Leitch will join GT racing regular Sergio Pires in a Mercedes-AMG GT3 in the top Pro-Am class, replacing George King in the Geyer Valmont Racing entry.

The news comes after Leitch and Pires won the Pro-Am class at this year’s Gulf 12 Hours with Jayden Ojeda and Marcel Zalloua.

It will be the first time Leitch has raced in GT World Challenge Australia since the sudden passing of his former Melbourne Performance Centre teammate Tim Miles, who was killed in a bus accident.

“It was actually the Sandown weekend after Tim sadly died that Nathan Tigani (team principal) and Matt Harvey (technical director) said they were interested in meeting,” said Leitch.

“They said they were pretty impressed with how Tim and I had gone to that point, and made it clear that I’d made their life a bit hard for them,” Leitch laughed.

“It was very reassuring to have Nathan and Matt show that much interest in having me onboard so early on. I’m big on loyalty, and because they were so committed to me from the outset I wanted to commit myself to them too.

“I’m really looking forward to working closely with Sergio and the Tigani team. We’ve started that relationship off the best way possible by winning our class at the Gulf 12 Hours. That’s a statement of intent.

“I’ve got unfinished business in Australia. I know that with the Tigani crew that Sergio and I can be race winners and vying for that championship come Adelaide.”

Pires hailed Leitch a “world-class” driver. New Zealand-born Leitch moved to Australia in 2023 to compete in GT World Challenge Australia and is a proven GT3 race winner globally.

“I’m super excited to team up with Brendon for the season next year with the Tigani Motorsport, who I know and love,” said Pires.

“We kicked off our racing relationship in the best way possible with a huge win in Abu Dhabi and I think a championship win is a realistic target for us next year.

“Brendon is a world-class driver and most importantly a good bloke. I will be working hard to hold up my end of the bargain.”

Tigani Motorsport team principal Nathan Tigani said signing Leitch was a no-brainer when the opportunity presented itself.

“I’m really looking forward to see what Brendon will bring to the team. We got a glimpse of it at Abu Dhabi, helping us to win our class at the Gulf 12 Hours,” said Tigani.

“It was impressive how quickly he was able to get up to speed in the Mercedes-AMG, which should come as too much of a surprised considering how many different cars he has driven over the past two or three years.

“I firmly believe that other teams should be looking at Brendon and Sergio as a serious threat for the title next year. I know I can’t want for the first round at Phillip Island.”

The 2026 GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS season begins at Phillip Island on March 27-29.

VIDEO: Tigani Motorsport’s Gulf 12 Hours win behind the scenes