WITH the immense growth seen in just a few years, Challenge Bathurst is an event that could be at Mount Panorama "forever".
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The popular four-day event will be at the Mount from Thursday, bringing with it more than 400 competitors who want to test themselves on the iconic circuit.
Among them will be some big names, including Christopher Mies, who set the outright lap record for Mount Panorama at the 2018 Challenge Bathurst, and Triple Eight Racing Engineering's Shane van Gisbergen, who concluded the 2019 Supercars Championship on Sunday in second place.
As Challenge Bathurst is described as "an exclusive opportunity to drive your own street car or track racing car on the famous Mount Panorama Racing Circuit", they will be on the program alongside drivers with various levels of experience.
Councillor Warren Aubin is proud to have this event in Bathurst and pleased to see it is "fully subscribed" again, with a waiting list of people hoping to get the call up.
"The popularity is because it is only two to three months out from the 12 Hour race, so you find there are a lot of teams from the 12 Hour coming to do tyre testing and things like that," he said.
The event "is just gaining momentum each year", he said, and it's largely due to how unique it is compared to the other major events held at Mount Panorama.
This year, there has been a lot of discussion about the major motor sport events on the circuit, as council sought to find a fifth event to fill the last spot on the calendar.
Australian Racing Group (ARG) was the successful applicant and will bring the first Bathurst International here in December next year.
Cr Aubin recalls the process of awarding the fourth event to Yeehah Events, the promoter of Challenge Bathurst, saying the decision was a no-brainer.
"The actual business model was presented to us in a council meeting and it just made a lot of sense to have this type of event," he said.
"With events at Mount Panorama, what council has to look at is what it can do for the city and for this event, when they are saying it can host 400 competitors over a four-day event and showing us what they can do with it, it was a no-brainer."
The competitors are expected to bring support crew with them, which means the actual attendance for the event will be well above 400.
Cr Aubin said those visitors will stay with local accommodation providers, visit eateries and generally spend money in the city, boosting the local economy.
When asked if the event could grow to do even more for the region, Cr Aubin said it was certainly a possibility.
"It's the type of event that could grow and grow and grow, it's just a matter of how many days they can hire the track out for," he said.
"... It's got to the point in four years to be a top-class event that is fully booked.
"This is an event that will stay forever as long as they want to run it."
For those interested in the action at Mount Panorama, Challenge Bathurst is a spectator-friendly event and there is no charge to attend.
There are no big screens at this event, but people can park their vehicles in Harris Park, adjacent to the main gate, and walk around the precinct.
A track schedule is available at challengebathurst.com.
