REVEALED: 2021 SUPERCARS CALENDAR
Revealed: Supercars 2021 Calendar – Photo: InSyde Media
The official draft calendar of next year’s Repco Supercars Championship will be announced within days – but here it is now.
By MARK FOGARTY
A leaked copy of the provisional 2021 schedule confirms what AUTO ACTION revealed early last week: 12 rounds beginning with a new Bathurst sprint race event and ending on the streets of Surfers Paradise.
The full list below has already been sent to teams, sponsors, broadcasters and other major stakeholders.
The government-backed Victorian rural round at Winton returns – at the cost of Sandown in Melbourne for the time being.
As predicted by AA, a couple of key events have been moved from their traditional or planned slots to give them the chance to avoid lingering coronavirus restrictions.
Along with The Bend’s already announced shift from September to early May, the New Zealand round – listed as Auckland – goes from April back to early
November, while the Perth SuperNight at Wanneroo Raceway is delayed from May to the second week of September.
The draft calendar bulletin emphasises that all dates are provisional.
Race formats for each round except the Bathurst 1000 will be confirmed at a later date.
The Repco Bathurst 1000 will return to the second week in October as the only two-driver endurance race in 2021.
Other events will be variations of this year’s three sprint races without refuelling – one on Saturday and two on Sunday – and twin 250 km sprints with refuelling.
The latter, to be christened Super500s, are set for the season-opening visit to Mount Panorama and likely the Townsville semi-street race event.
The new finale on the Surfers street circuit should remain as the Gold Coast 600 with two 300 km races.
Supercars has cheekily labelled the end of February twin-race opener the Bathurst 500, stealing the historic title from rival ARG, which had planned to use the name for a TCR mini-enduro at the Bathurst International in November.
Postponed until next year, the Bathurst International’s headline TCR race for a multi-national entry will need a new name/distance.
Racing under lights returns with back-to-back SuperNights at Sydney Motorsport Park in August and Perth’s Wanneroo Raceway in September.
The proposed 2021 series stretches over nine months from the end of February to the start of December.
The official announcement of the calendar, now due sometime this week, has been delayed because key contracts haven’t been finalised.
It is understood the previously announced renewal with Destination NSW for support of events in the state were awaiting sign-off pending an agreement for the return of the Newcastle 500 in 2022.
A deal for continued Queensland government backing of the GC600 is also believed to still be in final negotiation.
There have also been suggestions some dates had to be rearranged to fit returning free-to-air broadcaster Seven’s schedule for the six marquee events it will show live.
They are likely to be Bathurst 1, Townsville, SMP, Perth, Bathurst 2 and Gold Coast. One of the night meets could be substituted by the NZ round as it is out of the footy season.
Although the F1 Australian GP support races will shown on the Ten Network because of conflicting broadcasting rights, they will still count towards the Supercars championship.
Whether the listed ‘Auckland’ event will be held at Pukekohe or Hampton Downs won’t be confirmed immediately.
However, as it relies on funding from the Auckland tourism authority, Pukekohe would seem favourite as it is actually within the city authority’s jurisdiction.
Nearby Hampton Downs is just outside in the Waikato region.
Conspicuous by its absence from the provisional 2021 Supercars calendar is Sandown in Melbourne.
As previously revealed by AA, Sandown is the first reserve in case the AGP, scheduled for March 18-21, doesn’t happen because of on-going quarantine requirements for overseas visitors to Melbourne.
However, there is still hope F1’s proven fly in, fly out ‘bubble’ system will be allowed by the Victoria government, which has effectively eradicated COVID-19.
As well as allowing F1 in under strict conditions for less than a week rather than a two-week hotel quarantine lockdown before the event’s start, the state’s control of the coronavirus means daily crowds of 50,000 or more will be allowed.
AGP organisers have a workable strategy to spread spectators in zones around the expanse of the Albert Park street circuit, which is located in a lakeside park.
Sandown, which had a multi-year agreement with Supercars, is due to return in 2022, along with the Newcastle street circuit.
Supercars is also hoping the Adelaide 500 will be revived in ’23 if Labor regains power in SA.
PROVISIONAL 2021 SUPERCARS CHAMPIONSHIP
Feb 26-28 Bathurst 500
Mar 18-21 AGP
Apr 10-11 Symmons Plains
May 8-9 Tailem Bend
May 29-30 Winton
Jun 19-20 Darwin
Jul 9-11 Townsville
Aug 20-22 Sydney Motorsport Park
Sep 11-12 Wanneroo
Oct 7-10 Bathurst 1000
Nov 6-7 Auckland
Dec 3-5 Gold Coast
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