Rising star Aaron Seton is one of a dozen drivers confirmed for MARC’s Bathurst 12 Hour campaign next February.
The 17-year-old will make his debut in the Mount Panorama classic following a successful season that netted the Class B title in the GT3 Cup Challenge.
Ryan McLeod’s Queensland-based MARC outfit is set to field three Ford Focus-bodied entries and two Mazda 3s in the race, where they compete as Invitational vehicles.
McLeod says he’s excited to have Seton as part of the MARC program, which benefitted from his father Glenn’s experience during initial development testing ahead of their debut in 2014.
Glenn has three Bathurst 12 Hour starts to his name, scoring best results of second aboard a Mitsubishi Lancer in 2010 and third in a Saab 9000 in 1992.
Aaron made his debut at the track at the Easter Bathurst Motor Festival, driving his GT3 Cup car in the Production Sports Car races.
“Aaron is an exciting young driver and fits well with what we’ve done previously,” McLeod told Speedcafe.com.
“We’ve had a lot of guys through our Bathurst 12 Hour program, like Chaz Mostert, Scott Pye and Ash Walsh, so it’s become a well trodden path for getting miles at the mountain.
“There are still a couple of seats for us to fill so we’re talking to a couple of others about joining the team as well.
“I’ve raced against Aaron in the AMChamps and have supported him a little bit through the shop when he was in karts.
“He’s been well schooled in different forms of motorsport because he’s also done a bit of dirt racing in midget cars and lately the Porsche and GT racing.”
Others among the driver roster include fellow youngsters Morgan Haber and Nick Rowe and car owners Tony Alford, Mick Benton and Jake Camilleri.
Gentlemen racers Mark Griffith, Lindsay Kearns, Angus Kennard, Beric Lynton, Hadrian Morrall and Rob Thomson complete the currently announced line-up.
A seat has also been left open for car owner Keith Kassulke, who continues to recover from burns sustained in a fire at Phillip Island last month.
MARC will campaign three cars in January’s 24 Hours of Dubai before switching its attention to the February 5-7 Bathurst event.
The team is currently building two brand new cars for customer squad VDS Adventures Racing to run in the Creventic Series, bringing the total number of MARC V8s in existence to 11.
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