Bathurst makes call on fifth Mount Panorama event

The Bathurst Regional Council received a pitch from SRO Motorsports Australia in recent weeks for a one-off event at Mount Panorama.

Last Wednesday, the council met to consider that proposal and duly gave it the green light.

The event will provide short-term economic stimulus to Bathurst before the council tenders a long-term custodian of the fifth event from 2028 onwards, expected to be a five-year deal.

GT World Challenge Australia and GT4 Australia will be the headline acts in 2027 as part of the Shannons SpeedSeries finale.

“Bathurst Regional Council received a proposal for a casual event at Mount Panorama in 2027 and that was discussed under confidentiality as commercial in confidence,” Deputy Mayor Ben Fry told Speedcafe.

“Bathurst Regional Council has cleared a path for a fifth event gap to be filled in 2027. We’re of the view that any free gap in our calendar is not an event well utilised.

“We have the ability to hold five events every year and not using that full allocation is a wasted opportunity.

“Without giving too much confidential information away, councillors decided that is true and we should try to utilise Mount Panorama as an asset as much as we can.

“The good thing for Bathurst and our region and the state of New South Wales and the commonwealth more broadly is that we’ll see the maximal amount of racing, we hope, in 2027.

“We’ve cleared that path and made it possible for this to occur and now we’re waiting SRO to confirm their intent and what sort of event they intend to bring.”

Confirmation will come on Friday when global promoter SRO Motorsports Group hosts its annual press conference on the eve of the Crowdstrike 24 Hours of Spa.

SRO Motorsports Group boss Stephane Ratel will reveal the calendar for the major championships there, including GT World Challenge Australia.

The two major GT3- and GT4-based series will each take in six events in 2027.

This year, GT World Challenge Australia will close out its season in Adelaide as part of the Supercars Grand Final.

Meanwhile, GT4 Australia concludes at the Sandown leg of the SpeedSeries.