Bathurst 12H Adopts IGTC-Style Sporting Regs

The Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour will run with a set of revised regulations next year, aligning it with other Intercontinental GT Challenge powered by Pirelli rounds.

A four-minute technical pit stop rule and a maximum driver stint length time will be enforced for the 2020 season-opener, which takes place next February.

The technical pit requirement will force teams to make an extended service during the race, mirroring the five-minute technical pit rule for the Total 24 Hours of Spa. This can be taken at any time before the end of the 11th hour.

Additionally, two ‘joker’ stops without a minimum service time must be taken in each half of the race.

The drive time requirement will see a cap of 65 minutes imposed, with drivers not permitted to complete more than two consecutive stints without a one-hour rest period.

A drive-through penalty will be dealt for a stint exceeding this by less than five minutes, while that increases to a 30-second stop and hold for stints lasting more than 70 minutes.

Maximum stint times were used in the California 8 Hours earlier this year, and will also be in place for the Suzuka 10 Hours later this month.

A further minor addition to the technical regs sees driver cooling systems and in-car TV camera systems incorporated into the minimum vehicle weight.

Lamborghinis to Replace Porsches in Class B

Bathurst has retained its four-class format but will designate Class B to Lamborghini Super Trofeo machinery, replacing Porsche cup cars.

It will enable cars competing in Lamborghini’s single-make formula, which has regional series in Europe, North America and Asia, to compete in the Australian IGTC round for the first time.

Porsche cup entries have appeared on the Bathurst 12 Hour grid since the start of the GT3 era in 2011, while Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo Evos have raced in the last two editions of the California 8 Hours.

“We are excited to add the Super Trofeo cars to the mix in 2020,” said Bathurst event manager Kurt Sakzewski.

“It opens the potential for even more international participation and we have been in discussion with Lamborghini for some time now – they are excited about the potential for their competitors to become involved.

“The Huracan Evo is a very cool car that perfectly fits the 12 Hour grid – it sounds and looks the part.”

Elsewhere in the field, the GT3-oriented Class A category will be split into three driver categorization-based subdivisions, but with the addition of a Silver cup alongside Pro and Pro-Am.

GT4 cars will continue to race in the Class C bracket, while the MARC Cars Australia specials will return to the Invitational ranks.

Entries are now open for the race, which attracted 40 cars for the 2019 edition.