FULL SUPERCARS REVISED CALENDAR REVEALED

By Bruce Williams

Date posted: 17 May 2020

Full Supercars Revised Calendar Revealed – Photo: InSyde Media

Supercars has released an 11-round schedule that will extend the revised season into early next year despite losing the Gold Coast and Newcastle street races.

By MARK FOGARTY

As already announced, racing will resume at Sydney Motorsport Park on June 27-28.

The rest of the proposed calendar, which is still subject to change, runs from July to February 2021, with a return visit to Mount Panorama for a new finale.

A Bathurst sprint race event on February 5-7 will replace the Newcastle 500, which has been dropped, along with the Gold Coast 600, because of complications caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Also in early ’21 will be the restored Auckland SuperSprint at either Hampton Downs or Pukekohe on January 9-10.

It will be the first time the ATCC/Supercars championship has stretched into another calendar year.

Other main changes:

Townsville 400 postponed to the end of August, possibly allowing spectators from the surrounding region
Previously postponed Symmons Plains and Perth rounds, along with NZ, moved to the end of the series
Originally scheduled as a SuperNight round, Perth reverts to daytime event
Apart from Bathurst 1000 and Bathurst finale, all events scheduled as two-day events
TV-only events closed to spectators unless – and until – state governments lift restrictions on large public gatherings
All events for the foreseeable future subject to strict local COVID-19 health protocols
Return to Queensland, SA, NT and WA subject to relaxation of hard borders or exemptions for professional sports
Race formats apart from Bathurst 1000 still to be decided
Enduro Cup rounds, apart from Bathurst, undecided

Only The Bend on September 18-19 and Bathurst 1000 from October 8-11 retain their original 2020 dates.

Along with the Adelaide 500, which was run before the coronavirus crisis, the delayed 2020/21 Supercars season will fall two events short of the original 14-round calendar.

According to Supercars supremo Sean Seamer, the new calendar is not set in stone, allowing for events to be added or subtracted according to the country’s evolving emergence – or not – from the COVID-19 crisis.

“This schedule is subject to change, so don’t get hung up on the number of rounds that are shown,” Seamer said. “This is a fixed stake in the ground that we can now move forward from and we all just need to be flexible around how much racing we can and can’t do over the coming eight months – and that’s no different to any other sport.”

He added: “To be in a position to release a calendar is great news for our sport. This plan allows us to deliver a world-class championship while remaining agile and responsive to changing conditions.

“Event formats, inclusion of crowds and support categories for each event will be determined closer to their proposed dates due to the changing nature of COVID-19 restrictions. At this stage, we envisage most events will run over two days.

“This weekend we’re coming out from behind closed doors to go through and work with the broader eco system on delivering the championship.”

On race formats, Seamer said: “We’re still working through that with the teams and the broadcast partners to maximise the amount of time that we have on track and put on the best possible show for our fans.”

The state government-backed Gold Coast 600 and Newcastle 500 are planned to be back next year.

“They’re marquee events for Supercars,” Seamer said.

He also conceded that the chances of fans being allowed to attend events would vary on a state-by-state basis.

“I think that we need to be prepared to meet different requirements in different states and that may mean different experiences for our fans in each of those states,” he said.

FULL RESCHEDULED SUPERCARS CALENDAR*

Sydney Motorsport Park – 27-28 June
Truck Assist Winton – 18-19 July
BetEasy Darwin Triple Crown – 8-9 August
Townsville – 29-30 August
OTR The Bend – 19-20 September
Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 – 8-11 October
PIRTEK Perth – 31 Oct – 1 Nov
Tyrepower Tasmania – 21-22 November
Penrite Oil Sandown – 12-13 December
ITM Auckland – 9-10 January 2021
Bathurst – 5-7 February 2021

*All events are subject to change

For more of the latest motorsport news pick up the current issue of Auto Action. Also make sure you follow us on social media Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or our weekly email newsletter for all the latest updates between issues.

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FULL SUPERCARS REVISED CALENDAR REVEALED

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