Webber, who recently left the championship to pursue a career with Porsche in endurance racing, told of his desire to race at Bathurst via Twitter on Tuesday night.

When asked by a fan whether he would be coming for the next race in 2014, he said it would be the year after instead. He further clarified that stance yesterday morning, ruling out the possibility of a late entry for this coming edition.

After 12 seasons in the Formula One category, Webber signed with Porsche to take part in the World Endurance Championship, an eight-leg series that takes in the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans on its calendar.

When Webber makes the trip to Bathurst, it will mark exactly two decades since he has raced at Mount Panorama. That was in open-wheel company back in his junior racing years.

Webber said he would be joined by prominent Australians Eric Bana and James Tomkins.

Actor and motorhead Bana has competed at the 12 Hour previously, while Olympic rower Tomkins has had some wins in celebrity support races, meaning neither will be there simply to be a famous face.

What seemed to start out as a fun idea between the three has developed into a real ambition. The three would likely compete in a Porsche 911 GT3, currently a class-B car in FIA endurance racing.

Such a prominent trio headed by Webber represents an opportunity for Australia’s longest motor race to grow in recognition across the globe, according to event media manager Richard Crail.

“It’s great news and it’s great that he’s paying attention to the race. Fingers crossed he gives it a go,” he said.

“Mark is the highest profile driver in Australia, so it will be a huge profile boost for us. The event is starting to grow into a place where superstars will come out to play.”

Crail believes the most impressive aspect of the Webber news is that he wasn’t invited to race by the organisers but instead made the decision himself.

“Having him talk off his own bat is amazing. He has over 800,000 followers on Twitter,” he said.

“Mark’s got a reputation for being a straight shooter and having a good attitude. People pay attention to him.

“There were a couple of Twitter exchanges back in early November about how they should get together and do it. It looks like it soon became something serious.”

It remains uncertain whether Webber and his team will receive factory support from Porsche. A statement from the manufacturer yesterday said it would do what it could for technical support, but couldn’t promise a works car.

Looking closer, next year’s final field is almost sewn up. Entries are almost closed, with 49 cars currently signed for the February 9 race.

“There’s still two weeks left for entries. We’ll have an idea of the final field then,” Crail said.