VOLANTE Rosso has changed its course by inking a partnership with McLaren Customer Racing for 2026 and beyond.
The arrangement will see it field a 720S GT3 Evo in next week’s Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour, with Dick Johnson Racing Supercars recruit Rylan Gray to partner Porsche Carrera Cup Australia young guns Bayley Hall and Marcos Flack, and a to-be-confirmed fourth driver.
The McLaren will compete in the Silver class, and will then be entered into the GT World Challenge Australia season.
Having previously established itself as the official Aston Martin Racing partner team in Australasia, Volante Rosso will also retain its Vantage AMR GT3, which Bryce Fullwood, Damien Hamilton, Maxime Robin and Andres Pato will share in Pro-Am at the 12 Hour.
Pic: Supplied
“We are really pleased to confirm that Volante Rosso will begin a new partnership with McLaren Customer Racing and enter a 720S EVO in Australian GT3 competition,” said the team’s technical director Chris Papadopoulos.
“This is the right time for our team to compete with McLaren. Not only are we seeing more and more of their cars on our roads, but its Formula 1 team is at the top of its game, winning the world championship.
“It also helps that we now link Australian F1 driver Oscar Piastri with McLaren too, so the appreciation for the brand is at an all-time high.
“But more so, the McLaren GT3 EVO is an extremely competitive package. It has won races and championships all across the world, and we know that we are going to be able to compete against the best teams.
“Starting our new partnership with McLaren at the Bathurst 12 Hour is very exciting too. There’s no place like it, and the 2026 race has seen a huge resurgence with a range of new brands coming back down under to race.
“We are also really pleased to have an exciting group of local young guns in our team for Bathurst in the McLaren. All three are extremely fast and very level headed – the perfect combination for a gruelling race like the 12 Hour.
“Our line-up in the Aston Martin for the Pro-Am class is also very strong. We have no doubt that those four drivers in a car that we know so well now, will be a force.”
Australian-based McLaren agent Rod Wilson added: “Having a competitive and dedicated team like Volante Rosso secure a McLaren GT3 EVO is great news for McLaren and GT3 racing in Australia.
“As the agents for McLaren in this part of the world, we are really looking forward to working closely with Volante Rosso and our expanding customer base that will now include GT3 alongside GT4 Australia.”