking is also available starting at $20 via Ticketek.
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