VR McLaren, Aston combinations confirmed

Australian motorsports team Volante Rosso is pleased to confirm a new partnership with McLaren Customer Racing for 2026 and beyond.

Volante Rosso has secured a McLaren 720s GT3 EVO that it will enter in the Meguiar's Bathurst 12 Hour next week, featuring three young Australian stars in the driver's seat.

The 12 Hour will be a precursor to the Queensland-based team's outright challenge on the 2026 GT World Challenge Australia championship.

Volante Rosso will also enter its Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 in the 12 Hour, with a clear desire to see it on the grid for the GT World Challenge Australia rounds as well.

The McLaren's 12 Hour effort will feature an exciting line-up of young Australian drivers, including reigning Super2 Series champion Rylan Gray and Carrera Cup Australia race winners Bayley Hall and Marcos Flack.

The team will also confirm a fourth driver for the McLaren's Bathurst entry in the coming days. Team owner Josh Hunt will shakedown the McLaren at Queensland Raceway today ahead of a final driver roster announcement. The Volante Rosso McLaren will compete in the Silver class.

The event will mark Gray's debut in the 12 Hour in what is set to be a huge year for the 19-year-old, recently confirmed as a full-time Supercars driver with Dick Johnson Racing.

While the Bathurst 12 Hour marks his first race in a GT3 car, he is no stranger to sportscar racing having finished second in the past two GT4 Australia Series with George Miedecke in a Ford Mustang.

Hall brings a wealth of local and international experience to the line-up. The 26 year old has competed in Porsche one-make racing in Australia, North America and Italy, as well as international GT events in Malaysia.

Hall also holds the record of being the second youngest driver to ever race at the Bathurst 12 Hour. The Queenslander made his 12 Hour debut in 2020 at the age of 16 – just two months shy of the youngest starter – NASCAR star Austin Cindric.

For Flack, this will be his second attack on the 12 Hour in a McLaren, but his first in GT3 machinery. He finished fourth in the GT4 class with Chaz Mostert in the 2024 Bathurst 12 Hour before winning the GT4 Australia Silver Cup crown in a McLaren that same year.

Volante Rosso's new deal with McLaren Customer Racing comes with official factory support from the United Kingdom, plus Australian-based McLaren agent Rod Wilson.

Increasing interest in McLaren Customer Racing’s GT programme is driving McLaren Automotive’s presence in the Australian market, which has also been aided by the McLaren Formula 1 team’s recent World Championship successes.

McLaren GT3 race models are also no stranger to local GT racing, highlighted by a Bathurst 12 Hour victory for Shane van Gisbergen, Jonathan Webb and Alvaro Parente back in 2016 in a 650S GT3.

The team's Aston Martin turned heads during last year's 12 Hour, and see a mix of youth and experience in next weekend's race. Former Supercars full-timer Bryce Fullwood will lead the way in the Vantage AMR GT3 alongside regular co-driver Damien Hamilton, experienced sportscar ace Maxime Robin and Andres Pato.

The Meguiar's Bathurst 12 Hour will be held at Mount Panorama on February 13-15

Chris Papadopoulos Technical Director, Volante Rosso

"We are really pleased to confirm that Volante Rosso will begin a new partnership with McLaren Customer Racing and enter a 720S EVO in Australian GT3 competition.

"This is the right time for our team to compete with McLaren. Not only are we seeing more and more of their cars on our roads, but its Formula 1 team is at the top of its game, winning the world championship.

"It also helps that we now link Australian F1 driver Oscar Piastri with McLaren too, so the appreciation for the brand is at an all time high.

"But more so, the McLaren GT3 EVO is an extremely competitive package. It has won races and championships all across the world, and we know that we are going to be able to compete against the best teams.

"Starting our new partnership with McLaren at the Bathurst 12 Hour is very exciting too. There's no place like it, and the 2026 race has seen a huge resurgence with a range of new brands coming back down under to race.

"We are also really pleased to have an exciting group of local young guns in our team for Bathurst in the McLaren. All three are extremely fast and very level headed – the perfect combination for a gruelling race like the 12 Hour."Our line-up in the Aston Martin for the Pro-Am class is also very strong. We have no doubt that those four drivers in a car that we know so well now, will be a force."

Rod Wilson - Australian retailer for McLaren

“Having a competitive and dedicated team like Volante Rosso secure a McLaren GT3 EVO is great news for McLaren and GT3 racing in Australia,” said Wilson.

“As the agents for McLaren in this part of the world, we are really looking forward to working closely with Volante Rosso and our expanding customer base that will now include GT3 alongside GT4 Australia.”