CRAIG Lowndes will return to the outright class of the Bathurst 12 Hour in 2024, teaming with Tickford Racing Supercars stars Cam Waters and Thomas Randle.
The trio are set to combine at the February 16-18 event in a Scott Taylor Motorsport Mercedes AMG GT3 run by Ash Seward.
A winner of the Bathurst 12 Hour aboard Ferraris in 2014 and ’17, Lowndes has contested the last two editions of the race in class entries.
That included a 2023 campaign with STM that ended when Taylor crashed heavily at the top of the Mountain.
Lowndes, who will again drive for Triple Eight in the Supercars enduros next year, is looking forward to teaming up with the Tickford aces in the 12 Hour.
“It’s always exciting to go to Bathurst knowing you have a shot at outright victory, and I think this year we have all the pieces of the puzzle to do that,” said Lowndes.
TICKETS: Buy your tickets to the Repco Bathurst 12 Hour
“Cam and Tom are at the top of their game and were both really impressive in the Supercars Championship this year.
“They have lots of Bathurst laps, so I’ve got no doubt they’re going to be very quick.
“As a team we are a very well-balanced driving line up so we’re all pretty excited to get there next February.”
Waters has two previous Bathurst 12 Hour starts to his name, driving a Strakka Racing Mercedes in 2018 and a Tony Bates Audi in 2022.
“It didn’t take much time to say ‘yes’ when they came to me and asked if I wanted to be involved,” said Waters of the STM deal.
“Scotty always does things the right way so we know we’ll have the package to be competitive.
“The race has come a long way since I last drove a Mercedes there in 2018 but I know we’ll be up to speed quickly and I can’t wait for the challenge and for racing at Bathurst two weeks in a row next February.”
Randle will be making his 12 Hour debut but has some GT3 experience courtesy of outings in state-level competition aboard a Bentley Continental.
“I’ve always wanted to compete at the Bathurst 12 Hour so to be able to do it with Cam and with Craig makes it an extra special way to make my debut,” he said.
“I love driving GT3 cars, they’re an awesome race car and I can’t wait to drive it around Mount Panorama.
“The 12 Hour has become such a must-win race in the world of endurance racing so to be going there with a realistic shot of a good result is pretty exciting.”
The STM entry will continue to promote the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia at the event, having raised significant funds for the cause over the past two years.
