Australian Racing Group (ARG) and Bathurst Regional Council (BRC) today jointly announce that the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International will be held for the third and final time in 2024.
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.
The 2024 running of the Bathurst International will run as scheduled from November 8-10 as the grand finale of the 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 Australian Racing Group 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.”
The vision for the Bathurst International to bring global touring car racing to Mount Panorama was realised in 2023, when the world’s leading TCR teams descended on Bathurst in an official round of the Kumho TCR World Tour.
The 2024 event was again intended – and initially announced and ratified by the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) – to be a round of the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour.
Earlier this year, the series advised of its withdrawal from Australia due to logistical constraints.
“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,” said Bathurst Mayor Jess Jennings.
“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.”
ARG remains in partnership with BRC as promoter of the ever-growing Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst 6 Hour event.
Supercheap Auto remains committed to the TCR Australia Series as the category’s title rights partner through to at least 2025, and will maintain its enduring relationship with the Bathurst region through a range of community-focused initiatives and passionate support of teams and drivers racing at Mount Panorama.
Tickets for the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International will be on sale on soon, with a variety of packages once again offering the unrivalled combination of professional motorsport action at Mount Panorama, free paddock and grid walk access and affordable ticket prices.
High quality motorsport categories with connectivity to international motorsport – specifically the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series, Trico Trans Am Series, GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS, Monochrome GT4 Australia and First Focus Radical Cup Australia – will feature at the 2024 event, along with Meguiar’s Australian Production Cars and the Precision National Sports Sedan Series.
Words & Images: Supplied
