Triple EIght show off B12hr contender

The covers have been lifted from the #888 Mercedes-AMG Team Triple Eight Race Engineering Bathurst 12 Hour car, revealing the Mercedes-AMG GT3 that will be driven by Jamie Whincup, Shane van Gisbergen and Maximilian Götz.

Having taken part in the event twice before in partnership with other teams, 2020 marks the first time that Triple Eight will compete independently and enjoy full factory support from Mercedes-AMG, as well as backing from Mann Filter and Johor Motorsports.

Triple Eight’s full-time drivers in the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship, Whincup and van Gisbergen, are joined by Götz, a Mercedes-AMG Performance Driver who finished third in last year’s Bathurst 12 Hour.

“It’s always exciting to get back to the mountain, no matter what you’re driving, but to kick off the year at one of the best tracks in the world behind the wheel of an AMG GT3 is pretty special,” said Whincup, who won the race in 2017 with Triple Eight.

“The event is getting bigger and better every year. I’m one of the most patriotic people you’ll meet and it makes me really proud to see so many teams from around the world coming to Bathurst and holding it in such high regard. Everyone wants to win this race, so no doubt it’s going to be ultra-competitive again this year.”

This is the second year that Triple Eight will run the Mercedes-AMG GT3 at the Bathurst 12 Hour, but having competed in the GT World Challenge Asia in 2019, the team has banked valuable experience with the car, which van Gisbergen feels will be an advantage.

“I was lucky enough to do three of the six rounds of GT World Challenge Asia with Triple Eight last season, which was cool and definitely helps us coming into the Bathurst 12 Hour because we know the car that much better than this time last year,” he said.

“It’s cool to be teaming up with Maxi, his experience in the AMG will definitely be valuable. Last year’s race came down to a battle between us and his car, which was really tough but awesome for the fans. With Jamie as well, I think we’ve got a really strong line-up. Hopefully we can put on a good show again this year, but come away with a trophy.”

As well as fielding the #888 car in Class A Pro, Triple Eight is running the #777 Pro-Am entry, a Mercedes-AMG GT3 piloted by Yasser Shahin, brother Sam Shahin, Nick Foster and Anton de Pasquale.