Report: V8 Supercars Vying for Bathurst 12H Takeover

Photo: John Dagys

The Bathurst 12 Hour could soon be under new organizers, as Australian media reports that V8 Supercars is in talks to take over promotion of the GT race at Mt. Panorama.

The annual around-the-clock enduro, organized by James O’Brien’s Yeehah Events and the Bathurst Regional Council, has been a staple of the Australian motorsport scene for decades.

Speedcafe.com reports that V8 Supercars is in talks to buy the promotional rights to the race, in a deal that could be worth as much as $3 million.

It had previously failed to acquire the Australian GT Championship, which runs separately from the 12 Hour, and had scheduled a mandatory test on the same weekend as the 12 Hour this year.

“I’ve been talking to James [O’Brien] about the dates and those types of things, but other than that the rest is just speculation,” V8 Supercars CEO James Warburton told speedcafe.com.

“All I’ll say is that if we’ve ever got anything to say then we’ll say it.”

Bathurst 12 Hour organizers have issued the following statement via the event’s official Twitter account on Tuesday.

“With regards to recent reports: We are having ongoing discussions with V8 Supercars regarding avoiding the date clash that occurred this year and, as such, allowing their drivers to compete in 2016,” it read.

“At this point there is nothing further to add.”

A takeover of the event by V8 Supercars would almost certainty prevent a date clash that was seen this year, and could potentially bring the touring cars to the Mountain for its pre-season test on the 12 Hour weekend.

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John