Bathurst ‘SuperFest’ to kick off 2024 Supercars season
By Thomas Miles
Date posted: 29 October 2023
The 2024 Supercars Championship will kick off with a 10-day ‘SuperFest’ at Mount Panorama, Bathurst in February.
The 10-day event will be an unprecedented double header featuring both the Bathurst 12 Hour endurance race and the Supercars season opener.
The Bathurst 12 Hour sparks things into gear on February 16-18, one week before the 2024 Supercars season opener.
Supercars has confirmed it will be a Bathurst 500 event, much like the 2021 opener when Mount Panorama also hosted the first round.
Just like two years ago Bathurst has stepped up to fill the void left by Newcastle, which has lost its spot on the calendar after an agreement could not be reached between Supercars, the NSW Government and the City of Newcastle.
Supercars has reiterated its hope of returning to the street race in the future stating there are “ongoing discussions about the future of the Newcastle event.”
In addition to Supercars, Super2, Super3, plus a week-long program of community events are promised.
This means New South Wales will host three rounds of the 2024 season which is firming to be either 12 to 13 rounds with Sydney Motorsport Park joining the Bathurst 500 and 1000 events.
Supercars CEO Shane Howard said the summer double header will be a dream way for dans to welcome the new year.
“The Bathurst SuperFest will give fans close to two weeks to celebrate some of the best drivers in the world, taking on Mount Panorama,” he said.
“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.”
NSW Minister for Jobs and Tourism, John Graham said the rare motorsport doubleheader presents a great tourism opportunity for the state.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
Mayor of Bathurst Jess Jennings cannot wait to welcome Supercars twice in 2024.
“I am thrilled that Supercars has announced that Bathurst will host the season opener, marking the beginning of an exciting race calendar,” she said.
“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.”
Tickets will go on sale in coming weeks, while and further information for current
ticket holders and campers attending the 2024 Bathurst 12 Hour will be made available in coming days.
The Bathurst SuperFest is subject to regulatory approval under the Motor Sports Event Act 2022.
The 2023 Supercars season continues with the final leg of the Gold Coast 500 today.
Main image by Mark Horsburgh
Download the full Supercars Gold Coast 500 Round 11 Event Guide with track stats and facts and a full event schedule, plus extensive driver profiles here
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