Adelaide cameos for factory Audi GT drivers
Factory Audi drivers Chris Mies and Kelvin van der Linde are heading to Adelaide for next week's GT World Challenge Australia finale.
The pair have been called up by the factory-backed Melbourne Performance Centre squad for its GT tilt during the Adelaide 500 weekend.
MPC is looking to secure a second consecutive Aussie GT crown for Yasser Shahin, who will have Mies alongside him for Adelaide.
Shahin and Mies teamed up to take victory in the final round of the 2021 GT World Challenge Australia season at Bathurst, before combining to win a race at the 2022 season-opener at Phillip Island back in March.
Shahin currently holds an 11-point series lead over Triple Eight Mercedes driver Prince Jefri Ibrahim.
Van der Linde, a former pole winner in a GT car on the streets of Adelaide, will be teamed with Tony Bates in one of MPC's Pro-Am entries.
“The main reason we have the factory drivers coming over is Yasser has mainly had Garth Tander partner him [this season], but [Tander] has TV commitments, so then we looked further afield and Christopher Mies was an obvious choice,” said MPC boss Troy Russell.
“Christopher fits in with the team, he’s been to Adelaide and he’s a good fit with Yasser.
“Tony is a bit the same as he’s had David Reynolds and Cameron Waters do a bit with him all year, but they’ve got their Supercars commitments, so again we searched overseas for drivers.
"Kelvin has been here as well and they both love coming to Australia, so it was an easy sell and they both are looking forward to it.
"We know our drivers are in safe hands and it's great that we can bring guys of this calibre to the category and to the return of the Adelaide street track event."
Sharing the bill with Supercars has seen Triple Eight forced to reshuffle its line-up as well.
With regular co-drivers Shane van Gisbergen and Broc Feeney unavailable, the team has recruited Aussie Nick Foster to share the #888 Mercedes with Ibrahim.
Foster and Ibrahim have already enjoyed success this year, teaming up to win the GT World Challenge Asia Pro-Am title for Triple Eight.
T8 has also shipped one of its Asia-based AMGs to Australia for Adelaide to replace the car badly damaged in Prince Abu Bakar Ibrahim's nasty Bathurst crash earlier this month.
Bakar Ibrahim and Jamie Whincup will share the second T8 entry.
The Adelaide 500 kicks off on December 1.
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