The Vodka O Australian GT Championship is expecting a significant boost in numbers for the GT Challenge Class at the next round of the Championship at Mount Panorama, Bathurst, October 6-9. The class, specifically designed as a home for the older model GT race cars, has received plenty of interest from potential competitors over the past few weeks which current GT Challenge Class leader Peter Boylan said was exciting and good news for the series. “This year it’s fair to say the numbers of competitors have varied in the class, but the racing has always been close, so I for one can’t wait to get to the mountain and get amongst it with more drivers,” he said.  “The last round at Phillip Island showed how close the GT Challenge Class is, and with so many cars eligible, it will be great to see larger numbers at Bathurst and into the future.” Drivers expected to take the grid at Mount Panorama include Paul Tressider in a Porsche 997 Cup Car, Andrew McPherson in a Lotus Exige, class regular Tim Poulton will be back in his Bundaberg Rum Lotus while John Modystach, Rob Knight, Steve McFadden and Nathan Tinkler are also expected to field their Porsche 997 Cup Cars. SPHERIX’S newly appointed GT Category Administrator, Craig Nayda, said he was pleased with the interest being shown towards the GT Championship as a whole. “The inquiry rate and level of general interest has been far beyond our expectations,” said Nayda. “There have been some recent announcements in the press about Ferrari, Mercedes and Porsche, and really that’s just the start, we expect more exciting news over the next few months, and we will hold a press conference at Bathurst to outline the future plans for the category.” Round 6 of the Vodka O Australian GT Championship takes place at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 on October 6-9. The 2010 GT event at Bathurst was dominated by V.I.P. Petfoods Racing with Father and Son Tony and Klark Quinn winning and placing second in both race one and race two in their Aston Martin DBRS9 and Mosler MT900 GT3 respectively, while Shane Smollen won both races in the GT Challenge Class in a Porsche 997 Cup Car. Australia most exotic sports cars will take the famed circuit on Thursday for two practise sessions, with qualifying on Friday while Saturday will feature two half hour races. Coverage of round five of the Vodka O Australian GT Championship from Phillip Island can been seen on ONE HD Network this Sunday the 25th of September at 12.00pm (check your local guides) The Vodka O Australian GT Championship is a National motor racing series pitting some of the world’s most exotic and exciting race cars against each other in a mix of sprint and endurance race formats on some of Australia’s most challenging circuits including Mt Panorama Bathurst, the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit and the Adelaide Parklands street circuit for the Clipsal 500