Erebus Motorsport CEO Barry Ryan has been appointed team manager for the Mercedes-AMG that will be driven by Walkinshaw star Chaz Mostert and Tickford duo Cam Waters and Thomas Randle.
Ryan led Erebus to Bathurst 12 Hour success in 2013 – and triumphs in October’s Bathurst 1000 in 2017 and 2024 – and is eager for more Mount Panorama success.
The car will be crewed by STM’s long-time preparation partner Ash Seward Motorsport.
“I was very excited to have Scott call me and ask me to be involved in this year’s 12 Hour,” said Ryan.
“Knowing that Ash and the ASM team are running the operation, and the calibre of drivers in the lineup, I was happy to be part of trying to win Bathurst again.
“Scott’s passion and generosity towards Australian motorsport is hard to rival. Simply ‘doing things properly’ excites me, and his drive to win the Bathurst 12 Hour is unquestionable.
“Betty [Klimenko] was 100 percent supportive of me being involved, and I know I’m going to enjoy being on this journey with STM.
“Some may think that it’s strange that we have such a mix of drivers and team people from different parts of Supercars all in the one garage, but we’re taking our Supercars team hats off and trying to win the race as an all-Aussie effort.”
Taylor thanked Tickford, Walkinshaw and Erebus for allowing the collaboration to happen.
“It’s great that we will have the experience and knowledge of Barry Ryan with us for the 12 Hour to manage the operation,” he said.
“He has won this race before and knows how to get the most out of the people around him.
“The Supercars world is very competitive, so we really want to thank Tickford, Walkinshaw TWG and Erebus for allowing us to push aside the rivalries that exist in Supercars so we can have Australia’s best compete against the world’s best.”
Taylor has assembled the all-star Aussie crew in a bid to finally crack an outright win in Australia’s International Enduro.
The team suffered heartbreak last year when Craig Lowndes crashed out of the race in the early stages.
Taylor responded by replacing Lowndes with new Supercars champion Mostert, who has shown blinding speed aboard GT3 cars at Bathurst but is also yet to score victory.
The team has revealed a revised livery for the event, again featuring the names of Taylor’s two dogs – Maddox and Indigo – and showing support for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia.
New for this year is a Waters logo on the front guards, spruiking the Supercars driver’s whisky brand.
“We all know, the best looking race cars are the ones that win, and that is our sole aim,” underlined Taylor.
“We’ve come close before. We’ve also missed the mark in the past too, but I can safely say that this is the best preparation that we’ve ever undertaken in the build up to the race.
“The car is going to be on the money, our drivers are proven and the crew that we have assembled rivals any international effort.”
STM’s #222 machine is one of 10 Mercedes-AMG GT3 entries set to contest the event – the most of any manufacturer.
CLICK HERE for the full entry list as of January 29
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