YNA Autosport is set to take on the 2018 Bathurst 12 Hour with three world-class GT drivers aboard its McLaren 650S GT3.
The team, which raced in the Australian GT Championship with the 650S GT3 this year, has signed Supercars and Bathurst 12 Hour champions Craig Lowndes and Shane van Gisbergen and 2016 Blancpain Endurance Cup winner Côme Ledogar for the event.
The all-Pro lineup boasts a total of 11 wins at Mount Panorama, including seven Bathurst 1000 victories and four at the Bathurst 12 Hour, including the last two iterations of the event.
It will mark Lowndes’ first appearance in a McLaren 650S GT3, and van Gisbergen’s return to the car in which he set the Mount Panorama lap record with in the 2016 event.
For YNA, the run at Bathurst will be the start of a planned international motorsport campaign for 2018, which will include selected overseas events.
“The Bathurst 12 Hour is one of my absolute favourite events, so I am delighted to have the chance to defend my win in 2017 but in a McLaren for the first time,” said Lowndes.
“McLaren is an iconic name in motor racing and the 650S is a serious bit of kit, so I am really excited about the opportunity to race it at Bathurst with Shane (Van Gisbergen) and Côme (Ledogar). I can’t wait.”
“I’m excited to be back in a McLaren for the Bathurst 12 Hours,” added van Gisbergen.
“It’s good to team up with Côme again, I drove with him in 2016 when we won the Blancpain Endurance Series in a McLaren 650S GT3, and driving with Craig to help him defend his 2017 title.
“I think we’ve got a strong driver line up, a strong team and a strong car, so I’m looking forward to the event.”
The 2018 Liqui Moly Bathurst 12 Hour takes place on February 2-4. The entry list is 60-cars strong for the 2018 race, and can be found HERE.
