BATHURST 12 HOUR stalwarts Grove Racing will be absent from the 2024 edition of the GT endurance race next month.
The team was expected to field a Mercedes-AMG in the event following an off-season switch from fellow German brand Porsche.
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However, the combination of the manufacturer switch and its other GT racing commitments in the Middle East have conspired against a Bathurst run.
“Grove Racing has decided not to enter the Bathurst 12 Hour to focus on the transition to Mercedes and concentrate on the Dubai 24 Hour and the Abu Dhabi 6 Hour,” the team confirmed to V8 Sleuth.
“The timing of both events made it tight and tricky to make it possible.”
The Dubai 24 Hours is scheduled for January 26-28, having recently been pushed back two weeks due to freight delays.
It now lands a week after the Abu Dhabi race and just three weeks before the Bathurst 12 Hour.
Grove Racing has 10 previous Bathurst 12 Hour starts to its name and is a five-time class winner at the event.
The squad’s Supercars team will contest the 2024 season-opening Thrifty Bathurst 500, scheduled for the week after the 12 Hour as part of the new ‘Bathurst SuperFest’.
Grove’s new Supercars signing Richie Stanaway made his race debut for the squad via its GT arm in the Gulf 12 Hours at Abu Dhabi in December.
Matt Payne will join Phil Keen and Stephen and Brenton Grove for the Dubai 24 Hour, after the father and son duo link with Mercedes junior driver Jordan Love for the Abu Dhabi 6 Hour.
