+ Six Intercontinental manufacturers feature on 35-strong grid
+ Reigning champion Kelvin van der Linde eager to defend 2025 victory
+ Habul heads record Independent Cup driver roster
+ IGTC entry list: Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour
The biggest Intercontinental GT Challenge season since 2020 kicks off at the Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour this weekend when six manufacturers, 23 of the 35 entries, and a record six Independent Cup contenders battle for global IGTC points down under.
Series debutants Chevrolet and Ford are joined at Mount Panorama by Ferrari, Mercedes-AMG, Porsche and reigning Intercontinental champions BMW, which is aiming to become only the third manufacturer to win Australia’s International Enduro consecutively.
Team WRT, Augusto Farfus and reigning IGTC champion Kelvin van der Linde could also join an exclusive club: only SunEnergy1 has gone back-to-back during the 12 Hour’s GT3 era, while just five drivers – Kenny Habul, Luca Stolz, Jules Gounon, Christopher Mies and Darryl O’Young – have mounted a successful defence.
Habul also heads a record Independent Cup entry. Six drivers – Ralf Bohn, Jonathan Hui, Prince Jefri Ibrahim, Kerong Li, Johannes Zelger and the reigning class champion – contest IGTC’s season opener, while a seventh – Adrian D’Silva – joins the series later this year. As ever, Bronze-graded drivers who register for the competition are permitted one drop score across the five rounds.
The event’s wider 35-strong entry is one of the deepest in 12 Hour history. Pro crews comprise 15 of GT3’s 31 GT3 cars, with the rest split between Pro-Am, Silver and Bronze. Two GT4s and the same number of Invitational entries complete the grid.
The star quality is also undeniable. Nine former winners account for 15 Bathurst 12 Hour victories between them, while there’s also at least one winner from each of the last six races.
As ever, all Intercontinental entries – regardless of class – remain eligible to score points at each event. Only a constructor’s two highest finishers can contribute towards the manufacturers’ standings, while drivers’ points are awarded per IGTC’s final top 10 classification.
BMW – 3x M4 GT3 EVOs
BMW returns a year on from its breakthrough 12 Hour victory with a new car but the same Team WRT operation that masterminded three IGTC victories across 2025.
Van der Linde and Farfus have, however, been split for their defence. The latter is joined by Raffaele Marciello and Valentino Rossi, who claimed his maiden Intercontinental win in Indianapolis at the end of last year, while 2020 12 Hour winner and new BMW recruit Jordan Pepper joins KVDL and his IGTC champion predecessor Charles Weerts.
KRC’s Bronze class combination is less likely to be an overall victory contender. But the third BMW does feature factory talent in the shape of Max Hesse as well as GT World Challenge Asia powered by AWS class champions Tony Ruan and Maxime Oosten. Its Aussie-themed livery – featuring team mascot ‘Makus’ dressed as a koala and kangaroo – should also prove a firm fan favourite.
Chevrolet – 2x Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs
The rivalry between GM and Ford is as old as time at Bathurst where the two manufacturers have gone head-to-head for domestic Supercars honours since the 1960s. Now, and for the first time, that battle spills over into the GT3 ranks.
JMR has already won with the Corvette in Asia and claimed an overall Suzuka 1000km podium last year so knows what it takes to fight at the sharp end. Its Pro combination cannot be underestimated either, pairing as it does factory GT3 drivers Nicky Catsburg and Alexander Sims with another ace from GM’s extended family, Earl Bamber. The approach he takes to racing against his own EBM team, which is operating a Porsche-supported entry, will be one of this year’s most intriguing questions.
Brothers Jefri and Abu Bakar Ibrahim share the second Corvette with their respective GT World Asia co-drivers Ben Green and Jordan Love.
Ferrari – 2x 296 GT3s
The Prancing Horse was fast but unfortunate en route to fourth overall last year. Now it and Arise Racing return with re-jigged Pro and Bronze combinations aiming for Ferrari’s first outright victory since 2017.
Jaxon Evans moves to the senior line-up alongside Daniel Serra, who’s back for a second year, and another factory driver in the shape of Davide Rigon. The Italian last raced at Mount Panorama a decade ago.
