Bathurst goes international with TCR

The born-again Bathurst 500 will run on November 15 in 2020.

The date for the new touring car classic, which will see a field of 50 cars competing in a new showcase for the TCR tin-top category, is finally locked after a provisional place in December.

The Bathurst 500 will be backed by a three-day program from November 13-15 for four support classes, ranging from the homegrown S5000 single-seaters to Le Mans-style LMP3 sports car prototypes, American-style TransAm 2 sedans and heritage muscle which is expected to include New Zealand runners and Australia’s Touring Car Masters cars.

The Mount Panorama meeting will be broadcast on 7Plus as part of the Seven Network’s renewed commitment to motorsport in 2020 through coverage of the TCR Australia championship series.

“It is exciting to confirm the date. The mid-November date gives everyone a long lead time to arrange their calendars and logistics. We know that all of the local competitors in TCR, Touring Car Masters and Trans Am are looking forward to it, and we know that many international guests will do whatever they can to try and knock them off in their own backyard,” says the CEO of the Australian Racing Group, promoter of the event, Matt Braid.

ARG won the rights to the fifth event at Bathurst in a head-to-head pitch against Supercars and the Bathurst Regional Council is now giving strong support to the Bathurst 500, which boosts the profile of a circuit which is already seeing a boom through the Bathurst 12-Hour for GT3 cars.

“An event of this calibre will bring an international focus to the racing circuit not seen before,” says councillor Bobby Bourke, the Bathurst Mayor.

“Mount Panorama has a reputation as one of the best racing circuits in the world. The international exposure of this event will elevate Mount Panorama’s prestige and showcase the racing circuit and Bathurst to a global audience.”

The Bathurst 500 will be a two-driver event, a format chosen to work for the TCR teams which compete throughout the world in a category which is flourishing off the back of the hot-hatch concept for cars with front-wheel drive and 2.0-litre turbocharged engines.

But ARG is also giving fans a shot of V8 appeal through the S5000 and TransAm cars, which will be racing at Mount Panorama for the first time, and the popular TCM muscle cars.

The races will also be non-championship events, although there is already talk that the Bathurst 500 could eventually be integrated into a global TCR series.

“There were a number of categories that we have racing that we needed to wait for, and this date represents the best chance for drivers and teams from around the world to race at the iconic Mount Panorama,” says Braid.

“Each competitor can compete flat out, aiming to be the International King of the Mountain.”