REVELATIONS that V8 Supercars tried to work with the organisers of the Bathurst 12 Hour to create a monster weekend of motor racing in Bathurst next February have put a whole new twist on the dates clash debate.
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V8 Supercars yesterday said they had offered to run the annual testing day in Bathurst once it became clear it would be held the same weekend as the 12 Hour – February 7-8 next year.
Bathurst 12 Hour organisers have confirmed the approach but said it came too late to be feasible, with the 12 Hour having already bedded down its timetable for the weekend.
What a shame – and missed opportunity – that is.
The combination of a V8 testing day and 12 Hour in Bathurst over the same weekend would have been a mouth-watering prospect for race fans.
The two events would have brought together all of Australia’s top drivers and some of the best drivers from across the world for a real-life “who’s who” of motorsport.
The deal would have included full – and live – free-to-air coverage of the 12 Hour and had the potential to greatly advance promotion of an event that remains little more than a curiosity for most Australians.
And that’s not to mention the economic boost that the V8 teams – and extra fans – would have brought to town.
So, was it really a matter of timing that brought the deal undone or, as many suspect, friction between the two events?
Let’s hope it is the former and that the two groups can get together over the next year to co-ordinate the 12 Hour and testing weekend in Bathurst in 2016.
If it happens, it could be the greatest boost to the 12 Hour since it returned to the motor racing calendar.
If it doesn’t, then we can only conclude that petty rivalries were the real reason for the problems all along.