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The 2024 Supercars season will begin with a 10-day Bathurst SuperFest incorporating the Bathurst 12 Hour, Supercars has announced.
The announcement represents confirmation of plans to use Mount Panorama as a back-up for next year’s now-cancelled Newcastle 500, which were revealed by Speedcafe.
That is not new in itself, given the events of 2021, but, unlike then, the Bathurst 12 Hour will go ahead next year and hence the 10-day event.
Bathurst 12 Hour action will proceed on its already announced date of February 16-18, while the ‘Bathurst 500’ for Supercars will take place on February 23-25, as predicted when Speedcafe also revealed the 10-day ‘festival’ plans.
The Dunlop Super2 Series season will also kick off at Mount Panorama and, while details about what takes place from the Monday to Thursday are yet to be revealed, there will be “a week-long program of community events to celebrate the start of the 2024 Repco Supercars Championship.”
The Bathurst SuperFest will be supported by the New South Wales Government, with three Supercars events to take place in the state again next year, the others being the Repco Bathurst 1000 and Sydney SuperNight.
Minister for Jobs and Tourism, John Graham, stated, “The NSW Government is thrilled to partner with Supercars to once again to deliver more rounds of the 2024 Supercars series here in NSW than any other state.
“We are particularly excited to be hosting two rounds at the nation’s home of motorsport, Mount Panorama-Wahluu in Bathurst, including the opening round of the 2024 Supercars season with the Bathurst 500 as part of Bathurst SuperFest.
“This is a fantastic outcome for the sport, for the fans, for the community of Bathurst and for the people of NSW.”
Supercars CEO, Shane Howard, added, “The Bathurst SuperFest will give fans close to two weeks to celebrate some of the best drivers in the world, taking on Mount Panorama.
“Combining two marquee race meetings into the one major event in summer is an exciting initiative and we can’t wait to see fans fill the mountain and be a part of the action.
“We thank the NSW Government and Bathurst Regional Council for supporting our vision to bring something new to fans.
Mayor of Bathurst, Jess Jennings, said, “I am thrilled that Supercars has announced that Bathurst will host the season opener, marking the beginning of an exciting race calendar.
“The Bathurst SuperFest will be one of the biggest events held at Mount Panorama and will provide a significant boost to our local economy.
“Motorsport fans from Australia and around the world can look forward to witnessing their favourite teams and drivers battle it out on this iconic circuit.”
According to Supercars, discussions about the future of the Newcastle 500 are ongoing.
That event had the enthusiastic support of the state government, including funding, but ultimately did not go ahead after an impasse with the Newcastle City Council could not be resolved, notwithstanding the mayor’s comments that it was “very successful.”
Four dates have now been confirmed on the 2024 calendar, namely the aforementioned Bathurst SuperFest, the ITM Taupo SuperSprint on April 19-21, the NTI Townsville 500 on July 5-7, and the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500 on October 25-27.
As for the other confirmed events, the Sydney SuperNight is understood to be pencilled in for the weekend of Sunday, August 18 and the Repco Bathurst 1000 will inevitably be locked in for October 10-13.
Supercars has noted that, “Further information regarding the full calendar will be released in coming days.”
For those set to attend at Mount Panorama in February, it has advised, “Tickets for the Bathurst SuperFest will go on sale in coming weeks and further information for current ticket holders and campers attending the 2024 Bathurst 12 Hour will be made available in coming days.”
