Russell, Youlden join Supabarn Mercedes for 12-Hour return
02 Dec
A FAMILIAR quartet will return to lead the Tigani Motorsport charge at the 2025 Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour.
The Supabarn Supermarkets Mercedes-AMG GT3 prepared by the Wollongong-based team will again see Canberra brothers James and Theo Koundouris joined by former Repco Bathurst 1000 winner Luke Youlden and two-time Great Race podium finisher David Russell next February.
The Supabarn squad enters the 12-Hour in strong form, fresh from a top three finish in the Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia AM class in the 2024 season.
Following years of competition driving an Audi R8, 2024 represented the first time the Supabarn team had tackled the race with a Mercedes-AMG GT3.
Sharing their 2024 campaign with Russell and former winner Jonathan Webb, they finished 15th outright and third in the Silver Class – having won it in 2022 in their Audi.
While Youlden pairs with the Koundouris brothers for the first time this year, Russell is a regular in the Supabarn Squad; 2025 to mark his fourth straight start with the duo.
The quartet will be among the most experienced ever to tackle Australia’s International Enduro, with a combined 42 race starts between them.
Russell makes his 13th Bathurst 12 Hour start and has scored 7 top-10 finishes in the race, while James and Theo have 11 starts each to their credit – including class victories in 2015 and 2022.
Youlden, who paired with the Valmont Racing Audi team last year to finish 14th and second in the Silver class, has a 12-Hour history dating back to the Production Car era.
“The 2024 race was a really challenging event with the weather and all the usual drama thrown at us across the day,” team owner Nathan Tigani said.
“Still for our first attempt at the race with the Supabarn Mercedes-AMG to come home with third position in the Silver class was a great result.
“That coupled with a very strong Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia season with the car and drivers both performing really well, puts us in a strong position going into the race this year.
“David is an absolute professional and one of the quickest guys to have on your side and adding Luke’s experience to the team only makes the package even stronger.
“We have all the pieces of the puzzle in place to have a really strong weekend next February.”
