For the first time since 2013, the CAMS Australian GT Championship will compete at Mount Panorama with the category joining the bill for the 2020 Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst 6-Hour weekend.
Acting as a support category for the popular event, there will be two 60-minute scheduled races across the weekend.
The news is the first major announcement from the popular national category as it looks to invigorate its 2020 offering, according to category rights holder Jim Manolis.
“This is an exciting announcement that will pave the way for a new look championship next year,” Manolis said.
“Australian GT is one of Australia’s premier categories and as such we want all our racing at the best and most exciting circuits in the country - Bathurst ticks all the boxes in spades.
“Bathurst and GT cars are made for each other, there’s no question about that, so from the outset we always felt the right way forward for Australian GT was to have more racing on the Mountain.
“The round will swing nicely off the back of the inaugural Pirelli AGT SuperSprint set for Challenge Bathurst later this year, a great opportunity for teams to do some valuable pre-season testing ahead of the Easter round next year.”
Outside of the new partnership, a number of other important discussions are underway, with the 2020 calendar due soon.
Category manager David Vervaart confirmed there have been ongoing conversations about how the CAMS Australian GT Championship will look in the years ahead.
“Since the Grand Prix we have been in detailed discussions with a range of parties about the future of Australian GT,” Vervaart said.
“Discussions are ongoing, but we expect to make a number of announcements across the coming weeks, as we extend those discussions further in an effort to set the bulk of our 2020 calendar well in advance of the end of this season.
“We made a conscious decision to set the foundations of the 2020 season early so that we can start to plan the expansion of the category into the future.
“Globally, finances are affecting the sport, that’s normal, but we need to look beyond that and find a solution that keeps people racing and brings new blood into the sport, and that’s the focus of what our new calendar will look like next season.”
The CAMS Australian GT Championship reaches its fourth round of the 2019 season next month with the second round of the CAMS Australian Endurance Championship at the Shannons Nationals’ visit to Phillip Island on 12-14 July.