Black Swan confirms 12-hour entry

TOP Pirelli World Challenge team Black Swan Racing will enter the 2018 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour.

The outfit confirmed this morning that they will enter a Porsche 911 GT3R in the February 2-4 event, as well as contesting the upcoming third round of the Intercontinental GT Challenge at Laguna Seca, in California.

The team has confirmed that 2017 12-hour runner-up and BRM Chronographs Pro/Am class winner David Calvert-Jones will be part of the driving squad, as will Dutch ace Jeroen Bleekemolen - who finished second in the 2012 race driving a Mercedes for Erebus Motorsport.

Team owner / driver Tim Pappas will complete the team, having shared success with Bleekemolen in almost every major race the team has had success in.

“We’re excited to return to our endurance roots with Porsche,” said Pappas.

“It goes without saying that Porsche is the most proven manufacturer in the history of endurance racing, and is the brand that our team has achieved the most success with. When we decided that we wanted to return our focus to international endurance racing, we felt they were the obvious choice between not only the car, but also the support structure in place with Porsche Motorsport.

"The Intercontinental GT Challenge has already proven to be a tremendous platform, and competing in the inaugural U.S. round is something we didn’t want to miss. Thanks to our partnership with David Calvert-Jones the opportunity to compete at Bathurst was also an unbeatable opportunity, and one we should relish in.

"We look forward to the program, which we’ll run alongside our efforts with Mercedes-AMG, which we’re still committed to for not only the rest of 2017, but 2018 as well.”

As well as Calvert-Jones joining the team as a driver, Black Swan will utilise the experience of Competition Motorsports - the ex-pat Aussie's own team - at the Mountain next February.

A majority of Black Swan Racing’s major victories have come in Porsche machines.

Beyond their two championships in the former American Le Mans Series, the team has also enjoyed tremendous endurance success, including victory at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring as well as Petit Le Mans. Most recently, Black Swan Racing took runner-up honors at the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona in 2016, coming within seconds of victory in the very Porsche they’ll be using this October.

For Owen Hayes, Director of Operations for Porsche Motorsport North America, Black Swan’s role as the first Porsche Motorsport customer team to commit to the event is a well noted one.

“We are seeing a growing interest in the inaugural Intercontinental GT Challenge in North America, and are pleased that Tim Pappas and Black Swan Racing are the first Porsche Motorsport customer to commit to competing with their 911 GT3 R,” stated Hayes.

“We at PMNA are looking forward to working closely with the experienced team in what promises to be a great event.”

The team will continue their 2017 efforts in the Pirelli World Challenge, running a Mercedes-AMG GT3 this weekend at the Circuit of the Americas and in the season finale' at Sonoma in mid-September.

Check out http://blackswanracing.co for more information about the team.