Arise claimed the event’s Pro-Am victory last season and has assembled another strong combination for its shot at Bronze honours. Entered under the Ziggo Sport Tempesta by ARGT banner, it features the familiar duo of Christopher Froggatt and Jonathan Hui who join Lorenzo Patrese and Supercars racer Ryan Wood.
Ford – 1x Mustang GT3
There might only be one Mustang, but the combination of team and drivers make it an undoubted victory contender on its Mount Panorama debut.
Ford Racing’s team partner, HRT, has operated the car extensively in Europe and at the Nordschleife, while Mies and former IGTC champion Dennis Olsen are both 12 Hour winners. Broc Feeney is also considered a Bathurst specialist, both in Supercars and GT3 trim.
What’s more, larger front engined cars enjoy a proud recent 12 Hour record that includes victories in four of the last five events.
A case of quality over quantity.
Mercedes-AMG – 10x GT GT3s
Having six Pro entries make Mercedes-AMG a particularly formidable proposition this year as Affalterbach targets a first Bathurst victory since going back-to-back in 2022 and ’23.
Those wins were achieved by 75 Express (then known as SunEnergy1) whose trio of Habul, Stolz and Gounon reunite in their quest for a fifth straight overall podium. There’s also an unchanged factory line-up at GMR, while last year’s pole winning combination of Lucas Auer and Craft-Bamboo returns.
Tigani and Grove add further firepower, but it’s STM’s all Supercars concern of Thomas Randle, Cameron Waters and reigning champion Chaz Mostert that might just be the pick of Mercedes-AMG’s challengers. Mostert is a two-time Allan Simonsen Pole Award winner, which he achieved with BMW and Audi in 2018 and ’22 respectively. Another with a third manufacturer would move him one clear of Maro Engel.
Two more Tigani-run entries, Heart of Racing by SPS, and RAM Motorsport/GWR Australia complete Mercedes-AMG's bumper Bathurst contingent.
Porsche – 5x 911 GT3 Rs
Pro entries run by Absolute and EBM will be amongst the favourites for this year’s 12 Hour given the strength across both driver crews. But it’s also their liveries that mark out these two 911s as cars to watch.
The kangaroo sign design has featured on several Bathurst entries before, but never on the scale of Absolute – a team whose extensive Mount Panorama experience has yet to yield a significant result there. The same cannot be said of EBM, which has reprised the famous silver fern livery that adorned its 2019 winner. It’s therefore a little odd, perhaps, that Matt Campbell – who so memorably passed Jake Dennis en route to victory that year – should instead be driving for Absolute.
Still, EBM’s trio of Ricardo Feller, Laurin Heinrich and Klaus Bachler might well represent the standout combination amongst so many on this year’s list.
All three Bronze entries feature IGTC Independent Cup entrants, with Bohn in the familiar surroundings of Herberth Motorsport, Li driving for High Class, and Zelger piloting Tsunami RT’s particularly striking Porsche.
Don’t miss a moment!
Every practice and qualifying session, Pirelli Pole Battle and the race is live on SRO’s GT World and Bathurst 12 Hour YouTube channels (subject to geo restrictions), while Kayo Sports and Fox Sports have live coverage of Saturday and Sunday in Australia. Fans in New Zealand can tune in via Sky Sport NZ.
Meguiar's Bathurst 12 Hour Timetable (GMT +11)
Thursday 12 February
10:30 - 13:00: Track to Town
Friday 13 February
08:45 - 09:25: Practice 1
11:00 - 11:40: Practice 2 (Bronze drivers only)
14:10 - 14:50: Practice 3
16:40 - 17:20: Practice 4 (Bronze drivers only)
Saturday 14 February
08:05 - 09:05: Practice 5
10:05 - 11:05: Practice 6
13:05 - 13:35: Qualifying 1
13:50 - 14:20: Qualifying 2
16:15 - 16:30: Pirelli Pole Battle
Sunday 15 February
05:45 - 17:45: Meguiar's Bathurst 12 Hour