MOTORSPORT AUSTRALIA LOOKS TO RETURN TO RACING

Motorsport Australia looks to return to racing

Motor Racing will return in Australia mid-May at club level with an expectation professional-level categories such as Supercars could follow by late June.

By BRUCE NEWTON

But with fans almost certainly excluded for the rest of the year, expect to be watching the Bathurst 1000 on television.

This is the road ahead sanctioning body Motorsport Australia envisions as the path to a post-COVID 19 sporting landscape becomes clearer.

“I do think the next two weeks are going to be critical for understanding the appetite of state governments for rolling down the restrictions and that is where sport comes in,” Motorsport Australia CEO Eugene Arocca told Auto Action.

The resumption of all sports has become a focus in recent days as the national cabinet and some states and territories signal a relaxation of travel and distancing restrictions, as the COVID-19 pandemic eases.

The Northern Territory has signed off on a May 15 resumption of motorsport while the Queensland government has okayed cross border travel under strict conditions to allow the National Rugby League to resume on May 28.

The Australian Football League is signalling its intention to gets its competition back up and running in June.

Supercars still lists Winton in Victoria on June 5-7 as its recommencement event, followed by the Townsville street race on June 26-28. A mid-May deadline has been set to reveal a new calendar, but neither event is likely to go ahead.

Australia’s other most prominent professional motorsport series, the Shannons Motorsport Australia Championships, is not expected to resume before July or even August.

All sports including motorsports have to gain approval from a new national sports recovery taskforce and individual states to get rolling again.

MA, as the national sanctioning body of motorsport deal with the taskforce. But individual championships will also be able to present their cases to states and territories.

Read more details about the resumption of motorsport in the brand new issue of  Auto Action (1785) available right now.

Also make sure you follow us on social media Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or our weekly email newsletter for all the latest updates between issues.