Overview
- Optimum Motorsport has confirmed its Bathurst debut with a single McLaren 720S GT3 Evo for Garnet Patterson, Ben Barnicoat and Marvin Kirchhöfer.
- The program brings McLaren back to the event’s top class for the first time since 2020, aligning with the decade since the marque’s lone Bathurst win with Tekno Autosports.
- Barnicoat and Kirchhöfer arrive with prior overall runner-up finishes at Bathurst, while Australian Patterson joins after recent McLaren mileage in ELMS and wider GT3/LMP campaigns.
- The 2026 Bathurst 12 Hour opens the IGTC season on February 13–15, with reports listing eight GT3 marques confirmed, the most since 2020.
- Separately, High Class Racing is preparing a Porsche 911 GT3 R for Kerong Li, who has hinted at a full five-round IGTC effort in social media posts.