'Mamba Attack' locked in by GruppeM Racing

Mercedes-AMG Team MANN FILTER GruppeM Racing has announced star GT drivers Maximillian Buhk, Raffaele Marciello and Maximillian Götz will lead their charge ahead of their Bathurst 12 Hour debut. 

The Hong Kong-based team is the last of the Class A GT3 entries to confirm their driving squad, within a field shaping as the most competitive the race has yet seen. The full entry list will be released on Friday, Australian time.

All three drivers have extensive 12-Hour experience, Götz and Buhk racing a Mercedes-AMG GT3 together last year for Strakka Racing.

Buhk is perhaps better known for his starring performance in the 2014 race, where he pushed Craig Lowndes all the way to the finish when driving for HTP Motorsport, ultimately finishing second outright.

Marciello also raced for Mercedes-AMG last year, finishing second outright and first in Pro-Am in the SunEnergy1 entry.

He was also part of the driving combination that helped GruppeM Racing win the Suzuka 10 Hour last year.

The team has had a successful recent period that included winning the 2017 Blancpain GT Asia Championship.

"The Bathurst 12 Hour is a very important GT3 race and also part of the Intercontinental GT Challenge, which we will participate in for 2019," explained team owner, Mr Kenny Chen.

"It will be a tough challenge, for sure. We see some very strong competitors. Historically it has been tough for the Mercedes-AMG GT3 car due to the lack of straight-line speed but with our experienced driver line-up we will fight hard.

"All of those drivers have past history with GruppeM Racing and have all been race winners in a GruppeM Mercedes AMG GT3 car before. We think they enjoy driving our cars! We hope we will be there at the end to fight for a strong finish."

The team has confirmed a new major partnership for the event, with Mann Filter signing on as the major sponsor.

The result is a bright yellow and green livery that will ensure that no one will miss the GruppeM entry on the Mountain.

"We are bringing a 'snake attack' to Bathurst in our Mann Filter yellow and green 'Mamba'," Mr Chen said.

"The Australian heat is part of the natural habitat for mambas so we hope to get some special attention - look out for the yellow and green Mamba!"