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Bentley’s two-car factory attack on the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour will be bolstered with a local entry spearheaded by former race winner John Bowe.
The Peter Edwards-owned car, which is the only Bentley Continental GT3 in Australia, is making a return to racing following more than a year on the sidelines.
Set to be campaigned at Bathurst and in the Australian GT Championship, the entry has been put together by businessman Charlie Brooks.
Bowe is a friend of both Edwards and Brooks and acted as a conduit to bring the deal together.
The Supercars Hall of Famer will lead the driving line-up, marking a return to the race for the 2014 12 Hour winner after a one-year absence.
Edwards and Bowe shared the Bentley with David Brabham in the 2015 Bathurst 12 Hour, running solidly until being elbowed into the wall by Stefan Mucke’s Aston Martin in the closing stages.
The car was fixed in order to return to the Australian GT Championship before eventually being parked in favour of Edwards’ Ferrari.
Bowe returned to the wheel of the Bentley for a recent shakedown at Winton and says he’s looking forward to campaigning it at Mount Panorama.
“I personally quite like that car and I don’t think we’ve seen the best of it,” Bowe told Speedcafe.com.
“It didn’t particularly suit the tyre that we were running last and I believe the next generation Pirelli will be better.
“When I drove with David and Peter at Bathurst the car was very good, but we struggled through the course of the year.
“Charlie was quite keen on the fact that it’s the only one in Australia, which gives it a point of difference.”
Bowe raced in Australian GT this year aboard Edwards’ Maranello Ferrari, which will be shared at Bathurst by Craig Lowndes, Jamie Whincup and Toni Vilander.
The veteran’s 2014 victory had come with Maranello in a Ferrari co-driven by Lowndes, Edwards and Mika Salo.
“I totally understand Maranello’s position for Bathurst,” added Bowe.
“They’ve got a full pro line-up and with Triple Eight involved are clearly going to be a real outright contender.
“This (Bentley) is great for me because it’s a race that I love.
“Some of the driving standards need tidying up a bit because some of the Europeans don’t have any regard for anyone else and there’s a lot of inexperienced drivers.
“But it’s a great event and clearly a very good category.”
Further details on the third Bentley including its full driver line-up and sponsor are expected to be locked in during the coming weeks.
