The Supercheap Auto Bathurst International’s global relevance has been increased with confirmation that the Australian Prototypes Series will compete at Mount Panorama.

Although the event will be a non-points paying event, it does provide the first opportunity for these bespoke sportscars will take on the Mountain in what has been tagged the ‘Bathurst Sportscar Challenge’.

It is expected a grid of more than 30 sportscars will contest the inaugural event as part of the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International, with as many as seven manufacturers competing representing six countries.

UK-based manufacturers Wolf and Juno lead the entry, with Australian-based West, US-sourced Stohr, the Italian Wolf and the eye-catching Praga from the Czech Republic.

A regular on the Shannons Motorsport Australia Championships program for six seasons, the Australian Prototype Series caters for a wide variety of open or closed top sportscars built to CN and 2A Prototypes, 2C Supersports, Radical SR8, 6SR and SR3 models.

The Australian Prototype Series encompasses three classes; P1 (Prototype for CN, Radical SR10 and SR8), P2 (Sports Racer for 6SR and motorcycle engine vehicles) and P3 (Radical SR3), with all to be showcased at the Mountain.

Radicals have previously contested rounds at Bathurst, but the mix of manufacturers and configurations are sure to be a spectacular sight as these light and nimble sportscars negotiate the legendary circuit.

Local interest has been strong for the event, but also there has been a steady stream of international competitors keen to take the opportunity to sample the Mount Panorama circuit for the first time.

The Bathurst Sportscar Challenge will see three races over the weekend, with practice and qualifying to be held on Friday, followed by Races 1 and 2 on Saturday (shown live on Stan Sport), followed by the final race on Sunday morning.

The Bathurst Sportscar Challenge replaces S5000 as the seventh and final racing class at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International.

Headlining the bill is the season finale for Supercheap Auto TCR Australia, a three-hour event for Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS, the marquee Turtle Wax Trans Am 100, Gulf Western Oil Touring Car Masters, Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge and the concluding event for the Australian Production Cars brought to you by LIQUI MOLY.

“It’s a diverse field of cars featuring everything from normally aspirated to turbo-charged units and motorcycle engines,” said Brook.

“We have the full range of two cylinder power to four, six and eight cylinder engines. There are open and closed cockpit cars, all with different aero packages, so it should make for quite exciting racing.

“The Radicals will be part of the Bathurst Sportscar Challenge, and they have raced there in the past. We’ve looked at what they have done and have really set the temperature for what we expect.

“We are expecting our leading competitors to be around the 2m05s to 2m07s mark. And around Bathurst, that’s honking.

“At most tracks we go to, we are comparable to a GT3 lap time. Bathurst is a different beast, but I have no doubt that we are going to see some really cool racing.

“We’ve had interest from all over Australia and overseas. These are an extremely popular style of race cars all around the world.

Everyone knows about Bathurst. They know how special the track is and they don’t want to pass up the opportunity to race one of these great cars around one of the best race tracks in the world.”

“Adding the ‘Bathurst Sportscar Challenge’ to the bill adds to the international flavour and variety of the inaugural event,” said Collier.

“The Supercheap Auto Bathurst International features a line up of categories which cater to a wide variety of fans and competitors alike, providing another opportunity for many to either attend or race at the Mountain.

“Watching these sportscars across the top of the Mountain will be an exciting prospect and we’re looking forward to them joining us at Bathurst.”