The 2022 Intercontinental GT Challenge hasn’t even started and holding the Bathurst 12 Hour is proving to be one of the biggest headaches that SRO is dealing with right now, and the complications of the traditional class format made the organization rethink their approach for 2022.
It’s known that outside the Spa 24 Hours and the Indianapolis 8 Hour, the Pro Cup part of the grid is massively populated by outsider entries, generally factory blessed squads and their full pro lineups, and since most of these visitors would likely face difficulties to enter and leave Australia, the SRO Motorsport Group opted to leave the full pro teams out for a year and focus on Pro-Am and full amateur teams.
The youngest GT World Challenge series of SRO’s portfolio, the FANATEC GT World Challenge Australia, is totally reliant on Pro-Am and Am lineups for the GT3 and GT4 specs, and since the home entries would at least make up for an acceptable number in the grid, the idea was to make the GT3 Pro-Am Cup the protagonist of the show, which would offer a scenario similar to the Bathurst rounds in GTWC Australia last year, just now valid for the most popular and longer GT endurance race in the country.
This is a compromise made so that the Bathurst 12 Hour doesn’t get into the risk of getting another cancellation, as the 2021 edition was written off the calendar due to Australia’s policy over international arrivals during the early stages of the COVID pandemic, which would keep team personal and drivers stuck there for more time than what they have available, specially factory staff that works in multiple competitions during the year, which was also a reason for the cancellation of the Suzuka 10 Hours in the same year.
It is promised that the Pro Cup will return to Mount Panorama in 2023, resuming the usual class structure by which the Bathurst 12 Hour is known for. The 2022 edition of the mountain race will be held on 15 May.
PHOTO: SRO
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