V8 squad to run Bathurst 12 Hour McLarens

V8 Supercars squad Tekno Autosports will represent McLaren in the Bathurst 12 Hour in February. The Holden team, which has links with McLaren through outgoing driver Shane van Gisbergen, will field a pair of 650S GT3s on loan from the British manufacturer in the opening round of the new Intercontinental GT Challenge on February 7.

McLaren factory drivers Alvaro Parente and Rob Bell will also be loaned to the team for the Mount Panorama event.

McLaren GT boss Andrew Kirkaldy explained that the possibility of entering a factory team at Bathurst had been explored, but a link-up with Tekno had been forged for the event ahead of a likely expansion of the relationship.

"We have loaned Tekno our cars and drivers, and will be going out there and supporting them in the same way that we do our other customers," Kirkaldy said. "I hope we are going to enjoy a successful future together in GT racing."

Van Gisbergen, who is moving to the Triple Eight V8 Supercar squad next year, will make a final appearance with Tekno at Bathurst, while successor Will Davison will also be part of the lineup. Having raced with the VonRyan McLaren team in this year's Blancpain Endurance Series, van Gisbergen will be teamed with Parente and Tekno owner Jonathon Webb, himself a V8 race winner.

Davison will drive with Bell and Andrew Watson, who contested the British GT Championship with the VonRyan team in 2015 and is a member of McLaren's young driver program.

Objective Racing is the other McLaren team on the entry list for the Bathurst enduro.

The 28 GT3 cars entered include factory cars from Nissan and Bentley run by the RJN and M-Sport teams, respectively. The Phoenix Audi team, winner of the event is 2012, is also returning next year.

Among the confirmed driver line-ups, Le Mans 24 Hours winner Earl Bamber will share a Class B Porsche with Volvo V8 Supercars driver Scott McLaughlin.

Factory Ferrari driver Toni Vilander and Mika Salo will lead Maranello Motorsport's Ferrari program, while V8 Supercars champions and Bathurst 1000 winners Craig Lowndes and Garth Tander will team up in an Audi.

Originally on Autosport.com