Night practice added to Bathurst 12 Hour schedule

An event-first night practice session highlights the 2022 LIQUI MOLY Bathurst 12 Hour schedule.

This year's 12 Hour, which will be held across May 13-15, also features the race's earliest ever start time.

It has opened the door to more running at dark, with the race to start at 5:15am AEST.

Sunrise on race day is scheduled for 6:42am AEST; up to 90 minutes of racing will be in dark conditions.

The race finish, scheduled for one lap after 5:13pm local time, will come five minutes after sunset.

In preparation for the dark running, a 40-minute practice session has been added on the Friday evening of the event.

Drivers and teams will be handed a rare opportunity to race at dark before the main event on Sunday.

The session will commence at 5:05pm AEST; sunset in Bathurst is scheduled at 5:12pm.

This year's 12 Hour will be the first since 2020; the 2022 event schedule has been designed to maximise running for the 'Amateur' drivers.

Friday's after-dark session follows three earlier practice sessions on the opening day of the event.

Practice 1 commences at 10:00am AEST for Bronze-ranked drivers only, followed by a further 30 minutes of running for all drivers.

Practice 3 later on Friday is also reserved for Bronze-ranked drivers.

Two one-hour long sessions will complete practice running on Saturday morning; both sessions will be open to all drivers.

Qualifying commences at 1:20pm AEST on Saturday; Bronze-ranked drivers will have the first 25 minutes to themselves, before the Professional drivers step in for the second segment.

The grid will be determined by an aggregate time between the fastest Pro and fastest Am drivers in each car.

A Top 10 Shootout will determine the first five rows of the grid at 4:10pm on Saturday afternoon.

"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," Motorsport Operations Manager 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."

The Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia 86 Series, Combined Sedans and Aussie Racing Cars will also compete at Mount Panorama.

Saturday and Sunday track action will be broadcast on Fox Sports, Kayo Sport and the Seven Network.

Tickets are on sale via Ticketek.

LIQUI MOLY Bathurst 12 Hour: Session times

All times AEST