Reigning Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen will spearhead Triple Eight Race Engineering's LIQUI MOLY Bathurst 12 Hour assault in February when he teams up with domestic co-driver Broc Feeney and Mercedes-AMG factory ace Maxi Goetz.
Two-thirds of the same line-up - Van Gisbergen and Goetz - finished third overall the last time Bathurst featured a Pro class in 2020.
SVG also won in 2016 when Mount Panorama staged the very first Intercontinental GT Challenge Powered by Pirelli race, while Triple Eight-run cars were victorious in 2017 and earlier this year when the Brisbane-based squad oversaw SunEnergy1's Mercedes-AMG.
February's #888 entry will feature prominent branding from Supercheap Auto - the same long-time sponsor of Supercars' Bathurst 1000 race that Van Gisbergen and Triple Eight won in October.
After his recent win at the Bathurst International’s three-hour GT race, Feeney is excited to be taking on Mount Panorama again in a Mercedes-AMG.
“Any day you get to drive at Bathurst is a good day, let alone in these cars," he said. "It’s really cool to have the top teams and drivers from around the world coming back to Australia, and getting the chance to go head-to-head with them around one of the best race tracks in the world will be next level.”
Feeney, who finished sixth in this year's Supercars standings, has contested the Bathurst 1000 three times and Bathurst 12 Hour twice. But although the track remains unchanged, the cars are very different.
“It’s definitely an adjustment switching between the right-hand drive supercar and the left-hand drive GT car,” he said.
“But once you’ve got your eye in and you’ve tuned in your spatial awareness, it’s so much fun. The AMG GT3 is a weapon and our Supercheap Auto livery is going to look incredible on track. I can’t wait to do our part to try to repeat the Mercedes-AMG podium lock-out we had in 2022.”
Goetz's inclusion also sees the last two DTM champions confirmed for IGTC's 2023 season opener on February 3-5. Sheldon van den Linde's place was confirmed by WRT and BMW last week.
