Mount Panorama’s fifth event opportunity goes to market
Published on 12 October 2026
Bathurst Regional Council has officially opened Expressions of Interest for a permanent fifth annual motor racing event at Mount Panorama from 2028.
Mount Panorama currently hosts four major events requiring full circuit closures each year: the Bathurst 1000, Bathurst 12 Hour, Bathurst 6 Hour and Challenge Bathurst.
A one-off fifth event will be held in October 2027, when SRO Motorsports Australia brings the final round of the Shannons SpeedSeries to Bathurst. Council is now going to market to determine what should permanently occupy the fifth event opportunity from 2028.
Bathurst Mayor Cr Ben Fry said Council wanted ambitious proposals from experienced motorsport promoters in Australia and internationally.
“Mount Panorama is one of the most valuable pieces of motorsport real estate in the country, and opportunities to activate it at this scale are deliberately limited.
“We already have four established events that each bring something different to the Mountain. The fifth event needs to earn its place alongside them.
“We are not simply looking for another race meeting. We want an event with its own identity, a strong commercial proposition, a credible promoter and the ability to bring new spectators, visitation and economic activity to Bathurst.
“This is our opportunity to ask the market a very simple question: if you were given one of five annual opportunities to race at Mount Panorama, what would you do with it?”
The EOI does not prescribe a particular event concept. Proponents are instead required to demonstrate how their event would operate, when it would be held, its proposed commercial structure, a minimum five-year budget and the economic benefit it would deliver to the Bathurst region.
Cr Fry said Council wanted to see competition between genuinely different ideas before determining the best use of the fifth allocation.
“I have my own views about the opportunities that exist at Mount Panorama, but this process should not begin with Council deciding the answer and then looking for someone to deliver it.
“We are opening the gates and asking the motorsport industry to show us its best ideas.
“The successful concept needs to stack up for the sport, for spectators and for Bathurst. The local community owns this extraordinary asset, so there must also be a clear economic and commercial return from using it.”
Expressions of Interest will be assessed against project value, promoter experience and project functionality, including the economic benefit proposed for the Bathurst region.
Shortlisted proponents will then be invited to submit detailed formal tenders, with the EOI assessment expected to be completed by March 2027.
“Mount Panorama has spent generations creating moments Australian motorsport remembers.
“The challenge now is to find the event capable of creating the next ones.”
Expressions of Interest close at 10am Tuesday 1 December 2026 and are available through Council’s e-tendering portal.
Mount Panorama Motor Racing Circuit operates as a motorsport facility under the Motor Sports Events Act 2022. Up to five full circuit closures are permissible each year to conduct motorsport events, with four permanent annual events currently occupying four of those opportunities.