Bathurst Regional Council is open to hosting events run with Australian Auto Sport Alliance (AASA) sanctioning as it prepares to work through the tender applications for a fifth event at Mount Panorama.
Currently, legislation mandates that CAMS must sanction any events that require a full track closure at Bathurst.
The Mount Panorama Motor Racing Act was created in 1989 and initially set two weekends a year aside for full track motor sport events.
A revision in 2007 saw that figure increase to five events, and also lays out how permits to host events are granted.
The Act leaves the final say with a three-person Advisory Committee, which includes representatives from Bathurst Regional Council, the police, and NSW Office of Sport.
As a Government body, the Office of Sport recognises only CAMS as the sanctioning body for motorsport in Australia, in effect making it the exclusive sanctioning body for events at Mount Panorama.
However, it’s understood two promoters have submitted tenders for the fifth event with the intent to use AASA as its sanctioning body.
If one of those proposals is successful in the tender process, it would require a change to the existing process under the Mount Panorama Motor Racing Act before it could take place.
“The sanctioning body is actually set by the Office of Sport,” Aaron Jones, director of corporate affairs and finance for Bathurst Regional Council, told Speedcafe.com.
“The Mount Panorama Act requires us to have an Office of Sport permit.
“For all the other four track closures it’s mandated by Office of Sport that it’s CAMS.
“That shouldn’t preclude anybody not CAMS sanctioned from submitting a fifth event primarily because that gives us the avenue to actually have a conversation with the Office of Sport.
“We don’t know what their criteria is,” Jones continued.
“It would open the door for a conversation with Office of Sport if somebody other than CAMS sanctioning was submitted.”
The AASA hosted its first ever event at Mount Panorama last month, though the Autofest 2019 event did not require a full track closure and therefore sidestepped the CAMS requirement.
Mount Panorama is one of the few venues remaining in Australia which does not allow AASA sanctioned events.
Though yet to host a race meeting, AASA sanctioned events have been held at Phillip Island, while The Bend Motorsport Park will host a round of the Australian Motor Racing Series (AMRS) in June.
Speedcafe.com did not receive a response from the Office of Sport when contacted for comment.
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