![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/204801.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nIt\u2019s been a decade since the circuit was last repaved, and signs of wear are becoming more noticeable.<\/p>\n
A new surface itself is atop the agenda for the Bathurst council in a long list of items that need attention, including safety upgrades, operations and customer-facing aesthetics.<\/p>\n
The council will commission an economic stimulus report, which looks set to be funded in part by the promoters behind the major events at Mount Panorama.<\/p>\n
That includes Supercars (Bathurst 1000 and Bathurst 12 Hour), the Australian Racing Group (Bathurst 6 Hour) and Hungry Tiger (Challenge Bathurst).<\/p>\n
Speaking with Speedcafe, Bathurst Deputy Mayor Ben Fry said the report will be presented to the federal and state governments as it seeks tens of millions of dollars in support.<\/p>\n
Cr Fry said Supercars interim CEO Barclay Nettlefold and the championship\u2019s partnerships manager Shane Rudzis have been particularly helpful with the pitch.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe last time we did full economic workups of the benefits of motorsport events at Mount Panorama was about 2014,\u201d said Cr Fry.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo the data is 12 years old and we seriously need to look at getting some more research done so we can prove to the federal and state government that the stimulant of motorsport to the New South Wales and Australia economy is incredible.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know that Mount Panorama is a great driver of economic stimulus to Bathurst, Central West New South Wales and the Commonwealth, but we need to understand that in real terms with accurate data.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll be proceeding with a piece of research around commissioning a research company to effectively give us this analytical viewpoint of the stimulus that it provides to all economies on every level so that we can actually better pull together a prospectus and a proposal for the federal and state governments to consider in the coming year.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to do this meticulously and make sure that all of our data is accurate so we can prove return on investment to our government partners. It\u2019s really important to get all of your ducks in a row before you\u2019re going for funding because you don\u2019t want any opportunity for that funding to be questioned at any level.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will be working with Supercars in order to choose the right research partner that will give us an uplift in that proposal. Then we\u2019ll put together the necessary documentation that the federal and state governments will look for when you\u2019re pitching for these kinds of funding buckets.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are fully aware of the enormity of what Mount Panorama as a racing facility means to the nation. It\u2019s arguably the most famous and it deserves to surpass political lines.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe think that the proposition of funding Mount Panorama should actually not have politics at play, so we\u2019re willing to work with everyone, everywhere, all at once to ensure that a robust proposition is put towards our government partners to ensure it has the best chance of getting up.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe last thing we want to do is just a haphazard, quick funding grab to whoever we know through a back door. That\u2019s not the way we operate. We want to do it right the first time so it has the best chance of being funded either through the current (Anthony) Albanese or (Chris) Minns governments.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Bathurst](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/BEN_SIGNS-30-copy.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Bathurst Deputy Mayor Ben Fry. Image: Supplied\/Matthew Harper<\/p>\n
The Bathurst Regional Council plans to pick a research partner in the coming months to produce a report.<\/p>\n
That will speak to stimulus and what it means to different subset economies at local level, regionally, across the state and for Australia more broadly.<\/p>\n
It will look at the cost-benefit ratio, and the council plans to prove to the state and federal governments that there will be a return on investment.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the federal or the state government is going to put taxpayer dollars into a project or a precinct like this, they want to see how it gives a return to businesses and the economy in general,\u201d Cr Fry explained.<\/p>\n
As far as the laundry list of items that the Bathurst Regional Council would like to tackle, Cr Fry said there is a weighting system.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you had an unlimited budget, you could easily spend 100 million-plus up here,\u201d said Fry.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut we\u2019re pragmatic. We need to pick our priorities right and ensure that\u2019s fit for purpose for the operation of the circuit, but also the safety of the participants who are driving.<\/p>\n
\u201cUltimately, we want this to be as safe as possible, but we are also highly aware it\u2019s the most dangerous circuit you can race in Australia, arguably.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to make sure that we\u2019re as modern as we can be. High up on the priority list are things like lighting.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re looking at fauna fencing, understandably \u2014 and Ford would agree with us there. We\u2019re also looking at other tyre wall upgrades and straightening of concrete barriers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re little changes that can mean a lot in terms of when an incident does occur.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/P90629994_highRes_bathurst-aus-11-15-f.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
The #46 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 takes the chequered flag during the Bathurst 12 Hour in 2026.<\/p>\n
Cr Fry said resealing the circuit is the council\u2019s priority above all else.<\/p>\n
The last time the circuit was resealed was in 2014. The shelf life for the bitumen, considering its use as a public road, is about a decade.<\/p>\n
Signs that the circuit is due for an upgrade are noticeable with resin patchwork prominent across the 6.213km course.<\/p>\n
\u201cResealing the circuit is probably not even on the list. I think it\u2019s just our default wish right now,\u201d said Cr Fry.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt surpasses that priority list and is just sitting at number one, carte blanche, no matter how it\u2019s weighted, because if we do not have a circuit that is sealed properly we cannot race at Mount Panorama.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that\u2019s the key thing around all of these other safety upgrades, operational upgrades, or tourist facing upgrades, they\u2019re all really great to have on this list but ultimately if we want to keep motorsport at the spiritual home in Bathurst, New South Wales, we need to seal this circuit and that\u2019s got to be the number one thing we pitch for.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cr Fry said the council was \u201clucky\u201d that the surface had held up for as long as it has but warned that the sport\u2019s governing body would rightly begin asking questions.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s expected the cost of resurfacing the track would be roughly $8 million.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are on a bit of a time crunch and we fully expect that all the safety authorities, including Motorsport Australia, will start asking questions about the surface in the coming years,\u201d said Cr Fry.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to get ahead of that, make sure that a seal is completed in the next couple of years.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe actually don\u2019t have a kitty that\u2019s been reserved of that magnitude because it is an $8 million dollar price tag to seal this circuit in the motorsports spec.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople gawk at that a little bit, but it\u2019s $8 million for a reason.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s six kilometres of a dangerous track, so you have to mitigate all risks, which includes having a smooth surface for drivers to race on.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Mount Panorama. Image: Gruppe C Photography It\u2019s been a decade since the circuit was last repaved, and signs…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":785711,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[572],"tags":[64,63,81870,806,805,803,804,86310,9910,85],"class_list":["post-785710","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-motosport","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-bathurst","tag-motor","tag-motor-sports","tag-motosport","tag-motosports","tag-mount-panorama","tag-slot2","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/785710","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=785710"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/785710\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/785711"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=785710"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=785710"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=785710"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Multimillion-dollar](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IGTC125_020107565820471TU_TU-scaled.jpg\")