Of the 35 cars set to race, 15 of them are Pro entries while another four are in Pro-Am.
The outright winner is most likely to come from either of the aforementioned classes, though that’s not to say a winner out of Silver or Bronze is impossible.
For the purpose of this poll, however, we will include Silver and Bronze entries as “other” given no Silver or Bronze car has finished on the podium in the GT3 era of the Bathurst 12 Hour.
Such is the depth of the Pro field that there is no one head and shoulders above the rest, though it stands to reason that Team WRT could get the nod as the bookie’s short-priced favourite as last year’s winners.
Augusto Farfus moves from the race-winning #32 BMW M4 into the #46 alongside Valentino Rossi and Raffaele Marciello in a straight swap with Charles Weerts. Jordan Pepper joins the #32 line-up and will be joined by 2025 race winner Kelvin van der Linde, while his brother Sheldon misses this year’s race.
Pepper returns to the Bathurst 12 Hour with a 100 percent strike rate, having been part of M-Sport’s winning effort in 2020 with Bentley alongside Jules Gounon and Maxime Soulet.
On line-up alone, Porsche presents itself as one of the most formidable manufacturers with its two 911 GT3 R entries.
Earl Bamber Motorsport returns with three top GT3 drivers – WEC champion Klaus Bachler, GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup winner Ricardo Feller, and IMSA SportsCar Championship winner Laurin Heinrich.
The other 911 entry by Absolute Racing is just as strong, headlined by two-time Bathurst 12 Hour winner Matt Campbell with Porsche Supercup winner Bastian Buus and GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup winner Alessio Picariello.
Corvette’s first climb of The Mountain with its Z06 is hotly anticipated. ‘
Johor Motorsports Racing will bring two cars – one in Pro and the other in Pro-Am. Earl Bamber, Nicky Catsburg, and Alexander Sims will lead the team’s efforts while the sister car of Ben Green, Prince Abu Bakar Ibrahim, Prince Jefri Ibrahim and Jordan Love are something of a smokey.
Like Corvette, there will be a lot of eyes on Ford as it debuts the Mustang at Mount Panorama with the blockbuster trio of Broc Feeney, Christopher Mies, and Dennis Olsen.
There are five bona fide Australian teams vying for victory. Scott Taylor Motorsport has gone all-in with its all-Supercars line-up of Chaz Mostert, Cameron Waters, and Thomas Randle – who are all arguably in the “overdue” category as far as a podium goes.
Factory Mercedes-AMG drivers Phillip Ellis and Fabian Schille will lead Tigani Motorsport’s efforts alongside junior Jayden Ojeda. The Woollongong squad has another car in Pro-Am, led by Pro duo Scott Andrews and Brendon Leitch alongside capable Am drivers Sergio Pires and Marcel Zalloua.
Mercedes-AMG has strength in numbers with the most representation of any manufacturer. Count on them to be contenders.
Not since 2017 has the German marque failed to feature on one of the three steps. If there is one car that is most likely to continue that streak, it is the 75 Express entry of Kenny Habul, Luca Stolz, and Jules Gounon.
What about Ferrari squad Arise Racing? They came up just short of the podium in 2025, and in 2026 they bring a strong line-up led by Davide Rigon and Daniel Serra alongside Jaxon Evans.
Supercars stars are plentiful in Pro and Pro-Am, with Will Brown leading Melbourne Performance Centre’s sole Audi R8 and Kai Allen teaming up with Will Davison and Brenton Grove in a Grove Racing Mercedes-AMG.
The list of contenders goes on. CLICK HERE for the full entry list, including driver combinations.
So who is your pick to win the Bathurst 12 Hour? Cast your vote below.
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