There will be plenty of GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS interest in the 2025 Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour, which doubles as the opening round of the Intercontinental GT Challenge.
Champion team Arise Racing GT will enter both of its Ferrari 296 GT3s marking the model’s debut in the event.
The lead Pro Class entry will be spearheaded by reigning Supercars champion Will Brown in a switch from Audi, Chaz Mostert and Ferrari factory ace Daniel Serra.
Brown’s regular teammate Brad Schumacher also makes the switch in the second 296 GT3 partnering Jaxon Evans, Elliott Schutte and Italian Alessio Rovera.
Melbourne Performance Centre will be represented by two Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo in this edition.
Liam Talbot returns to the team in a last minute Pro-Class entry, with Supercars star Broc Feeney and former factory racer Ricardo Feller returning in the team’s bid for victory after a podium result last year.
Marc Cini returns in his Hallmarc Team MPC Audi alongside Lee Holdsworth and Marc Cini.
Backing up Team MPC in the Audi ranks is the newly renamed Geyer Valmont Racing example shared by GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS Am Class race winners Marcel Zalloua and Sergio Pires. Joining the duo is international sports car and prototype ace Scott Andrews.
Mercedes-AMG is well represented, led by Grove Racing’s entry featuring father-son combination Stephen and Brenton Grove, who are joined by factory ace Fabian Schiller.
Am Class contenders James and Theo Koundouris have called on experience to share their Tigani Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo in a step up to Pro-Am. Bathurst 1000 winner Luke Youlden and David Russell complete the roster.
Scott Taylor competed in the Trophy Class last season, even winning at Queensland Raceway. Taylor will not race himself, but has entered a Mercedes-AMG for an all-star assault on the 12 Hour consisting of Craig Lowndes, Cam Waters and Thomas Randle.
Meanwhile, Jayden Ojeda will be gunning for outright honours when he reunites with Craft Bamboo Racing.
Two GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS teams will battle it out for Silver Cup honours, each in a different model. Volante Rosso Motorsport returns in its Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 featuring international drivers Jamie Day and Mateo Villagomez alongside young gun Jaylyn Robotham.
Wall Racing on the other hand has experience on its side, with Tony D’Alberto joined by car owner Adrian Deitz, TV personality Grant Denyer and regular GT World Challenge Australia star Brendon Leitch, who is fresh from a class winning performance at the 24H DUBAI 2024.
Previous two-time champion Yasser Shahin currently races in the World Endurance Championship, but returns to Australia to contest the Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour in a Porsche 911 GT3R (992).
Contenders from overseas including Team WRT, Absolute Racing, 75 Express and Heart of Racing by SPS will provide stiff competition not only in the outright standings, but across the classes.
The Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour will be held on January 31-February 2.