SRO Targets Long-Term Bathurst Deal for Fifth Event

Bathurst Regional Council has opened the door to a fifth event at the iconic Mount Panorama circuit, which will serve as the Shannons SpeedSeries finale next year. The one-off event is part of a broader plan for the council to tender a long-term agreement for the fifth event.

This event would join the current line-up including the Bathurst 12 Hour, Bathurst 6 Hour, Bathurst 1000, and Challenge Bathurst. Speaking with Speedcafe, SRO Motorsports Australia boss Ben McMellan said his team would tender for the fifth event.

“For us as event promoters, anytime you’ve got the opportunity to hold an event at Bathurst, it’s a really big thing for our business so it’s definitely not a stop-gap and a one-year plan,” he said. “Obviously the council do have to go to tender, but for us we want to be front of mind and they’ve made no secret that we want to hold events at Bathurst. When that tender process does commence, we’ll definitely be putting a proposal.”

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The Australian Racing Group were the previous custodians of the fifth event with the Bathurst International. That was initially planned to be a 500km race for TCR cars in 2020 until the COVID-19 pandemic put the brakes on international attendance. That morphed into a leg of the TCR World Tour but was ultimately axed after 2024.

McMellan, who worked alongside his father John at the Australian Racing Group, reflected on the ill-fated Bathurst International. “The concept of the event was great, and to be honest, it never got off the ground because COVID really hindered it,” said McMellan. “We were meant to launch it when I was at ARG at the time when COVID started, so it really halted all that international travel and halted the world. It never really got a chance to get off the ground and then when everybody’s rebuilding the economy and travel commenced and everything, it really hindered the event. I don’t think the concept was ever flawed, it just never really got a fair shot.”

GT World Challenge Australia last raced at Mount Panorama in 2024 as part of the Bathurst International. Next year’s SpeedSeries finale at Mount Panorama is slated for October 29-31.