2025 Intercontinental GT Challenge campaign kicks off at Mount Panorama

Four manufacturers – BMW, Mercedes-AMG, reigning champions Porsche and series returnees Ferrari – will contest the 2025 Intercontinental GT Challenge, which begins this weekend at the Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour (January 31 – February 2).

Together, the quartet comprises 14 of the 19 GT3 entries that will battle from just-before-dawn-to-not-quite-dusk at the spectacular Mount Panorama circuit.

Per tradition, Australia’s International Enduro kicks off a globe-trotting campaign that features four more iconic venues: the Nurburgring Nordschleife, Spa-Francorchamps, Indianapolis and, for the first time since 2019, Suzuka.

Bathurst’s entry is, as usual, bursting with quality. Reigning Intercontinental GT Challenge champion Charles Weerts features in one of two factory BMWs, Porsche can count on two thirds of its victorious 2024 Bathurst crew Matt Campbell and Ayhancan Güven, and Mercedes-AMG reunites its most recent 12 Hour winners: Kenny Habul, Luca Stolz and Jules Gounon.

But there’s also Ferrari, which is very much the dark horse in more ways than one. Its first IGTC start since 2022 comes courtesy of reigning GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS champions Arise Racing and a particularly eye-catching Pro class line up.

IGTC’s format remains unchanged from 2024. While all entries from each registered manufacturer can score points, ultimately only the two best placed finishers will contribute to their constructor’s total. The same constraint does not apply to the drivers’ championship, points for which are awarded to IGTC’s overall top 10.

Selected practice sessions, qualifying, the Pirelli Pole Battle and race are all live on SRO’s GT World YouTube channel from Friday 31 January.

BMW

BMW was this event’s benchmark in its former production class days but is yet to win in the GT3 era with either the M6 or M4, which makes its final factory appearance this weekend before switching over to the new-for-2025 Evo specification.

Last year’s pole and fastest lap set by Sheldon van der Linde demonstrated the now outgoing model’s potential around Mount Panorama where current factory squad Team WRT last won in 2018 with Audi. 12 months on and the younger VDL is back for more, albeit alongside brother Kelvin who joined BMW’s factory roster at the start of this season. Former IGTC champion Augusto Farfus completes a potent line up.

But regardless of the result, it’s WRT’s other entry that will undoubtedly pinch the headlines thanks to Valentino Rossi who makes his third appearance at Bathurst. He’s paired with Weerts and Raffaele Marciello who, perhaps remarkably given his glittering CV, has never won Down Under.

Ferrari

You’ll be hard pushed to find a better combination on this year’s grid than reigning Supercars champion Will Brown, current GT World Challenge Australia champion Chaz Mostert, and Ferrari factory driver Daniel Serra who spearhead Maranello’s IGTC return with Arise Racing.

Of those three it’s possibly Mostert who could make the biggest contribution this weekend. A two-time Allan Simonsen Pole Award recipient and Bathurst 1000 winner, the Supercars ace certainly knows the fastest route over the top, but also has experience of the team and 296 thanks to his title-winning 2024 season.

The other Ferrari features a four-driver Pro-Am crew that also boasts plenty of relevant experience in the shape of Arise regulars Jaxon Evans and Elliot Schutte, plus works FIA WEC star Alessio Rovera. GT World Challenge Australia runner-up Brad Schumacher completes the quartet.

Mercedes-AMG

Eight entries, half of them boasting pro line ups, give Mercedes-AMG a very good chance of reclaiming the Bathurst crown it lost to Porsche last season.

Two of those, run by GMR and Craft-Bamboo, comprise full works rosters, while 75 Express – the new name for SunEnergy1 – reunites the winning combination from 2022 and 2023: Stolz, Gounon and Habul. The line up, which is again registered in the Pro class despite Habul not being a professional driver, was just 2.6s away from making it three-in-a-row last year. Few would bet against the trio returning to the top step in 2025.

Scott Taylor Motorsport’s Merc sees Supercars royalty Craig Lowndes again join the championship’s current stars Cam Waters and Thomas Randle. But it’s the two full factory combinations that will most likely challenge given their experience of the car and track.

No-one has qualified a GT3 car faster around Mount Panorama than Maro Engel, and after a particularly strong 2024 that featured GT World Challenge Europe titles and FIA GT Cup glory at Macau the German is eager to finally add his name to the 12 Hour winner’s trophy. He, Mik Grenier and Maxime Martin, who switched from BMW over the winter, are undoubtedly amongst this year’s favourites.

But don’t bet against Craft-Bamboo’s trio, either. Maximilian Götz, Lucas Auer and Jayden Ojeda are bound to be there or thereabouts come the finish. Grove Racing, Heart of Racing, Supabarn/Tigani and 111 Racing complete Mercedes-AMG’s contingent.

Porsche

Grello and Manthey might be absent this year but there are still significant remnants of Porsche’s victory 12 months ago when Laurens Vanthoor, Campbell and Güven finally ended Gounon’s winning streak. Now the Australian and Turk are attempting to create their own legacy with Absolute Racing – a team that Campbell claimed pole with in 2020. They’re joined by last season’s Pro-Am winner Alessio Picariello at an event that kickstarted Porsche’s ultimately successful IGTC manufacturers’ championship assault.

There’s also a second 911 in town and it too features factory support in the shape of Laurin Heinrich. However, as a Pro-Am entry The Bend Motorsport Park-backed Porsche’s success is dependent on the Shahin brothers Yasser and Sam, as well as the second pro, Morris Schuring.

Full IGTC entry list is HERE