WHAT ARE THE CLASSES?
There are four classes that contest the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour.
Each car may have three or four drivers, while entrants in Class A must have drivers categorised by the FIA Driver Ranking System as either Platinum, Gold, Silver or Bronze.
For the purposes of the Bathurst 12 Hour, Platinum and Gold drivers are considered ‘Seeded’, Silver and Bronze are ‘Unseeded’.
Class A – GT3
Class A is for vehicles complying with GT3 regulations, now the most popular and successful GT category around the world and the same as major international races like the Spa 24 Hour and Nurburgring 24 Hour.
Competing brands include Audi, Porsche, Ferrari, Nissan, Lamborghini, Mercedes-Benz, McLaren, Bentley and Aston Martin – amongst others.
Class A is divided into three separate sub-classes, including:
Pro – for entries featuring all-professional drivers
Pro/AM – for entries featuring a maximum of two (2) professional / seeded drivers.
Am – no seeded Drivers are permitted. At least one (1) unseeded Driver must have a FIA licence with a bronze ranking.
Class B – GT3 Cup Cars
Class B is the domain of Porsche’s GT3 Cup Car, seen in global Carrera Cup championships around the world.
Class C – GT4
GT4 is the baby brother of GT3, for more production-based GT vehicles complying to the global GT4 regulations.
A ‘boom’ category in global GT competition, GT4 is growing in Australia with major brands keen to invest in the class and build its profile here.
The stand-alone GT4 class is set to be one of the most hotly contested ‘races within a race’ in the 2018 Bathurst 12 Hour.
Class I – Invited Cars
The invitational class is for cars deemed eligible by the organisers. Invited class cars include the MARC Cars Australia Ford Focus / Mazda 3 endurance racer and selected production based vehicles.