Mercedes boss Stefan Wendl has questioned the continuation of the Bathurst 12 Hour’s Pro-Am format amid logistical challenges for international GT teams.
Australia’s international enduro returned this year after being canceled in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Due to a lack of entries, owing to lingering travel restrictions, all-Pro driving combinations were not allowed this year, with GT3 Pro-Am being the top class.
It has been reported that the SRO Motorsports Group is pushing for the return of a GT3 Pro class in 2023.
However, there is concern over the number of all-Pro GT3 entries the event can attract given ongoing global logistical complications.
One of those complications is the hurdle international teams will face with the close proximity of the opening two events on the Intercontinental GT Challenge calendar, of which Bathurst is the season-opener.
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The first two races are separated by three weeks, with Bathurst scheduled for February 3-5 and a race in Kyalami, South Africa slated for February 23-25.
Founder of SRO, Stephane Ratel, has previously said that the tight timeframe would require separate shipments to Australia and South Africa for teams and manufacturers committed to both events.
The boss of Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing, Wendl, agreed with that, though wants clarity over the Bathurst 12 Hour format.
“The IGTC calendar for next year is quite a challenge,” Wendl told Sportscar365.
“On one hand, we are on very close exchange with Stephane [Ratel, SRO founder and CEO] and have been involved in the development of this calendar.
“I know all the challenges he faces, trying to align them with the logistics schedules.
“Obviously the change from Bathurst to Kyalami is one of the big tasks.
“The only way to make it happen is with two different cars, spares and equipment, or to go with air freight, which is very expensive and, at the moment, not so reliable on the shipping dates.
“We have teams interested in doing both races.
“We want to go to Bathurst and win it again, however, will it be handled as a Pro-Am event again supported by our customers, or if we go full-Pro as it was before COVID?
“For the Kyalami race, it’s a little bit more difficult to find teams. But we are in good talks. We try to help out wherever.
“We are talking about rental cars supplied by AMG which would be sent to Kyalami just for the single event. But it’s really not easy.”
A Supercars spokesperson told Speedcafe.com that “clarification on classes will be released in the coming days.”
This year’s Bathurst 12 Hour was won by the Mercedes-AMG GT3 of SunEnergy1 Racing, featuring the Pro-Am combination of Kenny Habul, Jules Gounon, Luca Stolz, and Martin Konrad.
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