INTERNATIONALS REMAIN ON THE RADAR

Despite the current difficulty with overseas travel, Australian Racing Group’s Matt Braid has declared international interest levels remain high for this year’s Bathurst International.

Postponed last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bathurst International will be held on November 26-28, a week after the rescheduled Australian Grand Prix and a weekend before the Supercars finale on the Gold Coast.

The positioning of the event and the line-up of categories competing, including the first round for the S5000 Australian Drivers’ Championship at Mount Panorama provides a tantalising proposition for overseas drivers.

“People are aware of what we’re doing, but also when it comes to Bathurst, everybody wants to race here,” Braid told Auto Action.

“There are a significant number of drivers and teams that have been in contact with all our categories wanting to come race at Bathurst.

“Even to the point where, this year the international opportunities will be severely diminished, obviously with the current COVID situation, but we’re still talking to a number of drivers, who are willing to quarantine because they want to race at Bathurst.”

Joining S5000 on the bill is the TCR Bathurst 500 endurance race, the Trans Am 100, the final round of the inaugural GT World Challenge Australia in the form of a three-hour event, Touring Car Masters and the addition of the Australian Production Car Series.

ARG is no stranger to welcoming international stars to its category, namely Rubens Barrichello for the maiden outing of S5000 at Sandown and then again for last year’s Australian Grand Prix where he was joined by Williams Formula 1 test driver Jack Aitken and Giancarlo Fisichella.

Internationals remain on the radar – Image: InSyde Media

In TCR Australia, WTCR competitors Jean-Karl Vernay, Nestor Girolami, Aurelien Comte and Rik Breukers contested rounds throughout its first season.

Braid is predicting a small number of overseas competitors will contest this year’s International ahead of an influx in future years once restrictions lessen.

“We could well see two or three drivers in each category that come from overseas, which would be great,” he said.

“And that will build, once the COVID cloud starts to lift then the scope is even greater because there is an international presence with regard to the presentation of the race, and it’s Bathurst. Every racing driver, no matter who they are in the world wants to race here at some point of their life so that’s always been an attraction.

“For us, we offer various categories at the event to attract them to come and race in.”

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