MOTORSPORT: Now a Porsche for Lowndes at The Mountain

He's won endurance races at Bathurst nine times in Holdens, Fords and Ferraris – and now, at 45, Craig Lowndes is about to try to do it in a Porsche.

Lowndes will be in a Porsche 911 GT3 R for the Bathurst 12 Hour in a little more than two weeks, with the team that was victorious last February – Earl Bamber Motorsport.

Lowndes has won 'The Other Great Race' twice in Ferraris, a 458 in 2014 and a 488 in 2017, as well as the 1000km October classic seven times (four times in Holden Commodores and three in Ford Falcons).

Last February he was fourth at Mt Panorama in a Mercedes-AMG with Red Bull teammates Jamie Whincup and Shane Van Gisbergen.

But this year will be something quite different – another team and a make that scored an unlikely victory last year against much more fancied GT manufacturers.

New Zealander Bamber, still only 29 despite having won the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice (in 2015 and '17) in Porsche 919 Hybrid sports prototypes like those in which Mark Webber ended his career, will be driving at The Mountain this year rather than just running his entry.

Matt Campbell, the young Australian who is now a fully-fledged Porsche factory driver after his successes at home and abroad for the German marque, clinched the historic victory at Bathurst for Porsche and Bamber last February with some particularly audacious driving.

This year Belgian Laurens Vanthoor, another Porsche specialist, will be in Bamber's entry with the Kiwi and Lowndes.

And it is "some of the Lowndesy magic" that Bamber is hoping will produce back-to-back success.

Lowndes says it's exciting to be helping the reigning race-winning team defend its crown.

"Earl and I have been teammates in the past and get on extremely well," he said.

"And, with a Belgian in the mix, it should be a bit of fun too.

"It's my first time racing in a Porsche and the new-evolution 911 GT3 R looks like a weapon.

"I can't wait."

It might just be a step too towards one of the big items on Lowndes' bucket list – to drive in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Campbell, 24, is coming back to Bathurst with Shanghai-based Porsche customer team Absolute Racing and two French co-drivers – youngster Mathieu Jaminet, winner of the Kyalami Nine Hours in South Africa last year, and the more experienced Patrick Pilet, a victor at Germany's 24 Hours of Nurburgring in 2018.

One of the drivers in Absolute's other 911 GT3 R entry is German Dirk Werner, who – along with Norwegian Dennis Olsen – successfully partnered Campbell at The Mountain a year ago.

This year's race, on February 2, will be telecast on the Seven network and Fox Sports, as well as being streamed globally on the event website, Bathurst12hour.com.au.

It will be the 17th 12-hour race at Bathurst and the 10th as predominantly a GT event.

Porsche is one of a record 11 GT manufacturers represented in the field. The others are Aston Martin (with its new Vantage), Audi, Bentley, BMW, Ferrari, Honda, Lamborghini, McLaren, Mercedes-AMG and Nissan.

Apart from Australasian-entered cars and drivers, teams are coming from Europe, North America and Asia.