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BATHURST BONANZA: SECRET SUPERCARS TEST PLAN

Bathurst Regional Council to hear fifth event submissions this week

By Bruce Williams

Supercars could be set to test at Bathurst - Photo: LAT

Supercars could be set to test at Bathurst – Photo: LAT

SUPERCARS could be set for a second annual appearance at Mount Panorama as part of a secret scheme to encourage international stars to compete in the Bathurst 1000.

By MARK FOGARTY

Auto Action has uncovered a plan to combine the Supercars pre-season test with the Bathurst 12 Hour in early February.

The idea is linked with a wider initiative to give big-name overseas drivers more track time at The Mountain before returning for the Bathurst 1000 in October.

Full details are revealed exclusively in the latest issue of Auto Action, on sale today.

The Supercars test day would be held on the Thursday before the 12 Hour – which next year is scheduled from February 1-3 – and could include dedicated extra sessions for star foreign drivers intending to contest the 1000.

The internationals would then stay on to compete in the 12 Hour as headline-attracting co-drivers in the world-renowned GT3 enduro, compiling more valuable track time around Mount Panorama.

That’s the potential big plan, but initially, the discussion is about switching the Supercars pre-season test day to Bathurst as soon as 2019 to make it more interesting to fans and the media.

Holding it at Sydney Motorsport Park in recent years hasn’t attracted much attention or interest, especially since it was separated from the official season launch a couple of years ago.

The strong word is that next year’s Supercars pre-season test day won’t be held at SMP.

New Supercars boss Sean Seamer confirmed to AA that staging it at Mount Panorama as a high-profile preliminary to the Bathurst 12 Hour was among the options being considered.

The Bathurst plan and alternatives are likely to be discussed by the rule-making Supercars Commission at its next meeting in Melbourne a few days before the WD-40 Phillip Island 500 later this month.

Even without international stars using it as a warm-up for the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000, holding the Supercars pre-season test day at The Mountain as a lead-in to the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour is regarded by most observers as a win-win proposition.

It would enhance the status of the test because Supercars at Mount Panorama attracts attention and fans – especially so early in the year – and also boost 12 Hour interest and attendance.

The full story on the plan for the Supercars warm-up to move to Mount Panorama and how it could entice international superstars to race as wild cards in the Bathurst 1000 is in the latest issue of Auto Action, on sale today.

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