Two thirds of Porsche's reigning Repco Bathurst 12 Hour winning crew, Matt Campbell and Ayhancan Güven, will attempt to go back to back at Mount Panorama this year.
The duo are joined by fellow works driver Alessio Picariello aboard Absolute Racing's 911 GT3 R for the Intercontinental GT Challenge season opener on January 31 - February 2.
Manthey EMA's victory at the same event 12 months ago helped propel Porsche to the IGTC manufacturers' title, while Picariello was part of the Pro-Am-winning line-up in eighth overall. He takes the place of fellow Belgian Laurens Vanthoor in what will be Stuttgart's best hope of scoring a second win with the current 992 model.
Campbell has previous form with Absolute having claimed pole position for them in 2020 - one year after he secured the first of his two wins in 911s.
"It's great to be reuniting with Absolute Racing as we secured Porsche’s first ever Bathurst pole position when we last worked together in 2020," he said. "After the success in 2024, when I won the race, we’ll be aiming to replicate this alongside Ayhancan and Alessio. It’s my home event at my favourite track in the world, so I can’t wait to start the year off in Australia."
Güven, who also scored maximum IGTC points at the Nurburgring last year and led the drivers standings up until the final round, was arguably Bathurst's break out star in 2024.
"I’m excited to join Absolute Racing for the Bathurst 12 Hour," said the Turk. "Having won the event last year, it's the perfect opportunity to fight for victory again! I’m excited to work with the team and racing around the unique Mount Panorama circuit."
Picariello drove the previous-generation 991.2 model to class victory 12 months ago but can call on plenty of experience with the current model and working with Absolute. The same combination has been extremely successful in GT World Challenge Asia Powered by AWS and secured the Pro-Am title together there last season.
"It’s amazing to be heading back to Bathurst after my first outing last February," he said. "I’m excited to be in the Pro car this year with Absolute Racing, alongside two very strong team-mates, who both won the overall category in 2024, while I was in the car that took Pro-Am honours. The goals are quite clear, and I’m looking forward to enjoying the whole race weekend!"
Team principal Fabien Fior added: "We’re thrilled to be returning to the Bathurst 12 Hour, and to do so in partnership with Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific makes it even more special. There’s unfinished business at Mount Panorama for us as in 2020, we took pole with Matt, but unfortunately finished just off the podium. We’re also excited to welcome a second Bathurst 12 Hour winner to the squad in Ayhancan Güven, along with our long-term driver Alessio Picariello, a class winner at this iconic event. We have a strong car and line-up, so our sights are set high!"