Taiwanese GT team HubAuto Racing will end a four year absence and return to Mount Panorama Bathurst circuit for the Repco Bathurst 12 Hour in 2024 with a Porsche 911 GT3R (992).
After a four-year hiatus from the Australian motorsport scene, HubAuto Racing returns with a determined aim to conquer the mountain with the Porsche 911 GT3R 992, drawing strength from past achievements in Australia and recognising the ongoing support of their fans in the country.
“Clinching the 2019-2020 Asian Le Mans Series title strengthened our connection with our Australian fan base, who hold a special place in our hearts. Our Australian fans are our second-largest supporter base, beyond Taiwan.” Said Morris Chen, Team Principal and Owner.
“Australia has been a tremendous source of fan support, and we are eager to return to Bathurst, a circuit known for its unforgiving challenges and create new memorable moments for both our local and international fans.” Chen said.
Mount Panorama has previously posed a formidable challenge for HubAuto Racing, with the team facing setbacks in their previous two appearances in 2019 and 2020, where unfortunate crashes led to premature exits from the event.
“Our experiences at Bathurst have been challenging but we’ve always shown potential. These events have been integral to our growth and resilience as a team,” said the team’s Technical Director, Australian Phillip Di Fazio.
“We are constantly analysing our past performances, learning valuable lessons, and our meticulous preparations for this year’s race reflect our commitment to overcome the challenges of this legendary circuit.”
Added Chen; “HubAuto Racing’s return to Bathurst is more than the racing; it’s about our fans in Australia and our determination to conquer the Mount Panorama circuit.
“We’re thrilled to engage with our Aussie supporters again and set our sights on victory with the Porsche 911 GT3R 992. We can’t wait to hit the track and show our best performance.”
GruppeM Racing Returning Too
Defending Allan Simonsen Pole Award winners and multiple podium finishing squad Mercedes-AMG Team GruppeM Racing are also coming back to Bathurst in 2024.
Fresh from claiming victory in the Gulf 12 Hours, the final round of the 2023 Intercontinental GT Challenge powered by Pirelli, one of the Repco Bathurst 12 Hour’s most successful international teams has confirmed their return for the 2024 event, the opening round of the 2024 IGTC.
It will be Mercedes-AMG Team GruppeM Racing’s fourth attempt at the race with a Mercedes-AMG GT3 entry.
The team, which operates from Hong Kong and Germany, has become one of the most consistently successful international teams in Bathurst 12 Hour history.
In three visits the team has never qualified lower than third and has crossed the line in the top three each year.
GruppeM first entered the race in 2019, scoring the Allan Simonsen Pole Award with Raffaele Marciello before the fast Italian then paired with Maximilian Buhk and Maximilian Goetz to lead 34 laps and ultimately finish third.
The team returned the following year and for a time had looked to go one position better than their debut.
With Marciello and Buhk joined by Felipe Fraga, the team qualified third and crossed the line second behind the winning Bentley Continental GT3 – only to be penalised post-race for a pit lane infringement during their final pit stop, ultimately classified sixth.
A two-year Covid-forced break saw GruppeM return in style last year; Maro Engel scoring the team’s second Allan Simonsen pole award with a stunning 2m00.8819s lap at the end of the Pirelli Pole Shootout in qualifying.
Engel, Marciello and Mikael Grenier went on to lead 144 laps – the most ever by a car that did not win – before going on to finish third.
A mechanical issue with a Balance of Performance-related data logger in the team’s Mann Filter AMG GT3 saw them forced to complete a late, unscheduled pitstop before to an on-track clash as Engel battled with ultimate winner Jules Gounon for the lead, also cost them time.
However, their remarkable comeback saw Engel haul in the leaders, crossing the line third just 1.4 seconds behind the winning Mercedes-AMG.
Mostert Confirmed In GT4 McLaren
METHOD MOTORSPORT has locked in their first trio of drivers for their upcoming Repco Bathurst 12 Hour campaign, with team co-owner Chaz Mostert as part of the crew.
The first of two McLaren Artura GT4s, #25, will be driven by Mostert, young Porsche rising star Marcos Flack and newcomer Jesse Bryan.
The Bathurst 12 Hour will serve as the competitive debut for the team, founded late last year by Mostert and Guy McEntyre, ahead of a full-season campaign in the new GT4 Australia series.
Mostert’s Bathurst track record includes two Repco Bathurst 1000 victories and two Allan Simonsen Pole Awards in the 12-Hour.
Despite having several options for drives in outright GT3 machinery, Mostert elected instead to drive for his own team in the GT4 class.
The Walkinshaw Andretti United star was the first in 12-Hour history to win two of the prestigious Allan Simonsen pole awards, claiming his first in 2018 with BMW before repeating in 2022 aboard an Audi R8.
Teenager Flack commenced karting aged five and has progressed through the ranks of European open wheel racing, including British F4 and Formula 3.
More recently he has stepped into the Porsche pathway in Australia, a podium finisher in Porsche Sprint Challenge competition prior to making his Carrera Cup debut in the closing stages of the 2023 season.
Bathurst rookie Jesse Bryan joins the team with a host of experience behind the wheel of European machinery, including those from Porsche and BMW.
He has also contested the famed Goodwood Festival of Speed driving a Nissan R32 GTR.
Method Motorsport Team Principal Guy McEntyre said he was excited to see the driving squad come together for Australia’s International enduro.
“I am keen to see the diversity in age come together to share their expertise and give it their all at our first event of the season,” he said.
“The team put in a big effort last year and it is good to be now weeks away from going racing and see it all come together. The driver launch of our second car is next then we pack the transporter and head to the Mountain.”
The drivers of the sister car will be confirmed soon.
