GT4 Australia Support Race at Bathurst 12H Under Evaluation

Photo: Daniel Kalisz/GT4 Australia

Monochrome GT4 Australia could join the weekend bill for next year’s Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour according to event director Shane Rudzis, who revealed that discussions are underway to potentially add the SRO Australia-run series to the growing event.

While GT4-spec cars are eligible for the Bathurst 12 Hour, only two were entered for this weekend’s race and one set to take part in Sunday’s Intercontinental GT Challenge season opener following an accident for Team NZ’s Aston Martin Vantage GT4 on Friday.

Rudzis said the focus is likely to shift GT4 into its own support race, ideally linking up with SRO to have the domestic series kick off its season at Mount Panorama.

“There’s a massive opportunity for GT4 as a support category,” he told Sportscar365.

“When you have manufacturers all involved, not just from cars on track but from customer experiences, branding, activation, all those aspects, to have both GT3 on the grid in the 12 Hour plus GT4 support…

“It’s almost like a program to offer to the young drivers. You come to the 12 Hour, race in GT4 and the one day graduate up to GT3. You’d learn the track [in GT4] and that’s the right way to be doing it.

“With GT4 flourishing, and SRO has done a great job with building GT4 in Australia, there’s enough cars on the track to actually go and do that now, which is an exciting prospect.

“It would make the manufacturers happy, make us happy, and it’s great racing and across all fields from that perspective.”

While GT4s have been eligible in the 12 Hour for a number of years, Rudzis indicated the lack of participation has been down to competitors not wanting to compromise their upcoming season with an endurance race largely made up of significantly faster GT3 cars.

“Those in GT4, we really love them being on the grid,” he said. “It’s very brave of those drivers to go out there and do it, but what an amazing experience to do it with GT4.

“But I think the best way with GT4 right now to go is to a support category.

“Hopefully we can work with SRO to come an agreement to have it happen, hopefully for next year. There’s discussions taking place; nothing is confirmed.

“But it makes total logic for that to happen in the future.”

GT4 Australia, which runs on the Shannon’s SuperSeries events that also feature GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS, routinely has grids upwards of 30 cars contesting two 60-minute races on each weekend.

“The first no-brainer is to work with SRO to see what suits them best,” said Rudzis. “I think the first one is to have it as the opening round of their championship as a sprint round.

“Then I thought about it, there’s so many GT4 cars in the world with a lot of guys who are writing their bucket list off. Maybe there might be a way from them to grow it into [a big race].

“Whether they bring the car or maybe they end up leasing a local car.

“I think there’s a big opportunity for GT4 growth as a support category.”

Rudzis said he hopes to finalize plans for next year’s 12 Hour support bill in the coming months.

In addition to the Combined Sedans, Ferrari Challenge Australasia has featured on the support bill the last two editions.

“Hopefully we can get things together by June and be able to announce some good things,” he said.

“It’s not up to us to make the decision from a GT4 perspective. That’s working with our counterparts at SRO, which we have a very cool relationship with those guys, to make this event as strong as we can.”

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