Bathurst upgrades officially complete

Six million dollars of infrastructure upgrades at Mount Panorama were celebrated this morning at the Bathurst circuit, with the works officially coming to an end.

Regional Development Minister Fiona Nash joined Mayor Cr Gary Rush and Member for Calare John Cobb to open the upgraded circuit at the National Motor Racing Museum.

Minister Nash acknowledged the enormous economic contribution Mount Panorama makes to Bathurst and the region, as well as the opportunity it provides to showcase the city and the region during events.

“I love fast cars, I love motorsport and I love Mount Panorama,” Minister Nash said.

“I used to drive around this race track for fun when I was at University here in Bathurst, but at a slightly slower speed than the cars do during the Bathurst 1000.

“I'm so happy to be able to announce the completion of the upgrade to Mount Panorama. This project will bring more people to the track and that's good news for businesses in Bathurst.

“Mount Panorama has been the lynchpin for motorsport in Australia since it hosted around 20,000 spectators at its first event 78 years ago, at Easter in 1938. The Bathurst 1000 now attracts over 200,000 spectators, injecting $21 million into the local economy each year.”

The Mount Panorama Infrastructure Upgrade project was jointly funded with the Australian Government investing $2.97 million and Bathurst Regional Council providing $3.29 million.

The V8 Supercars’ Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 runs from October 6 to 9 this year.