12 things to be excited for in 2024
02 Jan
THE REPCO Bathurst 12 Hour is just six weeks away and anticipation is building for the return of Australia’s International Enduro.
2024 promises to be another incredible show with lots to look forward to this year.
Here’s a taste-tester of just some of the exiting things to come in 2024.
The entry list
WHILE the last two races – 2023 in particular – have been brilliant, grids have hovered around the low to mid 20s as the world recovered from the Pandemic and the associated travel issues around it.
2024, however, is likely to see that number grow back into the 30s with a host of new and returning cars ready to get back to Bathurst.
The12-hour has averaged 37 cars since it went to GT3 regulations in 2011, with this year’s field looking likely to be back to at least where the race was in 2020, in terms of grid size and depth.
And those yet to be confirmed..
The list published here is far from complete, and there will be many more exiting additions to the grid made in the coming weeks. We hate to tease, but watch this space..
The fight to beat Mercedes AMG
THE Mercedes AMG GT3 has been the car to beat at Bathurst in the last several years, winning in 2022 and 2023, second (on the road, before penalties) in 2020 and finishing third in 2020, 2019 and 2018 – as well as scoring the Allan Simonsen pole award so superbly last year.
Mercedes-AMG are just one win away from being the most successful brand in the history of the 12-hour and will almost certainly have weight in numbers once again. Can someone else beat them, or will 2024 be the year the three-pointed star races into Mount Panorama history with win number four?
The new Porsche
PORSCHE came within 0.9267s from claiming their second 12-Hour win last year in the hands of Manthey EMA Motorsport, and this year the brand will return with the latest and greatest Type 992 GT3R. One is already locked into the field by new squad Phantom Global Racing, but expect there to be more.
The New Lambo
Adrian Deitz has invested in a brand-new EVO version of the Lamborghini Huracan GT3 for 2024 and it looks like an absolute weapon.
This is a team with the potential to fly under the radar this year, with the new car likely to give a step up in performance against the latest and greatest GT3 cars around them. Oh, and that livery..
New international teams
PHANTOM GLOBAL are just one of a few new teams set to make their Bathurst debut this year.
The exciting new team is a collaboration between Europe and Asia, with the Chinese team enlisting the support of Porsche legend Timo Bernhard’s Team 75 to run the car, backing from Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific and an all-star driving squad that includes Supercup champion Bastian Buus, DTM winner Joel Eriksson and the well-known Jaxon Evans.
Meanwhile, Heart of Racing by SPS will make their Aussie debut with Ian James, Ross Gunn and Alex Riberas driving a Mercedes AMG. The team has been successful in both the United States and Europe, so should be ones to watch.
Can Gounon extend his Bathurst winning streak?
JULES GOUNON’S Bathurst 12 Hour record is remarkable. It reads: five starts, with finishes of 16th, 8th, 1st, 1st and 1st.
His three wins in a row put him in elite Bathurst history with only Peter Brock, Larry Perkins, Jim Richards, Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes having won three of Bathurst’s majors in a row in the circuit’s history – and no one has done it in the 12-Hour, let alone win three of them at all.
The list of drivers to have won four Bathurst ‘majors’ is similarly elite and it seems hard to imagine that arguably the world’s best GT driver won’t be in the running to add his name to that list in 2024.
Can King Kenny claim another
KENNY Habul loves Mount Panorama, of that you will find no argument. That he's also engineered himself into a position to claim two victories in the past two years is further testament to his love of the place.
As an Am driver against a growing field of Professionals the job will get harder and harder each year the field grows, but the last two years have taught us to never, ever count out the SunEnergy1 Racing Mercedes.
Qualifying
A WEATHER-induced change to the qualifying format in 2022 has inadvertently given the 12 Hour it’s own unique version of a classic Bathurst Shootout, which will continue into 2024.
First there’s the fight to get into the top-10 – and the surprises that can throw up – and then there’s the two groups of five, each running for 15 minutes, in a bid to claim the coveted Allan Simonsen pole award.
It’s must-watch qualifying theatre on a Saturday afternoon on the Mountain.
The Invitational Class
THEY might not be fighting for outright success but there’s always lots of stories to follow in the 12-Hour’s Invitational class.
Last year it was the MARC Cars team raising funds for charity with a Valentino Rossi roof on their car that was up for auction – this year it could be the debut of the stunning French-built Vortex GT racer, plus the return of Keith Kassulke from his 2023 accident, the return of IndyCar champion Paul Tracy and some other potential surprises yet to be confirmed.
The all-Pro STM attack
CLASS contenders in recent years, Scott Taylor has thrown the kitchen sink at his team’s 2024 attack and has gone all-in for a shot at victory. There’s Craig Lowndes, of course – any car with him aboard will contend – and then there’s Tickford Racing hotshots Cam Waters and Tom Randle alongside. Both are effective in GT3 machinery and this team could absolutely be one to watch.
Chaz’s McLaren’s
CHAZ MOSTERT has launched his own race team and it will make its debut in the Repco Bathurst 12 Hour next year.
The Supercars and Bathurst 1000 winner has entered a pair of McLaren Artura GT4s in the race, heralding the return of the iconic brand to the Mount for the first time since 2020. Watching the evolution of this race team will be very interesting indeed.
And more to come..
There’s exciting announcements in the wind of new and returning teams and drivers, plus some incredible on and off track action that is set to make the Repco Bathurst 12 Hour the best yet in 2024!
