Entries can now be lodged for the 2026 Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour, with the event’s sporting and technical regulations locked in place for the Intercontinental GT Challenge season opener on February 13-15.
2026 will also celebrate the 10th anniversary of Australia’s International Enduro becoming part of the only global GT3 championship.
A broadly consistent set of regulations carries over from the successful 2025 event which saw a thrilling fight between a host of key contenders. BMW won for the first time in the GT3 era to set up an advantage in the manufacturers’ and drivers’ standings it has maintained ever since. Suzuka hosts the penultimate round this weekend.
Categories also remain consistent, with Class A for GT3 vehicles competing in either the Pro, Pro-Am, Silver or Bronze categories depending on driver line up and categorisation.
Class B is for ‘Cup’ vehicles, including but not limited to the Porsche 991.2 GT3 Cup Car and Ferrari Challenge vehicles, while Class C remains the domain of GT4 vehicles.
The Invitational class returns and remains open to a potentially broad array of vehicles that do not fit the existing categories, including MARC / IRC vehicles.
The on-track schedule continues to include significant track time prior to the race itself, including a dedicated session for Bronze-ranked drivers.
Two dedicated practice sessions will remain for bronze-ranked drivers (Practice two and four) while practice two will also include silver-ranked drivers who have never competed at Mount Panorama.
Earlybird entries are open now with a discounted entry fee available until 31 October 2025, while overall event entries will close on 5 January 2026.
Entry forms and further information, including the regulations for the 2026 event, are available online via the Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour website: www.bathurst12hour.com.au
Camping sales commenced recently with more than 2,000 sites sold in the pre-sale to existing campers prior to general sales commencing. Ticketing, Grandstand and corporate ticket sales will commence shortly.
Shane Rudzis, Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour Event Director: “It’s always an exciting time when the entries open for Bathurst. We’ve maintained a consistency in the regulations year to year so competitors know what to expect both before they arrive and then when they get on track.
“The event has a great flow from Track to Town on Thursday, the practice sessions Friday and then the fight for the Allan Simonsen Pole Award during the Pirelli Pole Battle on Saturday right through to the 5:45am race start on Sunday morning.
“The on and off-track product has been fantastic for the last few years and as always, our priority is to grow the numbers across not just the GT3 class, but the whole field.
“We’re working closely with our partners at SRO to build another world-class field and very soon we’ll have some exciting announcements about who’s coming down under and who from the local championships will be competing.”