Bathurst council to review Mount Panorama drainage following Bathurst 1000

More than 60 millimetres of rain fell in Bathurst between Wednesday and Sunday, with the heaviest of the rain falling on Saturday afternoon.

Water continued to pool on the Mount Panorama circuit, seeing Saturday afternoon's Super2 and Porsche Carrera Cup races cancelled, along with the highly-anticipated Top 10 Shootout.

In a statement, Motorsport Australia said, the track was "in an unsafe condition for competition".

The shootout has never been cancelled before, with race officials waiting until the last possible moment to make the call.

Race fans took to social media with their opinions about the decision, with some saying the shootout should have been moved to another time, while others pointed the finger at Bathurst council.

"I hope Bathurst City Council have been out with City Engineers and taken photos of the problem areas so more surface drainage can be put in place to eliminate this from happening again because after all they manage and maintain the track and surrounds," one commenter, Les Paterson, wrote on a post from Speedcafe.

Director of Engineering Services, Darren Sturgiss, told the Western Advocate that council will conduct a review of the Bathurst 1000.

Drainage around the track will be part of that review, however, he thought the surface held up well considering the amount of rain it had to endure.

"Noting the intensity and quantity of rainfall that occurred in the week leading up to the four-day event and during the event itself, the Mount Panorama circuit coped well," he said.

"It is the first time that council is aware of that the Top 10 Shootout has been cancelled.

"Council will review drainage at the circuit, and refer costings to future budgets for consideration."

Councillors have also defended the preparation of the circuit, feeling the deluge on the weekend was a rare event.

Deputy mayor Ben Fry said it had been an unusually wet year and Bathurst, like other parts of the country, had found it "really hard to deal with" the significant rainfall.

"We can do all we can to prepare the mountain, but we can't predict the copious amounts of rain that far in advance," he said.

"Mount Panorama as an asset gets handed over to Supercars, and of course in that agreement we are responsible for keeping the track up to spec. We can do that within our power, weather depending."

Cr Fry has full confidence that the engineering department's review will highlight any areas that can be improved and staff will recommendations appropriate action.

Cr Warren Aubin said he would advocate for drainage works, feeling they are necessary at some parts of the circuit.

"We do need to look at drainage, just that bottom area down Mountain Straight and down to that first corner there, Hell Corner, and possibly over the other side as well," he said.

The circuit wasn't the only part of the Bathurst 1000 precinct that was affected by the wet weather.

The paddock used for car parking was deemed inaccessible for all vehicles, except 4WDs, due to the amount of mud the rain had created.

Numerous vehicles were bogged and had to be towed out over the course of the event.

Mr Sturgiss said that, although council does not own that paddock, it will be working to restore it.

"Once the area dries out sufficiently to allow for the weight of maintenance equipment, work will commence to restore the area to previous condition," he said.

The parking area at the bottom of the circuit is Crown land in the care and control of Charles Sturt University, with the university allowing council to use it for parking at events.

With it being under the control of CSU, it's highly unlikely that council would pay for any sealing works to prevent a similar situation at future events.

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