Flexible grid for 2015 Bathurst 12 Hour

THERE is less than 100 days to go until the Bathurst 12 Hour next February, but as the wait gets shorter the entry list will only get longer after the limit on the maximum grid size was relaxed.

Organisers of the endurance event have declared that due to the large number of Class A GT3 specification cars, currently making up 27 of the 52 cars entered, the 55-car limit can be removed.

The news comes in tandem with confirmation that the factory-backed Craft Bamboo Racing team will be bringing along two Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3s to the 2015 event, one of which is being aimed at outright honours.

Race media manager Richard Crail is living a dream as he watches the list of exotic, European machinery expand.

He said it is wrong to say that the cap on the grid size has been completely removed, instead saying it has been made more flexible to allow as many cars as possible the chance of gaining a start.

“The big question is how big can this field get? That’s what everyone is asking. The field cap was in place not so much for a safety standpoint, but more of a logistical thing with the fastest cars struggling to find overtaking spots at the top of the mount,” he said.

“The sky’s the limit. According to the rules set by CAMS the maximum number of cars any track can run is 72, but I don’t think we’ll be getting close to that number.

“What this does do is that it allows us to be more flexible with who we can let in.”

The field size has already shot past the 44 that attended this year’s event, with the 2015 entry cut-off still some time away in December.

Crail said it was great to see the event continuing to grow since the introduction of GT3 specification cars in 2011, with the new Aston Martin pairing being no exception.

“That first year I think we had the Audis, a couple of Ferraris, some Porsches and that was about it. The days of class B Porsches coming home in fourth, which has actually happened twice now, are well behind us. I think we’re going to end up seeing at least 30 Class A cars.

“Those Astons are just amazing. They sound absolutely amazing and they’re a very successful racing car. They’ll be right up there.

“This race is very different from the V8 Supercars where the drivers are the heroes of it. Here the cars are as big stars as the drivers.”

The Craft Bamboo Aston Martin’s aren’t the only hopes for the brand at Mount Panorama next year with Swiss outfit Saint Gallen entering their own Vantage in the GT4 spec Class C.

Crail remained tight-lipped about the recently announced list of at least four more Class A cars to join the grid.

“I can say that there is at least one very strong European team still to come,” he said.