Five bold predictions for the 2026 Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour

THE world has arrived at Mount Panorama, and in a big way, too.

35 cars will contest the 2026 race, spread across Pro, Pro-Am, Silver, Bronze, GT4 and Invitational categories.

The stacked field stands at 115 drivers representing 22 nationalities, and includes nine former winners for a total of 15 Bathurst 12 Hour victories.

Remarkably, there is at least one winner from each of the last six races.

12 brands – 10 of them competing in GT3 – are represented, with Ford and Chevrolet making their respective debuts in the outright category this year.

It’s time to go bold. So, here’s what we think will play out this weekend.

An Aussie pole sitter

2022 seems a long time ago, when Chaz Mostert claimed the Allan Simonsen Pole Position Trophy. In the years since, Maro Engel, Sheldon van der Linde and Lucas Auer have claimed poles. Aussies fly around the Mountain in October, so we're tipping another breaks through on Saturday.

75 Express miss the podium

The #75 Mercedes-AMG and Bathurst are a match made in heaven. Wins in 2022 and 2023, and podiums in 2024 and 2025, have the team on a hot streak. However, all good things come to an end, and while it would be a shock to see the Gounon/Stolz/Habul car miss out on silverware, Bathurst doesn't remain kind forever.

2000 kilometres cracked

The 2023 Bathurst 12 Hour race marked a historic milestone in the event's history, with the winning car covering over 2000 km for the first time. Despite a big field, we're tipping we hit 2000 again.

All makes right in the fight

With 10 brands competing in GT3, it's going to be a hotly contested race. Ford and Chevrolet have arrived, BMW is chasing back-to-back wins, Porsche have a star-studded line-up, and Mercedes-AMG are 10 strong. After BMW claimed a 1-2 last year, we're tipping more brands are right in the fight for victory as the hours count down.

Two on the bounce for WRT

It has been some 2026 already for WRT. Asian Le Mans victory in Dubai, overall podium at Daytona, and a fifth Dubai 24H win. Given WRT's amazing form, it's hard to look past them for consecutive victories on the Mountain.