THE car with which Shane van Gisbergen won the 2021 Bathurst 6 Hour will make its latest start in the Easter enduro next week.
The BMW M4 that ‘SVG’ drove to victory with Shane Smollen and Rob Rubis will on this occasion by shared by Erebus Motorsport Supercars co-driver David Russell, Porsche Carrera Cup Australia rookie Tom McLennan, and Smollen.
Revealed in a striking Hasting Deering livery, the car will be run at the March 29-31 event by McLennan Motorsport.
“This program has been in the works since the start of 2023, so it’s really exciting to reveal our BMW,” said McLennan, 19.
“We did the 6 Hour in A1 Class last year and we enjoyed the weekend so much that we decided to come back with our own team and own car and control our own destiny.
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“We have some really great sponsors for the race and a strong driver line-up. On paper, we feel that we have a strong entry, so it looks like to will be a good weekend.”
Russell added: “My career started in production cars. I’ve always loved the cars and the variety.
“To come back again in X class, to be in outright contention, driving a car that has previously won the race… the ingredients for our team is very good.
“I’ve done lots of these 6 Hours, and the biggest thing, and it sounds cliche, but you buy a ticket to the last stint. You need to keep your nose clean, get your stops out of the way and be in a position to fight at the end.
“The last stint is gruelling. The car is hot, the sun is in your eyes, so getting the car to that last stint without any damage needs to be the plan.”
McLennan Motorsport team manager Aaron Reed was not shy in announcing their ambitions with the upgraded M4.
“We’re going there to win it. That’s what the whole program is about,” he said.
“I built this car four years ago. It has had success before and we want to go back and get that number spot on the podium again.
“We’ve done quite a few upgrades to the BMW. There’s been lots of learnings during testing and we feel that it’s been fine tuned to make it as good as it can be.”
