MARANELLO MOTORSPORT SET TO DEFEND TITLE AS BATHURST 12 HOUR ENTRIES OPEN

Maranello Motorsport have signalled their intention to defend their Bathurst 12 Hour title in 2018 – Photo Rhys Vandersyde

Maranello Motorsport have signalled their intentions to defend their Bathurst 12 Hour title in February 2018.

After claiming Ferrari’s second win at the mountain this year, the team has been vocal about their desire to achieve a rare Bathurst back-to-back.

Team owner Mark Coffey said he was working hard to ensure they were back for the event between 2nd and 4th February.

“We have supported the Bathurst 12 Hour every year since it became a GT race and we’re already working on our plans to come back next year,” Coffey said.

“Things didn’t go to plan when we tried to defend our 2014 win so we want to come back next year and see if we can go back-to-back, which has only been achieved once before in the GT era.

“The Bathurst 12 hour has become a ‘must win’ race on the GT schedule and we’re proud to represent Ferrari every year. It is our intention to do so again in 2018.”

The news comes as entries open for the 2018 edition of international endurance race at Mt Panorama, with the Bathurst 12 Hour again expecting to attract a world-class field of both cars and drivers as it continues to grow from strength to strength.

The outright GT3 class will again be split into three divisions, with seperate trophies on the line for Pro, Pro/Am and Am.

It’s also expected that the 12 Hour will feature an expanded GT4 presence as the category continues in rapid expansion around the world.

The class was won this year by independent German team, PRO Sport Performance, with a Porsche Cayman GT4. With 2018 race expected to see manufacturer entries in the class from the likes of BMW.

“The BMW M4 GT4 made its racing debut at the Dubai 24 Hour race earlier this year and there are plans for a full customer racing program in 2018. With the growth of GT4 around the world we’re working with BMW to make sure the car is in Australia, and racing it at Bathurst would be the ideal place to showcase the car, so that’s what we are working towards.” said Steven Richards, BMW Team SRM team.

Auto Action will have more details about the 2018 Bathurst 12 Hour as it gets closer. Make sure you follow us on social media – Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for all the latest updates.