THIS year’s edition of the Bathurst 12 Hour will feature a special night practice session for the first time since the early 1990s.
The race’s shift to a May 13-15 date means more of the race will take place in darkness than on its traditional early February date, prompting the change.
While the race will begin in darkness as usual, the 5:15am AEST start time and later sunrise means some 90 minutes of the race will take place before dawn, while the closing stages will also happen at sunset.
WHERE TO WATCH: TV broadcast details for Bathurst 12 Hour revealed
To ensure that drivers get seat time in night-time conditions, a 40 minute practice session – starting at 5:05pm local time – will be held on the Friday evening of the event.
The session is the fourth scheduled for the opening day of the Mount Panorama enduro, with two of the sessions devoted to Bronze-class drivers given the greater proportion of amateur racers expected to feature with the outright class being contested by Pro-Am entries exclusively this year.
“We’re very pleased with the schedule which offers lots of track time for all drivers, with a focus on the Bronze-ranked competitors that will make up a big portion of the field this year,” Supercars’ Paul Martin said.
“The Friday evening session will be important to get people up to speed with running at night prior to the race start on Sunday morning.
“Saturday will then build throughout the day with practice, qualifying and the Top-10 Shootout which is always a Bathurst highlight.
“Outside of the 12-Hour sessions, it’s a busy weekend with three support categories and lots of on-track action for fans at the circuit and those watching from home.”
Qualifying for the race will consist of a pair of 25-minute sessions, the first for Bronze-class drivers and the second for Gold and Silver-class pro drivers, with the grid determined by the aggregate of the fastest pro and fastest amateur drivers in each car.
The 10 fastest cars then progress to the traditional Top 10 Shootout.
Supercars recently announced that the Toyota GAZOO Racing Australia 86 Series will feature on the support category bill, joining Combined Sedans and Aussie Racing Cars.
Event Schedule: 2022 Bathurst 12 Hour (all times AEST)
Friday 13 May
| Start | Finish | Category | Duration | Session |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8:00 | 8:30 | Aussie Race Cars | 0:30 | Practice / Qualifying |
| 8:40 | 9:10 | Combined Sedans | 0:30 | Practice / Qualifying |
| 9:20 | 9:50 | TGRA 86 Series | 0:30 | Practice |
| 10:00 | 10:30 | Bathurst 12 Hour | 0:30 | Practice 1 (Bronze Drivers only) |
| 10:40 | 11:10 | Bathurst 12 Hour | 0:30 | Practice 2 |
| 11:20 | 11:40 | Aussie Race Cars | 6 Laps or 1 lap after 11:37 | Race 1 |
| 13:00 | 13:30 | Bathurst 12 Hour | 0:30 | Sponsor ride session |
| 13:40 | 14:00 | TGRA 86 Series | 0:20 | Qualifying |
| 14:10 | 14:40 | Combined Sedans | 10 Laps or 1 lap after 14:37 | Race 1 |
| 14:50 | 15:10 | Aussie Race Cars | 6 Laps or 1 lap after 15:07 | Race 2 |
| 15:20 | 16:00 | Bathurst 12 Hour | 0:40 | Practice 3 (Bronze Drivers only) |
| 16:10 | 16:25 | Bathurst 12 Hour | 0:15 | TV Track Time |
| 16:35 | 16:55 | TGRA 86 Series | 6 Laps or 1 lap after 16:52 | Race 1 |
| 17:05 | 17:45 | Bathurst 12 Hour | 0:40 | Practice 4 |
Saturday 14 May
| Start | Finish | Category | Duration | Session |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7:25 | 7:55 | Combined Sedans | 10 Laps or 1 lap after 07:52 | Race 2 |
| 8:05 | 9:05 | Bathurst 12 Hour | 1:00 | Practice 5 |
| 9:55 | 10:55 | Bathurst 12 Hour | 1:00 | Practice 6 |
| 12:15 | 12:35 | Aussie Race Cars | 6 Laps or 1 lap after 12:32 | Race 3 |
| 12:45 | 13:05 | TGRA 86 Series | 6 Laps 1 lap after 13:02 | Race 2 |
| 13:20 | 13:45 | Bathurst 12 Hour | 0:25 | Qualifying 1 (All Classes Bronze Only) |
| 13:55 | 14:20 | Bathurst 12 Hour | 0:25 | Qualifying 2 (All Classes Pro Only) |
| 14:30 | 15:00 | Combined Sedans | 10 Laps or 1 lap after 14:57 | Race 3 |
| 15:10 | 15:30 | Aussie Race Cars | 6 Laps or 1 lap after 15:27 | Race 4 |
| 15:40 | 16:00 | TGRA 86 Series | 6 Laps or 1 lap after 15:57 | Race 3 |
| 16:10 | 16:55 | Bathurst 12 Hour | 0:45 | Top 10 Shootout |
Sunday 15 May
| Start | Finish | Category | Duration | Session |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5:15 | 17:15 | Bathurst 12 Hour | 1 lap after 17:13 | RACE |
