Bathurst 12 Hours to kick off Bentley's 2018 race season

Bentley Team M-Sport's 2018 motorsport season and Intercontinental GT Challenge campaign get underway in Australia next weekend when two Continental GT3 race cars line up for the Bathurst 12 Hours.

The British squad travels to Mount Panorama eager to claim a third consecutive overall podium at one of the world's toughest long distance sports car races, before heading back to Europe for the defence of its Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup teams' title.

Five of the six Bentley Boys that contested last year's race return 12 months on, with Steven Kane and Guy Smith bidding to seal a third podium in as many appearances alongside new full-season recruit Jules Gounon in the #17 Continental GT3.

Meanwhile, Bentley's #8 entry is once again piloted by the familiar trio of Vincent Abril, Andy Soucek and Maxime Soulet. The dramatic 23-turn, 6.2km circuit in New South Wales is considered one of the world's toughest thanks to its high speeds, narrow mountain section and steep elevation changes.

Total commitment is required at all times around a track that reverts to being a public road post-event, while the 1.9km Conrod Straight - where the Continental GT3 can hit speeds of 270km/h - is one of the longest to be sanctioned in world motorsport.

This year's event marks Bentley Team M-Sport's first full-season assault on the global Intercontinental GT Challenge, which features three further endurance races at the Spa 24 Hours, Suzuka 10 Hours and California 8 Hours of Laguna Seca.