Brendon Leitch hopes he can continue his rich vein of form at Mount Panorama when he takes on the Bathurst 12 Hour for just the second time.
Leitch made his Bathurst 12 Hour debut in 2025 with Wall Racing, finishing ninth overall on his way to the Silver class win in the team’s Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO II.
Soon, he will embark on a new challenge, with a new team, in a new car, and in a new class.
Leitch will line up with Mercedes-AMG customer racing agent Tigani Motorsport. They began their relationship in style, winning the Pro-Am class at last year’s Gulf 12 Hours.
He will reunite with co-drivers Sergio Pires and Marcel Zalloua for the Bathurst endurance epic alongside Scott Andrews.
The quartet will be one of the Pro-Am front-runners, sharing the #44 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO out of the three-car Tigani Motorsport garage.
Leitch has set his expectations high, both personally and for the team.
“We’re going to Mount Panorama with a lot of confidence that we can be competitive and really throw a cat amongst the pigeons,” said Leitch.
“The Gulf 12 Hours showed that Marcel and Sergio are more than capable of stringing together a big result, and with Scott, we’ve got a guy who knows his way around the Mercedes-AMG package like the back of his hand.
“Being a Pro-Am entry, I don’t think anyone has tipped us to be outright contenders, but once Marcel and Sergio have completed their drive time, all the Pro drivers will be in the cars at the end of the race anyway, so we absolutely should be looked at as a podium contender.
“I think we can say that with some confidence, too, because the Mercedes-AMG package has proven itself time and time again, having been on the podium at every race for the past decade. So why not us? We’re in it to win it.”
The build-up to the Bathurst 12 Hour hasn’t been entirely smooth sailing. A test at Sydney Motorsport Park was thwarted by a shipping delay. Letich, though, isn’t worried.
“When I made my debut at Mount Panorama, I put it on pole position in GT World Challenge Australia, so getting up to speed shouldn’t be an issue,” Leitch laughed.
“Endurance races are really all the same. It’s just about staying out of trouble and being in the best position possible with a few hours to go, then you can really drop the hammer, and that’s when the race gets going.
“This year in particular, I think you’re going to see a pretty spicy race. The depth of the Pro field is incredible, and the best drivers in the Pro-Am class are just as good, so you’re going to see some pretty big moves being made.
“They say Mount Panorama is one of the toughest tracks to pass at, but I think you’ll see some pretty forceful stuff during the last hour.”
The Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour takes place from February 13-15. Practice gets underway today with the first session at 8:45am AEDT/10:45am NZST.
The Bathurst 12 Hour starts on Sunday at 5:45am AEDT with coverage in Australia on Fox Sports and Kayo Sports. New Zealand viewers can watch via Sky Sports NZ. Viewers outside of Australia and New Zealand can watch via YouTube.
Header Image: Supplied
