Repco wins marketing award for Bringin’ the Bathurst Bus Tours

Repco has taken out the Most Innovative Marketing Award at this year’s Australian Automotive Aftermarket Expo (AAAE), recognised for turning one of Australia’s greatest sporting moments into a full-throttle brand experience.

The award was presented at the Australian Auto Aftermarket Excellence Awards in Melbourne last week, celebrating the 2025 instalment of Repco’s annual ‘Bringin’ The Bathurst’ campaign — this year brought to life as the unforgettable Bathurst Bus Tours.

In a competitive retail environment Repco set itself a clear challenge to strengthen and grow its customer base and retail sales. The answer? Go bigger, celebrate the legends – and make it Bathurst. Bringin’ The Bathurst Bus Tours wasn’t just a TV ad — it extended well beyond, launching during peak sporting moments to capture national attention, shaping the conversation in the lead-up to the race, showing up on billboards along the physical journey to Mount Panorama, and fuelling ongoing engagement through social, broadcast and race weekend coverage — ensuring Repco was part of the Bathurst experience from build-up to chequered flag.

Developed in partnership with brand agency Thinkerbell and brought to market with Omnicom’s Initiative, Bringin’ The Bathurst Bus Tours hijacked the early build-up to the Repco Bathurst 1000 — tapping into the six-week crescendo of anticipation that motorsport fans live for. The hero TVC follows two unsuspecting tourists on a chaotic bus ride up Mount Panorama — part history lesson, part adrenaline rush. Along the way, it revisits iconic moments from Great Race folklore, including Dick Johnson’s 1983 crash and the infamous 2005 Murphy–Ambrose clash, culminating in a surprise on-screen reunion of the two racing legends.

Packed with Easter Eggs for diehard fans but accessible enough for newcomers, the campaign struck the balance Repco prides itself on — talking shop when it counts, but never making anyone feel like they need a pit crew to keep up.

“Winning this award is a real recognition of the passion and hardwork of the team and our world-class agency partners and of course the team at Supercars,” said Mitch Wiley, Executive General Manager Marketing at Repco.

“But what makes us proud is that this campaign genuinely connects with what gets race fans going. We don’t just sponsor the Repco Bathurst 1000 — we’re part of the crew. We get the passion, because we feel it too.”

Will Cook from Thinkerbell said: “We’ve been Bringin’ the Bathurst with Repco for 5 years now, but this year the behaviour to change was shifting the passion from those who already love the high-octane world of Mount Panorama, to those who are yet to truly experience it. Creating ‘Bringin’ The Bathurst Bus Tours’ did that in spades, coming to life across broadcast, social media, retail, and importantly as part of the Bathurst race weekend.”

Tom Woodcock, Group Business Director at Omnicom’s Initiative media agency: “We are proud to see Repco recognised for pushing the boundaries with the Bringin’ the Bathurst campaign.

“The campaign was built with a clear goal to connect Repco’s Supercars partnership directly to how fans experience the race. We integrated the idea into broadcast TV and tailored OOH placements to reach people travelling to the race weekend. It was an authentic way to bring the campaign to life for motorsport fans, creating a connected fan experience and embedding Repco deeper into the culture of the event.”

The campaign was named one of the top-performing ads of 2025 by industry commentators. System1 analysis noted the ad’s effective use of character, humour and storytelling to create emotional connection in a category that can often feel functional. Creative Director Tom Crimmins from The Pistol said the spot was engaging even for those outside the motorsport world, describing it as informative and entertaining, while building race anticipation and Repco’s credibility with fans.

Repco’s 2025 Bringin’ the Bathurst TV ad included a big cast of motor racing stars from Australia and New Zealand, including Jim Richards, Greg Murphy, Matt Payne and Todd Hazelwood.

In a surprise twist, last year’s ad saw Repco reunite former Supercars drivers Greg Murphy and Marcos Ambrose at Mount Panorama, 20 years after their infamous crash and (ahem) heated exchange at The Cutting during 2005’s Great Race.

Repco’s annual Bringin’ the Bathurst TV ads began in 2021. Planning for the 2026 edition is already underway and lands in September. Whether you’re a seasoned Supercars tragic who can recite every lap record, or someone just discovering what all the fuss is about;

“It will be hard to top, but the team are well underway with a pretty amazing concept,” said Mitch Wiley.