Barnicoat confirmed for exciting Bathurst 12 Hour entry

Ben Barnicoat will return to track action in Australia later this month as he joins an all-Pro line-up at the 2020 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour event with 59Racing and the McLaren 720S GT3.

The British driver joins Alvaro Parente and Tom Blomqvist as genuine contenders looking for the outright race result.

Ben – a McLaren Factory Driver – returns to the famous Mount Panorama circuit for a second time, and a first with the new McLaren 720S GT3 which makes a highly-anticipated competitive debut at the famous Australian circuit. Hopes are high for the Brit who is joined by two of the most exciting talents on the GT3 on the grid, boasting a Bathurst 12 Hour and a 24 Hours of Spa win between them. Ben is reunited with Alvaro Parente, who was part of the 2016 Bathurst 12 Hour race-winning team, and he shares a car with Ben for the first time since the pair starred as part of the 720S GT3’s competitive debut at the 2018 Gulf 12 Hour. Completing the line-up is Tom Blomqvist who secured top honours at the Total 24 Hours of Spa in 2018.

Commenting on the news, Ben explained:

“A huge thanks goes to 59Racing for the opportunity to race at Mount Panorama. It's been a couple of years since I raced there, and I can't wait to get back. It's one of those bucket list circuits in world motorsport, so I'm really looking forward to driving the McLaren 720S GT3 around there.

“It's even more exciting that it's the first year the car has raced there, so there will be some learning to do but we learnt a lot during the Challenge Bathurst event last month, and I am confident that the car and team are up to the task ahead of us.

“The team we have in place, both in the car and in the pitlane, is extremely strong. I am really looking forward to driving with Alvaro again, and I am looking forward to working with both him and Tom to be pushing for a top result for the team and for McLaren.”

The formidable trio will run in the number 60 720S GT3, entered by Australian outfit, 59Racing. The team ran the latest McLaren GT3 model during the 2019 season, scoring the first ever pole position and race win for the car on its debut at the opening round of the Australian GT championship.

The 2020 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour starts at 05.45 local time (GMT +11) on Sunday 1 February.