Arise Racing GT made its first visit to Australia’s premier race track – Mt Panorama in Bathurst – in November, claiming the Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia championship in its debut season.
Now Arise has confirmed it will return to ‘The Mountain’ in January in search of more trophies.
The Western Australia-based team, which has Ferrari’s factory blessing, has confirmed it will take its pair of 296 GT3 racers to the 2025 Bathurst 12 Hour.
However, the team will split its two models, with one competing in the Pro Class and one in Pro-Am, although both will battle for outright victory.
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Arise Racing GT owner Laurence Escalante has close ties with Ferrari as the title sponsor of the Italian marque’s Formula 1 team and was personally selected to lead the 296 GT3 program in Australia.
Despite the team’s immediate success in the local GT racing scene, the 12-hour race will be a tougher challenge as it is not only the longest race of its kind in Australia, but also attracts international teams supported by the factories.
Pressure will also be on Arise to uphold Ferrari’s honor at the Bathurst endurance race, with the 458 GT3 winning in 2014 and the 488 GT3 claiming the race in 2017.
No Ferrari has competed since 2020, so Arise is bringing the Prancing Horse back to the mountain and aiming for a third victory for the brand.
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Image credit: Race Project
“The 2025 Bathurst 12 Hour has been the ultimate goal of the Arise Racing GT program from the very beginning, and given Ferrari’s previous 12 Hour success we feel we have huge shoes to fill,” said Jordan Oon, team principal of Arise Racing GT. .
“The car performed brilliantly at the final GTWCA round, which is a credit to Ferrari and Oreca for producing such a great package in the 296, and we can’t wait to push it to its limits in one of the most demanding endurance events in the world.”
The team has not announced any drivers for either entry, although team quartet Chaz Mostert, Liam Talbot, Jaxon Evans and Elliott Schutte are all likely to feature, but the team could also field international aces to boost their chances of a strong result. .
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Image credit: Race Project
Ferrari has factory GT drivers it can loan out to its customer teams for these types of big events and Arise has its own international connections it can work with.
“We are in the final stages of securing some fantastic drivers and are excited for the opportunity to compete among the best GT3 teams from both Australia and the rest of the world,” said Mr Oon.
“As always, I have to thank Lance East Exotics and the team – their hard work and dedication has been the reason behind our success, now it’s time to take on Bathurst!”
The 2025 Bathurst 12 Hour runs from January 31 to February 2, with the race starting at 5:45am AEDT.
While registrations are still coming in for the race, MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi has confirmed he plans to compete again in a factory-backed BMW M4 GT3.
