US teenager targets 12 hour return

TEENAGE sensation Austin Cindric has targeted a return to the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour as part of his racing plans for the 2018 season.

The 19-year-old (Pictured, second from left) son of Team Penske president Tim Cindric made his Bathurst debut in the 2015 race, driving a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG for Erebus Motorsport.

Driving with fellow youngsters Simon Hodge and Nathan Morcom, the car ran strongly in the early stages of the race before being plagued with tyre issues in the latter half, ultimately finishing 21st.

Cindric returned to Erebus the following year and drove with Bernd Schneider and Maro Engel, though the car was ultimately a non-finisher. He missed the 2017 event due to clashes with his US-based calendar.

Since making his 12-hour debut in 2015, Cindric has bolstered his experience by competing in the Global RallyCross series, Pirelli World Challenge and more recently NASCAR's Truck Series.

He had been planning a debut in the Super 2 Championship at Newcastle later this year however that has since fallen through due to a date clash.

“I’d still love to go down there, and my first priority will be to do the Bathurst 12 Hour next year," Cindric told motorsport.com's Andrew van Leeuwen.

“I tried like crazy to get back there this year and I had three different things fall through to make that not happen.

“The one thing that usually plays in my favour is the driver ratings because they have a Pro/Pro category which means that maybe I can get in with somebody who realizes my track experience, my racing experience.

“That’s a ways down the road though. I’ve got to focus on what I’m going to do full-time next year and hopefully there’ll be a chance to do the Bathurst 12 Hour.”