The series stalwarts, from Dunedin and Invercargill respectively, will debut a brand spanking new, out-of-the-Stuttgart [Germany] factory, latest spec, Porsche 991 GT3, Dippie said.
As the three-round series, which features separate three-hour and one-hour races, begins on Saturday at the southern-most track, Dippie and O’Donnell will be hoping to emulate their 2015 Teretonga Park victory, in Invercargill.
They are not the only drivers to bring out the big guns, as in the three-hour race over half the cars are new to the series.
As Dippie said "the goal posts move out each year."
The star-studded GT class is headed by defending SIES champion Christchurch father-and-son duo Angus and George McFarlane, who will race their hot new Porsche 997 Cup R for the first time.
Auckland brothers Matt and Dwayne Carter will also pilot a new weapon — a Mercedes AMG SLS GT3.
The fresh recruits will face some fierce returning opponents, including current NZ Endurance Champion John McIntyre, who will team up with Simon Gilbertson to drive the Tulloch Motorsport SaReNi Camaro GT3.
The North Island Endurance Series championship-winning Trass Family Motorsport Ferrari 458 GT3 will be piloted by Sam Fillmore and past Australian GT champion Richard Muscat.
V8 SuperTourer regulars Simon McLennan and Richard Moore will line up in the V8ST Commodore, while another top team returning is multiple SIES champion Paul Kelly, who will be partnered by young gun Daniel Gaunt in a Porsche 997 GT3.
Class 1 (3501cc +) is dominated by the more traditional home-built Kiwi hybrids and V8 machines.
Dunedin father-and-daughter pairing Ian and Alyssa Clapperton are teaming up together, for the second time, in an older NZV8-spec BA Falcon.
Alyssa (20) last co-drove with her dad in 2013. Sharing the car with him was "special" and adds a wee bit extra to her enjoyment of the endurance races, she said.
The battle for Class 2 (2001cc -3500cc) 2 honours will be as hotly contested as any class, with 2015 SI class champions Jim Wallace and Dunedin’s Stephen Grellet returning in their turbocharged Seat Leon Supercopa.
Queenstown’s Ron Mackersey and Warren Good, of Dunedin, will reunite again in a VW, many years after starting endurance driving together.
The final class is class 3 (0-2000cc).
It will see a genuine tortoise-and-hare battle between two Dunedin teams, with the return of the ex-World Touring Car BMW E46 of Arron and Stu Black.
They will be the fast option, while reliability lies with the Peugeot 106 of Ken Sinclair and Dennis Ham, who claimed class 3 victory in 2015.
The one-hour race begins at Teretonga about 11.30am, followed by the three-hour race about 1.30pm.
Two Dunedin drivers will feature in the one-hour race’s Class 1.
Last year’s champion in this category, Brian Scott, has now supercharged his immaculate Corvette C5 but will be in for some stiff competition from Chris Henderson’s super-quick Toyota AE86 V8.
Alexandra’s Bruce Davidson could give them both a run for their money in this category as he has stepped down from the three-hour class in his home-built Corvette C6R.
The SIES next heads to Ruapuna Raceway in Christchurch on October 1, before the final round at Levels Raceway, Timaru on October 15.
