Bathurst 12H to Feature Night Practice Session

A Friday night practice session has been introduced to the schedule for the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour, giving drivers the opportunity to complete laps of the Mount Panorama circuit in the dark ahead of the start of the race on Sunday.

The fourth out of six practice sessions for the Australian classic will kick off at 5:05 p.m. local time, with sunset at Bathurst set for 5:12 p.m.

The 40-minute session will allow some of the drivers taking part in the event the opportunity to complete laps under dark conditions.

Due to the postponed nature of the event, taking place in May instead of the traditional February slot, this edition of the race will feature more racing at dark.

With the earliest ever start time of 5:15 a.m., as much as 90 minutes of the race is anticipated to take place under the cover of darkness.

The race will finish at 5:13 p.m., five minutes after sunset.

The event schedule for the May 13-15 race has been optimized to maximize running for amateur drivers, with Free Practice sessions 1 and 3 designated for Bronze-rated drivers only.

The two other practice sessions on Friday, including the night session, are open to all drivers.

Two more hour-long practice sessions then take place on Saturday morning, followed by a pair of separate qualifying sessions: one for amateurs and for pro drivers.

The top ten shootout takes place late on Saturday afternoon at 4:10 p.m.

“We’re very pleased with the schedule which offers lots of track time for all drivers, with a focus on the Bronze-ranked competitors that will make up a big portion of the field this year,” said the event’s motorsport operations manager Paul Martin said.

“The Friday evening session will be important to get people up to speed with running at night prior to the race start on Sunday morning.

“Saturday will then build throughout the day with practice, qualifying and the Top 10 Shootout which is always a Bathurst highlight.

“Outside of the 12-Hour sessions, it’s a busy weekend with three support categories and lots of on-track action for fans at the circuit and those watching from home.”