SUPERCARS has announced the proposed dates for the 2019 championship season.
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Under the draft calendar, the Bathurst 1000 will be the 12th round of the championship, running from October 10 to 13.
For the first time, it will serve as the opener of the Enduro Cup, a series of endurance races run over three rounds of the championship.
Since the introduction of the Enduro Cup in 2013, Bathurst has always been the second event, following the Sandown 500 and preceding the Gold Coast 600.
Councillor Warren Aubin, who has an interest in motor sport, said he didn’t think changing the order of the endurance events would have much of an impact on the Bathurst crowds.
However, he said there may be a different kind of interest from the fans given it will be the first appearance of the new Ford Mustang, replacing the Falcon, at a Supercars enduro.
“I think being first is A-okay because it introduces you to the driver pairings and it will be the first one with the Mustang,” he said.
The Bathurst round will also be the first event to be held in NSW, with the usual event at Sydney Motorsport Park being axed from the program entirely.
The only other NSW event is the Newcastle 500, the final in the championship, to be held in late November.
Cr Aubin said the lack of a Sydney Motorsport Park event might encourage more fans to come to Bathurst to see the Supercars for the first time all year.
While he’s not fussed with where the Bathurst round sits in terms of the Enduro Cup, Cr Aubin did say he would like to see it become the “grand final” for the Supercars Championship.
“I’d love to see it be the last round of the year,” he said.
“But it is not going to happen because they are locked into October.”