Former champ faces new challenge at Bathurst

Former Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour winner Alvaro Parente says that he is looking forward to the “big challenge” of driving a Mercedes-AMG for the first time in this weekend’s race.

Parente won the race in his first attempt in a Tekno Autosports McLaren in 2016, with Shane van Gisbergen and Jonathon Webb.

The Portuguese driver returned last year to finish fifth outright in what was in fact a highly impressive comeback after the #1 650S lost multiple laps due to an engine problem.

Parente, then a McLaren factory driver, drove with Strakka in last year’s Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup and has stayed with the British squad since its off-season switch to Mercedes-AMG.

While Strakka has tested its new hardware at Barcelona and Silverstone, Parente will not get his first taste in the AMGs until practice at Mount Panorama.

“The last two times I was here was in a McLaren, obviously a car that I know very well,” Parente explained to Speedcafe.com.

“The only thing I had to do in 2016 was learn the track; now I have to just learn the car because I haven’t tested the car.

“It’s going to be very interesting I think, but I’m looking forward to it; a big challenge, and I can’t wait to start going.”

Parente does not know if he will be afforded additional practice time relative to his co-drivers Maxi Buhk and Maxi Gotz, as the latter will be making his Bathurst debut.

Both, however, are Mercedes specialists and Buhk finished runner-up with HTP Motorsport in the Silver Arrow’s previous-spec GT3 machine in 2014, and Parente will draw on the Germans’ car knowledge.

“It’s a track that I really enjoy, really like this track,” he said.

“I’ve had a lot of fun and I like this 12 Hour race and obviously we’ve got two guys that know this car super-well.

“I knew Maxi Buhk a little bit more from previous conversations from previous championships.

“Max Gotz, I don’t know so well but we are getting to know each other and they are obviously two very talented drivers.

“The team’s got a very strong package, so we’ll see, we’ll see what we can do; fingers crossed.”

Practice 1 starts at 0825 local time/AEDT on Friday, though the trio’s respective Platinum rankings mean they will not take to the track at least until Practice 2 at 0900.