FIVE of the seven categories set to tackle Mount Panorama at the 2013 Bathurst Motor Festival have been confirmed – and two of them will be making their Easter Bathurst debut next year.
The New South Wales Production Touring Car series will make their Bathurst debut with a full field of production-based racers, whilst Formula Vee will join the program for the first time having raced at the Bathurst 12 hour in the past.
The always-exciting Production Sports Cars, New South Wales Road Racing Club and Porsche Regularities will also return for their third year of competition at the ever-growing Motor festival, with two categories yet to be announced.
The 2013 Event attracted over 10,000 people across the Easter long weekend this year, along with more than 250 competitors across seven categories and will return next year bigger and better than ever.
NSW Production Touring Cars feature production-based vehicles featuring a wide array of makes and models, and offer close, competitive racing right through the field and multitude of classes.
The series regularly attracts more than 30 cars to rounds at their state championship rounds, and with two-30 minute races and a one-hour enduro scheduled for Easter 2013 a full grid is expected.
“We sent out two emails to the competitor group and ended up with 42 expressions of interest straight away!” Category manager Gerry Murphy said.
“It is an amazing opportunity for our category to have the opportunity to race at Bathurst and the response from the competitors has been nothing but positive. Filling the grid won’t be a drama.
“It is a boon for our club and will help grow the series long-term as it will bring new people in. We think we will put on a great show and can’t wait to get to Mount Panorama next Easter.”
The series will contest two, 30-minute sprint races (one for each nominated driver) before the drivers combine for a one-hour enduro to be held on the Sunday.
Formula Vee will also make their Motor Festival debut next year having raced at the BMFs sister event – the Bathurst 12 Hour – in the past; whilst Production Sports have become a staple of the weekend, their big fields of Sports and GT-based vehicles providing diverse and exciting racing each year.
The Production Sports Cars will run in a similar format to the Production Touring Cars category.
Meanwhile, the big fields of the NSW Road Racing Club and Porsche Club NSW Regularities will return for the third straight season, to race the clock and themselves in the quest for the most consistent lap times around the ever-challenging 6.213km circuit.
Motor Festival director James O’Brien said the Easter weekend was about variety and giving new categories an opportunity to compete on the Mountain.
“Production Touring Cars are exactly what the Bathurst Motor Festival is about,” he explained.
“It is a category that achieves strong fields and produces great racing but ordinarily finds it difficult to secure a place on any other Event held at Mount Panorama. It’s great to have them as part of the 2013 Bathurst Motor Festival.”
The 2013 Bathurst Motor Festival will be held between March 29-31 next year.
