Here in the TRT Towers, we devote much energy to dreaming up events we want to attend.

Take, for instance, this special edition of On the Grid, where we rattled off our top five dream events to attend.

This author has also banged out yarns regarding the GP Ice Race, and the Supercars in Darwin.

So, to add to the list, we’re calling our shot right now – Team TRT will be going to the 2024 Bangsaen Grand Prix.

The 2023 edition of the event is live now – you can catch the live stream of the festivities on the Thailand Super Series channels this weekend.

If you’ve never heard of the Bangsaen Grand Prix, well, strap in, because you are about to buy yourself some airfares to Thailand for June 2023…

The Location & Event

Let’s face it, Thailand is a bloody popular tourist destination.

Behind New Zealand, Indonesia, the USA and the UK, Thailand slots in nicely at number five in terms of popular overseas destinations from Downunder, with the holiday paradise attracting around 800,000 Aussies annually prior to the pandemic.

While Bangkok is the main touchdown point for visitors, more often than not, the beach is where it’s at, and an hour south of the main International Airport on the Gulf of Thailand is Bangsaen.

Think of the Surfers Paradise event, but in Thailand, with the plethora of categories somehow outnumbered by a massive number of grid girls.

The event launched in 2007 before being brought up to international spec in 2017 and attracting a wide range of visiting competitors since.

Even from an officiating standpoint, some heavy hitters from Australia have made the journey for this week’s meet, including Tim Schenken, Craig Baird and James Taylor.

Now, it’s a long way to go for a simple three-day race meeting – but as it transpires, Bangsaen isn’t your standard motorsport event.

Taking a leaf out of the 2021 Bathurst 1000, on-track action starts on Tuesday and runs through to Sunday.

Want more? Admission to the event is free of charge, a factor that helps ensure a massive crowd.

The Track

It is thoroughly insane.

Picture a different version of Macau.

Measuring 3.7km with 19 corners, the layout features some seriously long straights, some super tight bits, an artificial chicane or two, and a sinuous blast that bounces around the beachfront section, totally lined by Armco waiting inches off the race line.

And in a fitting tribute to Macau, there is one hairpin that is so sharp that overtaking is forbidden, policed by the permanent display of yellow flags.

Remember how the double-sided pit lane for Indycar in Detroit was crazy?

Bangsaen has a paddock arrangement that slinks for a block away from the racetrack alongside the beach, hopefully, this image above demonstrates the innovative design feature.

Meanwhile, here in Australia, animal invaders and motorsport are par for the course.

From a never-ending stream of skippies at Mount Panorama, to the ever-annoying Phillip Island geese, it’s a topic we have previously covered here.

In Bangsaen, however, the only major obstacle appears to be monkeys, which, as it transpires, are intelligent enough to exit stage left when approached by racing machines…

The Categories

In recent times, Thailand has been home to an automotive revolution.

There is a strong chance that the new car in your garage was assembled there or has some Thai DNA in its make-up.

And it’s that factory presence in the area that translates onto the racetrack, with the major marques all taking up a presence in the various categories.

Over the years, the event has been host to various classes like TCR and Porsche Carrera Cup, but a properly eclectic mix continues to take to the track now.

At the top end of town is GT3/GTM, which enjoys a pair of 60-minute-long races, which is followed by GTC/GT4, which features TA2-styled machines combined with other GT4 entries.

Then there is Super Pickup, which is split into two groups, such is the depth of the entry, with smoke-billowing diesel powerplants from Ford, Isuzu, Mitsubishi, Chevrolet and Mazda.

Then there is Toyota Hilux racing, a combined field of Toyota Corollas and Yaris, Thailand Super Eco (for a range of pocket rockets) and Super Compact (largely for Honda CRZ and Jazz).

Race week kicks off with the RAAT Thailand Endurance International Championship for touring cars through to production adjacent machines, with the Wednesday race contested over four hours, which was ultimately littered with safety car appearances.

Also thrown into the mix are historics and other parades – there is a fair bit happening on circuit for fans to get around.

From the people you may know list in 2023, Markus Winkelhock is a GT3 paceman, while Jay Robotham carries the hopes of Australia into double duty in the pickups and GTC Mustang.

The Action

It’s very, very loose. And we want to experience it first-hand.