For Europeans, the Nürburgring Nordschleife is the ultimate benchmark. For Australians, that role is filled by the Bathurst circuit and its legendary 12-hour race. And Mount Panorama has no need to fear comparison with the dramatic rises and falls of Germany’s Green Hell. Quite the opposite.
The Bathurst circuit is among the most famous racetracks in the world. Much like the high-speed Sarthe circuit at Le Mans and, in the past, the Nürburgring, the Mount Panorama Circuit, opened in 1938, is for most of the year a public road. It is also the only true landmark in the town of Bathurst, home to around 35,000 people in the Australian state of New South Wales. What makes this circuit particularly unusual is its extreme elevation change. With more than 170 metres of altitude difference and gradients of up to 16 per cent, it is spectacular even in a normal road car, and an outright thrill in a racing machine.
In the international touring car calendar, the opening round of the Intercontinental GT Challenge has long held a fixed place. In Australia, it is arguably even more widely recognised than the Formula 1 Grand Prix, which begins the season in just two weeks. “The Bathurst 12 Hour 2026 was a truly unforgettable event with a record number of visitors who wanted to experience the magic of Mount Panorama,” said event director Shane Rudzis. “We are incredibly proud of the way fans, teams and partners support this race with such passion and enthusiasm. This year’s attendance reflects the growing global importance of the 12-hour race and the commitment of everyone involved who makes this event possible.”
Thirty-five teams, with their GT cars producing up to 600 PS and representing ten different manufacturers, are only one part of the spectacle. The driver line-up is just as impressive year after year. Anyone with serious ambitions in GT racing makes the long journey Down Under, travelling from Asia, Europe or the United States to Australia’s east coast in pursuit of one of the sport’s most prestigious trophies.
This year once again delivered something of a German celebration. After Porsche won in 2024 and BMW achieved a one-two finish in 2025, Mercedes claimed victory in 2026. At the chequered flag, the Mercedes-AMG GT3 number 888, driven by Engel, Martin and Grenier, finished after 262 laps just one second ahead of the Porsche 911 GT3 of Li, Fjordbach and Boccolacci. The best-placed BMW M4 GT3, driven by Rossi, Farfus and Marciello, followed another seven seconds behind.
Just how dangerous the circuit in the Australian outback remains was underlined not only by the numerous safety car periods and a red flag around three hours before the finish following a heavy crash in the mountain section. There was also a moment of sheer Bathurst madness early on, when German driver Christopher Mies, at around 250 km/h in the fading night, hit a kangaroo that had bounced onto the racing line. The impact destroyed the animal and caused damage to other cars as well.
Mount Panorama is considered one of the most dangerous and spectacular racetracks in the world. Its constant climbs and drops, two long straights up and down the mountain, and the tight, twisting section at over 800 metres above sea level give it a character all of its own. Kangaroos, wallabies and even snakes repeatedly find their way onto the circuit. Sections such as Griffins Bend, The Cutting, Frog Hollow and The Dipper can be recited by almost every Australian boy like a prayer.
Safety provisions remain difficult to compare with European circuits. With hardly any significant fencing and minimal run-off zones, parts of Bathurst feel little different from 1966, when Mini achieved one of the most legendary victories in Australian motorsport history. The first nine positions in the Gallagher 500 were taken by Morris Cooper S models. The winners were rally icon Rauno Aaltonen and his co-driver Bob Holden. Their small Minis defeated far larger and more powerful touring cars with remarkable ease, while a Chrysler Valiant V8 only managed tenth place.
Today, the race is dominated by vastly more powerful GT3 machinery such as the BMW M4, Porsche 911, Corvette Z06, Audi R8 LMS, Mercedes-AMG, Aston Martin Vantage and Ford Mustang. Yet the uniqueness of the circuit has remained untouched. Every year, the Bathurst 12 Hour, with its start at 5:45 in the still pitch-black early morning, remains one of the great highlights of the motorsport calendar.
It is no surprise that the 2026 edition attracted a new record crowd of more than 55,000 spectators. And anyone who wants to be taken seriously in the GT world must compete here at least once, and ideally stand on the podium.
