DETAILS of a bid to operate the proposed fifth event at Mount Panorama have been revealed by Mountain Motorsports.

WORDS: The Race Torque / with Media Release

A GOODWOOD-STYLE Festival was the focus of Mountain Motorsports bid to host the proposed fifth event at Mount Panorama, Bathurst.

The bid by the Tarmac Rally organiser, lodged in conjunction with the Benalla Auto Club and sanctioning body the Australian Auto Sport Alliance, ultimately failed to progress to the final round of the selection process put in place by the Bathurst Regional Council.

Bids from Supercars – thought to be broadly similar in its concept to the Mountain Motorsports proposal – and the Australian Racing Group for a TCR-centered event were confirmed by the Bathurst Regional Council last Friday to have made it through to the final round of submissions.

Mountain Motorsport’s proposed event was proposed under the concept title of ‘Bathurst Revival’ and was to be a celebration of international historic motor racing and key international events.

The proposal encompassed multiple motorsport disciplines including circuit racing, rally and hill-climb, and would have aimed to recreate eras of motor-racing from the 1950s to the 1980s.

Proposed on-track activities were to have included races for various historic categories, with longer-distance sports car races which would have been held in twilight hours.

The Race Torque also understands a demonstration-only two-wheeled component was also included in the proposal, potentially returning at least some form of motorcycling action to the Mountain for the first time in more than 30 years.

An array of on and off-track activations and events would have given the proposed four-day event a festival vibe, complete with an encouragement for spectators to attend wearing period clothing.

Under the proposal, Bathurst Revival would have been co-promoted by Mountain Motorsports and Bathurst Regional Council, with support from the Benalla Auto Club Group and sanctioning from the Australian Auto Sport Alliance (AASA).

“With the event concept we created, we believed our event would have stood apart from every other motor-racing activity conducted at Mount Panorama,” Mountain Motorsports director Peter Washington said.

“With our overseas connections, we’re confident we could have created an event with a high level of domestic and international interest and participation, which would have generated vast exposure and revenue for the Bathurst community from diverse domestic and international audiences.

“We thank the council for considering our Bathurst Revival concept, and we will be watching with interest to see which event is ultimately successful in securing the fifth Mount Panorama date.”

The final proposals from ARG and Supercars are expected to be presented to the council in the coming months, with a decision expected later this year – potentially prior to the 2019 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000.