The full Bathurst 12 Hour entry list has been revealed, featuring 53 cars across the six classes, jam packed with talented teams and drivers.
A cross section of champion drivers from Australia and New Zealand will be joined by World Champions, ex-Formula 1 drivers, GT world title winners and some of the best young rising stars in a fiercely competitive field that will produce a spectacular race.
17 different nationalities are represented amongst the more than 175 drivers who are set to tackle the race.
The Bathurst enduro doubles as the opening round of the Intercontinental GT Challenge, a four-round series that also includes the Spa 24 Hour, Suzuka 10 Hour and California 8 Hour enduros.
A host of major global brands compete to win the prestigious title, taken out by Audi last year. 12 manufacturers will be represented on the grid this year.
Factory supported or assisted teams from Bentley, Audi, BMW, Mercedes-AMG, McLaren, Porsche, KTM, Ginetta and Lamborghini will compete for outright or class victory at Bathurst, as will the Aussie designed and built MARC Cars Australia entries.
International teams include current World Rally Champions M-Sport, Audi Sport team WRT and the iconic BMW Schnitzer outfit.
A host of privateer runners in each class will uphold the Bathurst tradition of smaller teams punching above their weights to achieve a result.
The field includes current Supercars champion Jamie Whincup and runner-up Scott McLaughlin, defending Bathurst 1000 winners David Reynolds and Luke Youlden and defending Bathurst 12 Hour winners, Whincup and Craig Lowndes.
More than one-third of the current full-time Supercars Championship field will be represented with 401 Australian Touring Car Championship / Supercars Championship victories counted amongst the grid.
Nine Bathurst 12 Hour winners are entered in the race which is now regarded by brands and drivers as one of the four major endurance races primarily for GT cars in the world.
The current World Endurance Champion, Earl Bamber, will feature and lead the international brigade. The young Kiwi also teamed with his co-World champions Timo Bernhard and Brendon Hartley to win the 2017 LeMans 24 Hour classic.
2017 winners of the Spa 24 Hour (Jules Gounon, Christopher Haase and Markus Winkelhock) are all on the grid, as are three of the four drivers who won the Nurburgring 24 Hour last year; Winkelhock joined by Christopher Mies and Kelvin van der Linde on that occasion.
Drivers with a combined 220 Formula 1 Grands Prix starts are also represented.
Champion drivers from all levels of Australian motor sport are represented, including forthcoming 2018 Australian Motorsport Hall of Fame inductee, John Bowe.
Young rising stars like international Aussie Matt Campbell, Will Brown and third-generation drivers Aaron Seton and Matt Brabham also feature.
The Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour commences at 5:45am on Sunday 4 February.
Keep an eye on DSC, for its in-depth preview of the field, set to be published on race-week.
The Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour driver roster includes the following:
9 Former Bathurst 12 Hour winners, including defending winners Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup, for a total of 13 victories
4 Supercars champions, including reigning champion Jamie Whincup, for 12 championship victories
9 Bathurst 1000 winners, including defending winners David Reynolds and Luke Youlden, for a total of 24 Bathurst wins.
20 drivers to have won Australian Touring Car Championship / Supercar races for a total of 401 victories.
7 Sandown 500 winners for a total of 13 victories, including defending winner Cameron Waters
5 former Bathurst 12 Hour pole position winners
The current outright lap record holder at Mount Panorama (Shane van Gisbergen, 2m01.5670s)
The fastest ever driver officially recorded at Mount Panorama (Shane van Gisbergen 2m01.2860s)
The Supercars Mount Panorama lap record holder (David Reynolds)
The fastest ever driver officially recorded at Mount Panorama in a Supercar (Scott McLaughlin 2m03.8312)
3 FIA World Champions, including reigning World Endurance Champion Earl Bamber
4 drivers to have won the LeMans 24 Hours, for a total of 6 victories, including defending winner Earl Bamber
10 drivers to have won the Nurburgring 24 Hours, for a total of 21 victories
9 drivers to have won the Spa Francorchamps 24 Hours, for a total of 11 victories
1 Sebring 12 Hour winner
2 Bathurst 24 Hour winners
1 Bathurst 6 Hour winner
2 Intercontinental GT Challenge winners, including reigning champion Markus Winkelhock
2 Blancpain GT series champions
5 Blancpain GT Endurance Series Champions
5 Blancpain GT Sprint Series Champions
5 former Formula 1 drivers, who have made a combined 220 Grand Prix starts
5 Super 2 (Development Series) champions
2 Australian GT Champions
6 Porsche Carrera Cup Australia Champions for a total of 10 titles, including reigning champion David Wall and Challenge winner Stephen Grove.
2 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Champions, including reigning champion Chris van der drift
4 Porsche Carrera Cup Germany champions
3 Porsche Carrera Cup France Champions
1 Porsche Carrera Cup Italy Champion
2 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Australia champions, including reigning champion Jordan Love
4 Australian Drivers Champions for a total of 6 Gold Star victories
2 Australian Formula 4 Championship winners, including defending champion Nick Rowe
12 former Australian Formula Ford Champions
