2020 SUPERCARS CALENDAR ANNOUNCED

2020 Supercars Calendar revealed – Photo: InSyde Media

New SuperSprint race formats, a revised Enduro Cup, the return of Triple Challenge car and bike events, and more night/twilight racing are the highlights of a reshuffled and reduced Supercars championship schedule in 2020.

By MARK FOGARTY

Sydney Motorsport Park is back as Phillip Island and Queensland Raceway are dropped.

Although reduced from 15 to 14 rounds, it is a longer series stretching from late February to early December featuring more regular spacing between events and a five-week mid-season break.

The Perth and returning Sydney SuperNight meetings switch to a Saturday night race and a twilight Sunday race.

Sydney Motorsport Park returns with a SuperNight event – Photo: InSyde Media

The change follows this year’s Perth two-night experiment, with attendance and viewing figures confirming that racing on Saturday under lights was most popular.

The Adelaide 500’s first 250 km leg will continue as a late afternoon/early evening twilight Saturday race, while twilight racing is also on the cards for the rescheduled Auckland SuperSprint at Pukekohe Park Raceway.

The annual NZ visit moves forward from September to the April 24-26 ANZAC Day weekend.

SuperSprint events will switch to twin 200 km, two pit stop races, replacing the 120/200 km Saturday/Sunday format.

All the regular SuperSprints will feature the successful three-part qualifying procedure, while five events will have the post-qualifying parc ferme lockdown.

Parc ferme will be enforced at Symmons Plains, Wanneroo Barbagallo, Winton, SMP and Sandown.

Top 10 Shootouts have been added at The Bend, Gold Coast and Newcastle, joining Adelaide, Pukekohe, Townsville, Darwin and Bathurst.

The pre-season test will move to The Bend on February 18, with the official season launch planned for the following day in Adelaide.

Adelaide last hosted the season launch in 2016, followed by Sydney in 2017 and Melbourne last year.

Supercars is planning to make the Darwin and Sydney rounds Triple Challenge events, with drag racing contests and Superbike races joining the car racing.

If they happen, they will revive the popular Triple Challenge car and bike meetings at SMP in the early 1990s.

The Bend will host the pre-season test and an enduro round – Photo: InSyde Media

The Bend Motorsport Park joins a revised Enduro Cup with a 500 km two-driver enduro in mid-September, restoring the traditional pre-Bathurst 1000 warm-up.

Sandown stays in November, losing its long-standing enduro status to become twin 200 km single-driver sprints.

A reshuffle of the schedule moves Townsville forward and Darwin back, followed by a five-week winter break that avoids clashing with the Tokyo Olympic Games.

The longer mid-season holiday compensates for the series beginning earlier in Adelaide and ending later in Newcastle.

The Gold Coast 600 is also a week later, avoiding a clash with the Phillip Island MotoGP.

For most of the season, there are three weeks between each event, giving teams more time to prepare and/or recover while maintaining a consistent gap between rounds.

Phillip Island and Queensland Raceway were dropped to make room for SMP’s return with new permanent lighting and the teams’ demand to reduce the number of events.

Supercars supremo Sean Seamer acknowledged Phillip Island’s iconic circuit status and QR’s appeal to Brisbane/Gold Coast area fans and teams, leaving open the possibility of a return to both venues in the future.

New five-year deals from 2020-24 have been signed with Townsville and the Gold Coast, while Sandown is secured for another three years from 2020-22 following safety upgrades.

Supercars has also agreed a renewed five-year deal with control tyre supplier Dunlop through 2024, with branding set to switch to Goodyear, which is part of the same company in Australia.

Stadium Super Trucks will be on the support race program at up to eight rounds, including the Adelaide 500 and Gold Coast 600.

Despite the reduced calendar, total racing distance for next season will be slightly more at 6800 km.

2020 SUPERCARS CHAMPIONSHIP

• Feb 18 – Pre-season Test – The Bend
• Feb 19 – Season Launch – Adelaide (TBC)
• Feb 20-23 – Adelaide 500, Adelaide Parklands+ – 2 x 250 km
• Mar 12-15 – Melbourne 400/Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, Albert Park – 4 x 100 km
• April 3-5 – Tasmania SuperSprint, Symmons Plains+ – 2 x 200 km
• April 24-26 – Auckland SuperSprint, Pukekohe – 2 x 200 km
• May 15-17 – Perth SuperNight, Wanneroo Barbagallo – 2 x 200 km
• June 5-7 – Winton SuperSprint, Winton – 2 x 200 km
• June 26-28 – Townsville 400, Reid Park+ – 2 x 200 km
• July 17-19 – Darwin Triple Crown, Hidden Valley – 2 x 200 km
• Aug 28-30 – Sydney SuperNight, Sydney Motorsport Park+ – 2 x 200 km
• Sept 18-20 – The Bend 500, Tailem Bend* – 1 x 500 km
• Oct 8-11 – Bathurst 1000, Mount Panorama*+ – 1 x 1000 km
• Oct 30-Nov 1- Gold Coast 600, Surfers Paradise* –  2 x 300 km
• Nov 20-22 – Sandown 400, Sandown+ – 2 x 200 km
• Dec 4-6 – Newcastle 500, Newcastle+ – 2 x 250 km

+ Also Super2 Series
*Enduro Cup

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