THE Bathurst 12 Hour is set to be held later than usual, with Supercars announcing the dates for the endurance race at Mount Panorama.
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Supercars announced on Thursday afternoon that the event, which hasn't been held since 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will be held on February 25-27.
It's a later start than in previous years, with the event normally held around the start February.
The race is generally acknowledged and recognised around the world as one of the most significant races for GT vehicles on the calendar, alongside contemporaries like the Spa 24 Hour and the Nurburgring 24 Hour.
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A record crowd of 49,495 attended in 2019 when Queenslander Matt Campbell snatched a historic victory for Porsche, guiding the team of himself and co-drivers Dennis Olsen and Dirk Werner to victory in a drama-fuelled mammoth race around Mount Panorama.
Last year, the event was one of the final international events held in Australia prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, as famous British brand Bentley took the biggest win in their GT racing history, one that the iconic marque hailed as one of their most notable victories in their long history.
The 2022 event's new date is three weeks later than the traditional early February slot but also three weeks before the provisional weekend announced by SRO Motorsport Group in October.
With the new date now confirmed, it extends a run of February dates going back to 2008 and builds on the 12 Hour's tradition of launching each new Australian motorsport season.
Australia's International Enduro, as it's now also known, was first held with local Series Production cars in 1991 before the switch to FIA GT3 regulations in 2011 heralded a new era of manufacturer-backed entrants from around the world.
Five years later Bathurst hosted the inaugural round of Intercontinental GT Challenge, which has remained a cornerstone of the event ever since.
That timeframe also coincides with five different winning manufacturers in as many seasons.
Tickets for next February's race will go on sale in coming weeks along with information for 2020 holders of trackside, grandstand and campsite bookings.
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