MOTORSPORT: Huge Bathurst 1000 bonanza locked in

The biggest motorsport event in the history of Mount Panorama will turn Bathurst into a six-day festival of speed in December.

The two biggest forces in Australian motorsport, Supercars and the Australian Racing Group (ARG), are joining forces for the first time in an event that will cater for 10 different top-level competition categories.

The headline act, the Repco Bathurst 1000, is now locked for Sunday, December 5.

But there are still lots of ‘buts’ around the plan, from travel and quarantine restrictions on teams and drivers to the potential spectator attendance.

Restrictions in regional NSW might be easing, but many of the ARG and other semi-professional teams are based in Sydney.

And two of the heaviest hitters in Supercars – Red Bull Ampol Racing and Shell V-Power Racing – have their headquarters in Queensland and could have difficulties in returning home after the racing.

While Bathurst is now as definite as it can be, Supercars is yet to confirm the four other events it hopes to race before the end of season 2021.

Three planned meetings have already been canned, Phillip Island and Winton in Victoria as well as the Gold Coast 500 in Queensland.

The focus – and hope – is now on double-header events at Queensland Raceway and Sydney Motorsport Park.

The Bathurst plan for 2021 is ambitious and will see 10 different motorsport categories on a giant program – Supercars, Super2, TCR Australia, S5000 single-seaters, GT cars, Touring Car Masters, V8 SuperUtes, Trans Am, Carrera Cup and Toyota 86.

Racing is scheduled to run from Tuesday, November 30 until the 2021 running of The Great Race on the following Sunday as the Supercars championship grand final and to wrap the motorsport year.

There are many logistical challenges for the festival of speed, even in housing the number of teams and competition cars, while broadcasting will create a massive workload over six days for Supercars and the Seven Network, which always has Bathurst as its free-to-air flagship.

But Supercars, ARG and the Bathurst Regional Council are all pulling together and optimistic about the event.

“Supercars and ARG will be working closely with NSW health authorities around COVID-safe measures and public health order requirements to ensure the safety of all staff and patrons attending the event,” Supercars said in an official statement.

ARG chief executive Matt Braid added: “This major event at Bathurst is going to be one of the biggest spectacles ever seen in Australian motorsport, and it is a credit to all parties for putting the sport first.

“There’s no doubt these are difficult times we live in, so to have this come together with the co-operation of Supercars to benefit all our competitors, commercial partners and, most importantly, the fans, it’s a huge win for all.”