- Mercedes-AMG fields the strongest brand on the grid of the endurance racing classic
- AMG Customer Racing Teams compete at Mount Panorama Circuit with clear ambitions for victory
- 12-hour race also season opener of the Intercontinental GT Challenge 2026
Mercedes-AMG Motorsport with record-breaking entry
Vehicles from twelve different manufacturers have been entered for the Bathurst 12 Hour – an increase of three brands compared to the previous year. Mercedes-AMG once again fields the largest contingent in the entry list. With ten Mercedes-AMG GT3 cars entered, the brand not only records a new internal record, but also fields the largest entry in the history of the race. This once again underlines the high significance of the endurance classic for the international Customer Racing Teams of the performance and sports car brand. Mercedes-AMG Motorsport will rely on three Performance Teams in Bathurst: Mercedes-AMG Team Tigani Motorsport, which will compete for the first time with Performance Team status, Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing and Mercedes-AMG Team GMR.
Mercedes-AMG Motorsport travels to Australia with clear ambitions
The performance and sports car brand from Affalterbach has won the Bathurst 12 Hour three times to date: in 2013, 2022 and 2023. In the past two years, Australian Kenny Habul and his team 75 Express, together with Mercedes-AMG Performance Drivers Jules Gounon (AND) and Luca Stolz (GER), finished a second and a third place overall. In 2026, Mercedes-AMG Motorsport will once again travel to Australia with clear ambitions and aims to fight for overall victory again on the demanding Mount Panorama Circuit.
The race starts on Sunday, 15 February, at 5:45 a.m. local time (Saturday, 14 February, 7:45 p.m. CET). On the previous day, the starting grid for the endurance classic will be determined in qualifying, including the pole shootout.
Line-up Mercedes-AMG GT3, 2026 Bathurst 12 Hour[1]
| No. | Team | Driver | Class |
| 6 | Mercedes-AMG Team Tigani Motorsport | Philip Ellis (SUI) Jayden Ojeda (AUS) Fabian Schiller (GER) | Pro |
| 27 | Heart of Racing by SPS | Ian James (GBR) N.N. N.N. | Bronze |
| 44 | Geyer Valmont Racing/Tigani Motorsport | Scott Andrews (AUS) Brendon Leitch (NZL) Sergio Pires (AUS) Marcel Zalloua (AUS) | Pro Am |
| 45 | RAM Motorsport/GWR Australia | Brett Hobson (AUS) Dylan O'Keeffe (AUS) Mike Sheargold (AUS) Garth Walden (AUS) | Pro Am |
| 47 | Supabarn Supermarkets/Tigani Motorsport | Zach Bates (AUS) James Koundouris (AUS) Theo Koundouris (AUS) David Russell (AUS) | Bronze |
| 75 | 75 Express | Jules Gounon (AND) Kenny Habul (AUS) Luca Stolz (GER) | Pro |
| 77 | Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing | Ralf Aron (EST) Lucas Auer (AUT) Maximilian Götz (GER) | Pro |
| 100 | Grove Racing | Kai Allen (AUS) Will Davison (AUS) Brenton Grove (AUS) | Pro |
| 222 | Scott Taylor Motorsport | Chaz Mostert (AUS) Thomas Randle (AUS) Cameron Waters (AUS) | Pro |
| 888 | Mercedes-AMG Team GMR | Maro Engel (GER) Mikaël Grenier (CAN) Maxime Martin (BEL) | Pro |
[1] Subject to short-term changes.
Intercontinental GT Challenge enters its eleventh season
The Intercontinental GT Challenge has been contested since 2016. This year once again, the race calendar comprises five events on four continents, bringing together the most renowned GT endurance races in the world. Mercedes-AMG Motorsport will again be represented at all rounds of the series in 2026. The season opener will take place for the tenth time at the legendary Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst – only in 2021 did the opening round not take place in Australia. In 2022 and 2023, Mercedes-AMG Motorsport secured the manufacturers’ title in each case. In addition, a total of three titles in the Pro class and four titles in the Pro-Am category have been celebrated since the series was founded. Furthermore, Kenny Habul won the Independent Cup for the fifth time in 2025 (2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2025), a gentlemen’s classification contested within the IGTC.
“The Bathurst 12 Hour is one of the most important races on the international GT calendar. With ten Mercedes-AMG GT3 cars – including six vehicles in the Pro class – we will once again field the largest brand entry on the grid in 2026, underlining the strength and appeal of the Mercedes-AMG GT3 for our Customer Racing Teams worldwide. The Mount Panorama Circuit is one of the most technically demanding tracks in GT racing and places the highest demands on the car, the team and the drivers. Our goal is clear: we want to fight for overall victory once again at the opening round of the Intercontinental GT Challenge.”
