THREE CONTENDERS FOR FIFTH BATHURST EVENT
THE BATHURST regional council has released a shortlist of candidates for a fifth Bathurst event, to potentially be held at Mount Panorama in the future.
WORDS: Richard Craill IMAGE: Nathan Wong / Bathurst 6 Hour
Council announced a shortlist of six candidates in late April, with The Race Torque breaking down the contenders here.
The three to progress to the shortlist are the joint Australian Racing Group / CAMS proposal, the submission from Mountain Motor Sports and a pitch from Supercars.
Bathurst Regional Council Mayor Graeme Hangar OAM said: “Council will now seek additional information from each of the shortlisted parties to further assess the suitability of their submission and is unable to comment further until this process is complete.”
The three Expressions of Interest submissions to make the shortlist contain few surprises.
As this website detailed in our analysis of the initial tenders, international endurance race promoter Creventic’s bid to hold a 24-Hour race was unlikely to get off the ground given the potential clashes with the Bathurst 12 Hour endurance race each February.
That race would likely have drawn on a similar local competitor base that contest Australia’s International Enduro – a race co-promoted by the Council and Supercars Events.
We understand the three shortlisted promoters are proposing events that fit within the existing calendar at Mount Panorama, ensuring the fifth event would be a unique offering alongside those already established.
ARG and CAMS have ambitions for a TCR Australia-driven event, while Supercars’ vaunted Goodwood-style Festival would potentially bring more historic competition to the Mountain – something lacking on the current program.
The Race Torque understands that Mountain Motor Sport’s proposal is also centered on a more traditional Historic race event – though potentially running under AASA sanction, as is the case with the Tarmac Rally events they promote.
The three remaining candidates will now provide additional information to Council ahead a final decision being reached later this year.
Richard Craill (administrator)
Working full time in the motorsport industry since 2004, Richard has established himself within the group of Australia’s core motorsport broadcasters, covering the support card at the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix for Channel 10, the Bathurst 12 Hour for Channel 7 and Porsche Carrera Cup & Touring Car Masters for FOX Sports’ Supercars coverage. Pretends to be a PR guy / Journalist and sometimes photographer to make ends meet when not yelling at a television in a padded room.
