Triple Eight’s move to race at Bathurst

Triple Eight Race Engineering is set to race at Mount Panorama this weekend despite the recent COVID-19 outbreak in Brisbane.

The Banyo-based team competes in the Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS, which will form part of the Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst 6 Hour card this weekend.

Shane van Gisbergen is slated to return to the wheel of the #888 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo alongside Prince Jefri Ibrahim.

It follows Jamie Whincup subbing in for an injured van Gisbergen at the Phillip Island season-opener.

Whincup and Ibrahim took placings of second and fourth in the two hour-long races there.

With Brisbane entering a three-day lockdown yesterday from 17:00 (local time/AEST) to counter the emergence of multiple locally acquired COVID-19 cases, Triple Eight decided to act swiftly.

Its drivers and crew made an early departure, the team confirming it crossed the Queensland/New South Wales border at approximately midday Monday – well within the outlined rules.

All members have undergone COVID-19 tests, with all results thus far returning negatives. The team is isolating regardless in line with government orders pertaining to anyone who has visited the affected Brisbane area since March 20.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said yesterday she was “confident that what we’ve put in place will allow us to keep on top of any cases in NSW“.

That includes all arrivals from Brisbane City and Moreton Bay needing to complete a self-declaration regarding their movements in the preceding 14 days.

The van Gisbergen/Ibrahim entry will represent one of 18 cars on the GT grid at Bathurst, where competitors will tackle a 60-minute race on each of Saturday and Sunday.