Stefan Wendl, Head of Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing
“The 12-hour race in Bathurst is always something very special for me, as it is my home race. There are few feelings comparable to a strong lap around the Mount Panorama Circuit in a Mercedes-AMG GT3. To line up together with Tigani Motorsport as a Mercedes-AMG Performance Team at an IGTC race is fantastic. We aim for the top step of the podium at every race, but now being able to fight for victory with a Pro entry is a dream. It would be something we would all remember for the rest of our lives.”
Jayden Ojeda, Mercedes-AMG Team Tigani Motorsport #6
“The circuit, the fans and the atmosphere in Bathurst are unique. Driving there is great fun every time. Together with Kenny and Jules, we have been very successful in recent years. By now, we are a perfectly well-rehearsed team and know our strengths exactly. The level of competition increases year after year. In 2026, there will be more Pro cars on the grid than ever before. That is a strong statement for this race, but at the same time an enormous challenge when it comes to fighting for a podium position. All the more, I hope that we will succeed once again.”
Luca Stolz, 75 Express #75
“I am extremely excited to race in Bathurst for the first time. In general, I love street circuits as well as tracks that are demanding and unique. As preparation, I have watched countless onboard videos and completed several simulator sessions, but nothing compares to driving the circuit in real life. I am very happy to be competing together with the Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing, a team I already know quite well. With Maxi, I have a teammate who is extremely experienced at Bathurst. And Luggi is a very fast driver overall. I can’t wait to hit the track.”
Ralf Aron, Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing #77
“Racing a GT3 car in Bathurst in front of the Aussie crowd and being supported while battling some of the best GT drivers in the world is always something very special and a real thrill. What makes the Mount Panorama Circuit so special is its epic layout along the side of a mountain, which makes it extremely difficult to put together a perfect lap. I love coming back year on year trying to go faster. GT3 is the category with the highest downforce that I compete in, and the car generates its lap time mainly at the top of the mountain with crazy cool speeds, while Supercars make their time down on the straights. Together with my teammates, I will try to surprise one or two competitors.”
Chaz Mostert, Scott Taylor Motorsport #222
“Bathurst is a huge highlight every year. One of my absolute favourite tracks on the racing calendar, alongside the Nürburgring Nordschleife and Macau. Of course, I like to think back to the qualifying lap record in 2023. That was a very good lap in a perfectly balanced Mercedes-AMG GT3, one I am proud of, but where I also went to the absolute limit. Especially in qualifying, it is always a delicate moment when you flirt with the limits and have to drive extremely close to the wall. I am still missing the victory, so that is my absolute goal for this year.”
Maro Engel, Mercedes-AMG Team GMR #888
Facts & figures
| Mount Panorama Circuit opened: 1938 |
| Track layout: - Length: 6.213 kilometres (current layout) - The Mount Panorama Circuit partially runs on public roads that are closed for racing - The circuit is characterised by fast sections and tight corners with significant elevation changes - Two long straights, gradients of up to 16%, elevation change of 174 metres - Number of corners: 23 |
| Bathurst 12 Hour first held: 1991 (2026: 23rd running) - The race did not take place from 1995 to 2007 and in 2021 - GT3 participation since 2011 (2026: 15th anniversary) |
| Mercedes-AMG victories at the Bathurst 12 Hour: 3- 2013: Thomas Jäger, Alexander Roloff, Bernd Schneider (Erebus Motorsport, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3)- 2022: Jules Gounon, Kenny Habul, Martin Konrad, Luca Stolz (Triple Eight Race Engineering, Mercedes-AMG GT3) - 2023: Jules Gounon, Kenny Habul, Luca Stolz SunEnergy1 (Akkodis ASP Team, Mercedes-AMG GT3) |
| Maro Engel holds the lap record with a time of 2:00.8819 set in qualifying in 2023 |
| Ralf Aron will make his first start at the Bathurst 12 Hour in 2026 |
| The Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing #6 is competing with a vehicle design inspired by the world-famous anime series Initial D and the iconic hero car from the series, which celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2026 |
| IGTC events 2026 - Meguiar's Bathurst 12 Hour (AUS, 13. – 15.02.2026) - ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring (GER, 14. – 17.05.2026) - CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa (BEL, 25. – 28.06.2026) - 1000 km Suzuka (JAP, 13.09.2026) - Indianapolis 8 Hour Presented by AWS (USA, 10.10.2026) |
| IGTC titles – Mercedes-AMG: 9 IGTC manufacturers’ titles: 2 (2022, 2023) IGTC drivers’ titles – Pro: 3 - 2018: Tristan Vautier - 2022: Daniel Juncadella - 2023: Jules Gounon IGTC drivers’ titles – Pro-Am: 4 - 2018: Kenny Habul - 2019: Kenny Habul - 2021: Mikaël Grenier, Kenny Habul, Martin Konrad - 2022: Kenny Habul, Martin Konrad |
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