Craft-Bamboo Racing confirmed for 12-Hour return

LIQUI MOLY Bathurst 12 Hour favourites Craft-Bamboo Racing will return for a sixth attempt at claiming victory on Mount Panorama.

The Hong Kong-based team has entered a Mercedes-AMG GT3 for the February 3-5 event and will line up for a sixth shot at winning Australia's International Endurance race.

The team will confirm drivers, sponsor and livery closer to the event however have confirmed their intent to contest the outright 'Pro' class, for GT3 cars with professional driving squads.

Craft-Bamboo challenged for victory in the 2022 race, with drivers Maro Engel, Daniel Juncadella and Kevin Tse finishing just eight seconds behind the winners.

It was a remarkable comeback for the team who failed to qualify and started last after having to undergo an engine change on Saturday.

Despite starting from the back, the team led the race at the half-way point and contended for the win right to the chequered flag.

It was the team's best Bathurst result amidst a string of impressive performances at Mount Panorama by the international squad.

They finished third on debut in 2015 with Aston Martin, before returning with a Porsche in 2018 to finish fifth.

After qualifying on the front row in 2019, Craft Bamboo's first Bathurst in a Mercedes-AMG product ended in a non-finish after damage caused overheating issues.

A strong rebound a year later saw them qualify second, end the shootout in sixth position and finish the race fifth.

Their 2022 result came as part of a Mercedes-AMG lockout of the podium, the first time that has occurred in Bathurst 12 Hour history.

Last year, the team claimed outright victory for Mercedes-AMG at the Indy 8 Hour Intercontinental GT Challenge event in October, followed shortly by a win at the Macau Grand Prix GT event in November with Engel behind the wheel.

The 2023 LIQUI MOLY Bathurst 12 Hour will be held across the February 3-5 weekend, with tickets on sale now at Ticketek.

QUOTE:

Darryl O’Young | Team Director, Craft-Bamboo Racing

“The Bathurst 12 Hour has a special place in our hearts - which is why, despite all the challenges in 2022, we made the trip over to compete in this iconic event. We have come close so many times, but have yet to take the win here in Bathurst as a team. We have worked hard on the preparation for this year’s event, taking all the years of experience here to try and use that to our advantage. This year’s race will have a lot of strong competition, so we will have to be sharp to have a chance at the outright victory.”