AUDI Sport Customer Racing Australia team boss Troy Russell has confirmed that there will be at least six factory supported 2022-spec Audi R8s at the 2022 Bathurst 12 Hour to be held in May.
Run out of Melbourne Performance Centre, the team will field the latest 2022-spec Audi GT3 LMS entries at Mount Panorama.
While the team’s drivers have yet to be announced, it is expected that Repco Supercars Championship drivers’ Chaz Mostert and David Reynolds will form part of the line-up having driven in the team’s GT World Challenge Australia campaign this year.
Mostert won the TCR Australia Series for the MPC team last year aboard an Audi RS3, the same car being driven by Will Brown in this year’s series.
The remaining seats will likely be filled by both local racers and international factory Audi talents.
“We’re in the process of pinning down who is in what car and what the pro driver component will look like in the Pro-Am combinations we are running this year,” Russell explained.
“We will be representing Audi in the Intercontinental GT Challenge so there is that element to consider along with it being the opening round of the local Endurance championship too.
“Then there’s our customers and the team in general so there’s lots of moving pieces to piece together, but we have the makings of a really strong squad.
“There will be at least six cars run by us there but possibly more depending on how things shape up between now and May, but it’s going to be a pretty exciting line up.”
Audi is the most successful brand at the Bathurst 12 Hour having won it in 2011, 2012 and 2018, however the Australian-based MPC team is yet to reach the 12 Hour podium.
The team has good form heading to Bathurst, claiming victory at the opening round of the GT World Challenge Australia series at Phillip Island where it finished 1-2-3 on the podium.
“It’s a challenging race and one that hasn’t gone our way for the last couple of years, but we know we have the ability and the people to do the job,” Russell said.
“The R8 has always been a really solid car at Bathurst, it’s fast across the top but tends to perform everywhere so we know it’s up to the job. Every year we go there we are in the mix.
“Winning a 12-Hour race is a huge challenge, no matter the circumstances or the grid you are racing. It’s always competitive and always a challenge and we can’t wait to tackle it again this year.”
The 2022 Bathurst 12 Hour will be held between May 13-15 with the race commencing at 5:15am on Sunday May 15.
