SUPERCARS BATHURST BID IS “SOMETHING DIFFERENT”

SUPERCARS’ DELAYED submission for a fifth annual event at Bathurst won’t be for a new race.

By MARK FOGARTY

Tallying with speculation that a Goodwood-style motoring festival is being proposed, Supercars supremo Sean Seamer confirmed that the bid would be for “something different”.

Supercars will present its submission for an extra event at Mount Panorama next month after gaining an extension from the Bathurst Regional Council.

Australian Racing Group and Mountain Motorsports presented their proposals to BRC last Thursday, which clashed with an important meeting of Supercars executives and team owners in Darwin.

In conjunction with CAMS, ARG has pitched a TCR enduro and possible WTCR sprint races for the available fifth full-closure event at Mount Panorama, which is a public road.

Mountain Motorsports is now understood to have proposed an historic racing event, celebrating the more than 80 years of motor sport at the hillside scenic drive circuit.

It is believed the bid involves sanctioning by the AASA rather than CAMS, which has created some controversy.

BRC is said to be unhappy with CAMS’ demand that a fifth major event at Mount Panorama has to be run under its auspices.

The additional meeting would join the existing Bathurst 12 Hour, Bathurst Six Hour, Bathurst 1000 and Bathurst Challenge as a full multi-day track closure event.

“We’re not seeing the council until next month,” Supercar’s Seamer told AUTO ACTION. “We obviously don’t talk about tender processes with government parties, but we haven’t presented yet.”

However, he confirmed that Supercars wouldn’t be proposing a race-based event or the reintroduction of a sprint race round at Mount Panorama.

“We want to do something different,” Seamer said. “We don’t think another race on that mountain [would work]. Just another race isn’t the right thing.

“It’s been talked about and looked at a number of times, so we are working on something different with them and our partners, and that is evolving as we go through the process.”

It is widely understood that Supercars’ bid is for a Goodwood Festival Of Speed-style event based on displays and demonstrations of high-performance road cars and special race cars, with a heavy emphasis on a garden party social atmosphere.

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