German GT ace Christopher Haase will contest next month’s Highlands 101 as preparation for a Bathurst 12 Hour assault with the Melbourne Performance Centre squad.

The two-time Nurburgring 24 Hour winner will join Steve McLaughlan in the Jamec Pem Racing Audi R8 for the Australian GT Championship finale, which will act as a warm up for February’s Mount Panorama classic.

The acquisition of Haase is a coup for the team with the 28-year-old set to join Australian GT regular and fellow factory Audi driver Christopher Mies in one of two Bathurst 12 Hour entries from the squad.

Haase and Mies along with a yet to be confirmed FIA silver graded driver will pilot one of two new Audi R8s the team has received from Germany today.

Haase featured in the Phoenix Racing Audi squad at the event last year, helping the #16 R8 he shared with Stephane Ortelli and Felix Baumgartner to ninth.

The second entry will feature a yet-to-be-announced all-Australian line-up that is expected to feature V8 Supercars talent.

Meanwhile, the team had initially hoped to debut the new R8 at next month’s Highlands 101 but will instead focus on preparing the cars for the Bathurst 12 Hour.

The cars could complete a maiden test run at Phillip Island as early as this week.