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To secure funds would potentially come from federal government sources.
Speedcafe understands the BRC had eyed a possibility of the works being undertaken after the Bathurst 12 Hour on the first weekend of February and before the 6 Hour in mid-April at a cost in the vicinity of $10 million.
“We’ve approached the federal government for funding to get it through,” BRC mayor Robert Taylor told Speedcafe.
“We are keeping our fingers crossed and just hope that we can acquire the funding. That all depends on the funding, and it’s just a resurface and kerbing, nothing else.”
The last time the track was resurfaced (in 2014), the kerbs remained as they were and not lifted when the bitumen height went up.
Taylor’s vision is to try and utilise the Mt Panorama facility more. He wants to develop a plan to open it up to weddings, concerts, car and bike launches and other functions.
“The facility has a commercial kitchen that can cater up to 600 people. You could have a wedding on top of the mount or on top of the pits or wherever, like the facilities there and there is Ridges for accommodation,” Taylor added.
“It’s just a matter of getting a website up, getting an events team, probably have to hire under someone else and then promote it. Then we can put it back into the area complex.”
He feels that it is ripe for walk-through guided tours of race control, the media and function rooms as well as the podium for visitors’ photos in cooperation with the museum.
Revenue raised would provide additional revenue for the maintenance and improvements.
Meanwhile the future of a fifth race meeting has not gone further than some expressions of interest.
“We had a side talk at the Bathurst International but nothing out of that,” said Taylor of the light discussions he said were with Ben McMillan of SRO Motorsports Group.
“We are just keeping it open to whatever eventuates or whatever. Any proposal, it’s got to go back to Council for approval.”
Speedcafe understands there were three such Expressions of Interest.
The Benalla Auto Club had enquired in 2023 but not recently. There was a suggestion of a historic type meeting with a September date which at this stage is just a suggestion.
“It’s open, but no one sort of really jumped up and said they want to do it,” Taylor concluded.
