Confirmed: Bathurst International axed

The decision to scrap the event has been announced in a joint statement from the Australian Racing Group (ARG) and Bathurst Regional Council (BRC).

The third and final Bathurst International will still be held on its originally planned date of November 8-10, as the final round of the 2024 Shannons SpeedSeries.

“The Bathurst International concept was launched in late 2019, and as we all know, events of the years that followed presented significant barriers to executing the event as intended,” said ARG Managing Director Liam Curkpatrick.

“Even with those challenges we fought hard to deliver on our international promise, which pleasingly was realised in full last year with a successful event featuring the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour.

“We are proud of our team who never gave up, and grateful to our partners Bathurst Regional Council and Supercheap Auto, for joining and backing us on this journey. Their support throughout has been exceptional.

“We have sought to communicate this decision well in advance of the 2025 racing season for the benefit of our partners, competitors, racing categories, suppliers, volunteers and fans, all of whom we are committed to hosting a successful, final Supercheap Auto Bathurst International in 2024.”

While the Bathurst International has had a tumultuous history, fresh questions were raised over its future when Mount Panorama was dropped from the FIA TCR World Tour (WTCR) in February.

That decision robbed the event of a genuine ‘international’ element and, although WTCR promoter WSC “indicated it plans to return [to Bathurst] in 2025,” logistical challenges which contributed to the decision have hardly eased since, if at all.

Notably, today’s statement explains: “The decision to end the Bathurst International event format after 2024 acknowledges the increasing challenges of attracting high level international motorsport content to the event on an ongoing basis.”

However, this year’s WTCR decision was certainly not the first blow to the event.

It was conceived in 2019 as a two-driver, 500km enduro featuring international teams and drivers when ARG won the tender for the “fifth event” slot at Mount Panorama.

COVID-19 hit and there was no event at all in 2020 or 2021, although ARG’s categories were moved into a six-day Bathurst 1000 meeting in the latter.

When the inaugural Bathurst International was finally held in 2022, headlined by a Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series finale comprised of three sprint races, the international element was limited to a cameo from Frenchman Teddy Clairet, as well as American Robert Noaker in Trans Am.

Those sprints were longer than most other TCR Australia races but still short enough such that there was no need for refuelling, which locally-based cars are not capable of without modification, the cost of which would have to have been incurred by someone.

Ironically, the axing of the World Touring Car Cup in 2022 created an opportunity with the creation of the TCR World Tour, which mimics the Intercontinental GT Challenge in so much that it is comprised of rounds from existing competitions such as the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International.

WTCR, in its new World Tour format, descended on Australia for rounds at Sydney Motorsport Park and then the trek across the Blue Mountains to Bathurst, but it will not grace those shores again.

Supercheap Auto remains committed to the TCR Australia Series as the category’s title rights partner through to at least 2025, and will continue to support a range of community-focused initiatives in Bathurst as well as of the teams and drivers racing at Mount Panorama.

Furthermore, ARG remains in partnership with BRC as promoter of the Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst 6 Hour.

Tickets for this year’s Supercheap Auto Bathurst International will be on sale on soon, with a variety of packages on offer including the chance for free paddock and grid walk access.

The Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series will be supported by Monochrome GT4 Australia, Meguiar’s Australian Production Cars, the Trico Trans Am Series, Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS, First Focus Radical Cup Australia, and the Precision National Sports Sedan Series.

Bathurst Mayor Jess Jennings said today, “Bathurst Regional Council has worked with ARG to deliver the Bathurst International since its inception and recognises the challenges that have been brought about by issues outside the control of the event organisers.

“We look forward to the 2024 Supercheap Auto Bathurst International and bringing motorsport fans another opportunity to experience motor racing action at the Mount Panorama circuit this November.”

Supercheap Auto Managing Director Benjamin Ward remarked, “We’re proud to have supported the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International over the past two years and thank the Bathurst Regional Council and Australian Racing Group for all their efforts over this journey.

“We look forward to working with all stakeholders to deliver the 2024 Supercheap Auto Bathurst International, and continuing our long association with the broader Bathurst community into the future.”

The demise of the Bathurst International is the latest reduction of the once-burgeoning ARG portfolio.

S5000 has been shuttered after years of small grids and V8 Touring Cars was put on ice for 2024, while SRO took full control of GT World Challenge Australia and Touring Car Masters was sold to its competitors.

ARG retains ownership of Supercheap Auto TCR Australia, the Trans Am Series, and the Bathurst 6 Hour, the latter in partnership with BRC.