Craft-Bamboo Racing Brings In Auer, Catsburg To Join Juncadella For Bathurst 12 Hours

Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing announced their three driver line-up for next week’s Bathurst 12 Hour race on 3-5 February, anchored by reigning Intercontinental GT Challenge drivers’ champion Daniel Juncadella, Lucas Auer, and Nicky Catsburg.

Juncadella finished second with Craft-Bamboo Racing in last year’s Bathurst 12 Hour, then followed that up with victories at the 24 Hours of Spa and at the Indianapolis 8 Hour en route to his first IGTC drivers’ title – part of a clean sweep for Mercedes-AMG and their affiliated drivers.

Catsburg is a past champion of the 24 hour races at Nürburgring, Daytona, and Spa-Francorchamps, and has previously raced at the Bathurst 12 Hour before.

Curiously, with this assignment the Dutchman will have spent the first quarter of 2023 driving for three different manufacturers: Mercedes-AMG at Bathurst, BMW in the Asian Le Mans Series, and Corvette Racing (Chevrolet) in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Auer finished second in last year’s Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) championship, and will be making his first start in the Bathurst 12 Hour.

For Bathurst, the team welcomes computer hardware company MSI (Micro-Star International) as its title sponsor, their first title sponsorship in the world of “full metal” racing inspired by the explosion of growth in sim racing and the desire to extend that connection to the real world.

“We are looking forward to returning to Bathurst this year, said Craft-Bamboo Racing Team Director, Darryl O’Young. “We have a very strong driver line-up, it’s our first time working with Nicky and Lucas. Obviously, they have a very strong reputation and experience behind them, so excited to have them join the team. Of course, we have had success with Dani in the last couple of endurance races so we feel very confident heading to the mountain.”

“On top of that, having MSI, a globally recognized brand, join us at this event is very exciting. We look forward to delivering a strong partnership in this race.”