It’s one of the most contentious date clashes in the history of Australian motorsport. And this weekend the Bathurst 12 Hour and V8 Supercars pre-season test day at Sydney Motorsport Park go head-to-head.
The unfortunate date clash means Australian motorsport fans must choose between the two events, while V8 Supercars drivers will be forced to miss the 12 Hour as they are contractually obliged to participate in the test day.
V8 Supercars claims the timing of the test day worked for new television broadcaster Fox Sports, on the free weekend between the Asian Cup and Cricket World Cup.
But the decision to expand the test over two days and stop drivers from testing on Saturday and racing at Bathurst on Sunday caused a backlash across the paddock and among fans.
The Bathurst 12 Hour’s growing appeal could be seen as a threat to the status of V8 Supercars’ Bathurst 1000, while Channel Seven’s decision to pick up the rights to the 12 Hour having let go of V8 Supercars simply adds to the divide.
So, how will the clash impact the respective events?
It’s important to remember that V8 Supercars’ test day is just that… a test day. It’s only in recent years that V8 Supercars has turned pre-season testing into an event. And its growing popularity in addition to a television partner willing to broadcast proceedings has also led to a two-day schedule.
The test day is likely to still attract the diehard V8 Supercars fans, as there’s the big household names in attendance, free entry, a track walk and access that’s normally restricted at race events.
It’s also likely to attract the spur-of-the-moment Sydneysiders looking for something to do on a weekend, given it’s easier to get to than Mount Panorama.
But the Bathurst 12 Hour is a once-a-year event with a strong grid of GT3 sportscars from manufacturers such as Audi, Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Aston Martin, Bentley, McLaren, Lamborghini, Nissan and more.
While there’s a great variety of machinery tackling Australia’s greatest race track, the absence of the household V8 Supercars names is without a doubt a blow for the growing event.
Drivers such as Craig Lowndes, Shane van Gisbergen, Will Davison and Rick Kelly have been stars of recent Bathurst 12 Hours, helping the event’s popularity with their presence before their V8 Supercars campaigns.
Without them, non-motorsport fans will struggle to recognise most of the field at the Bathurst 12 Hour, filled by international sportscar aces, local journeymen and pay drivers.
Ironically, the controversy surrounding the date clash did more to put the Bathurst 12 Hour on the map than the event itself could have, though the lack of big-name local drivers could hurt in the final reckoning.
It will be fascinating to compare the relative television ratings and crowd numbers for the two events, though it’s important to again stress that one is a test day and the other a once-a-year race event.
Hopefully a date clash can be avoided next year and the political reasons for the scheduling overcome, for both events and Australian motorsport as a whole are weakened as a result.
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