A MOUNT Panorama enduro is destined to end this year's Supercars championship but what about a Bathurst 500 to open the 2021 calendar?
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That is one of the options currently being considered by Supercars as it looks ahead to season 2021.
It has already been confirmed that the Adelaide 500, the traditional season-opener, will be shifted to a later date, while the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has created uncertainty for the international competitors who usually attend February's Bathurst 12 Hour.
Supercars chief executive officer Sean Seamer has conceded the 12 Hour "is unlikely to go ahead in the form that it went ahead with this year, due to the number of international participants that the event has built over time.
"What we will do with that date, what we do with the track on that date is still to be determined, but that'll be clear when we release the calendar," he said.
In July the organisers of the Intercontinental GT Challenge stated their intention remained to conduct their season opening round at the 2021 Bathurst 12 Hour on February 6-7.
But Seamer said both the make up of the grid for the Bathurst 12 Hour, as well as its date, could be altered due to the ongoing pandemic.
"That date is obviously normally locked in because of the racing at Daytona, Dubai and the rest of the GT calendar," he said.
"So if we don't have the international competitor base that we would normally expect out there, then we have got a lot more flexibility and freedom around that date."
That has created speculation that Mount Panorama could host the season opener, speculation which increased after Seven West Media head James Warburton, when discussing the newly-signed Supercars broadcast deal, said: "Next year, we'll be showing seven key races live and free, including the iconic Bathurst 1000 and the Bathurst 12 Hour race, or the Bathurst 500 in '21."
Seamer admitted a Bathurst 500 is a possibility.
"An event of that nature is under consideration should we not be able to run the 12 Hour or a formidable GT event," he said.
"It's under consideration but we've also got to work with the GT category to see what their plans are for next year as well.
"At this point in time, particularly given that we're all still living in a world dominated by COVID unfortunately, everything's got to remain on the table."
The 2021 calendar is not expected to be released until the week of this October's Bathurst 1000, but Seamer said that "Any race we do needs to be part of the championship."
"With the cost of going racing, I don't think we'll be doing any exhibition races in the short to medium term," he said.
"The key to us is going to be being conservative around the start date, conservative around when we do street races and being conservative about getting to New Zealand so that if we are forced to make changes, they're minimal because we have been conservative and taken a slightly longer form view.
"But like everybody, we're pretty encouraged with how things are looking in Australia and also in New Zealand at the moment so actually we're really looking forward to next year."
