BATHURST 12 HOUR TO BE POSTPONED

The worsening COVID situation in NSW is expected to result in a delayed start to the national circuit racing season, with the Bathurst 12 Hour the first domino expected to fall.

The Supercars season opener at Newcastle is now also under a pandemic cloud, with a definite delay on the opening event at Eastern Creek Speedway (announced yesterday).

No decisions are expected until the new RACE board meets for the first time in 2022, sometime this week, but the NSW government is believed to be reconsidering its early motorsport plans and its multi-million dollar investments in the opening races at Newcastle and Mount Panorama.

Building the Newcastle track would be a huge gamble without a guaranteed crowd and Bathurst is threatened by ongoing restrictions on overseas arrivals and potential limits on attendance.

Auto Action believes the original date for the 12-Hour, on February 25-27, will be postponed until sometime in May.

Newcastle is only considered to be “50:50” at the moment before committing to a firm timetable and the costly infrastructure work needed on the NSW street circuit.

Elsewhere, the opening meeting at the all-new Eastern Creek Speedway, scheduled for this weekend, has been delayed until February 25-26.

The famous Tamworth Country Music Festival is also going to be delayed.

Outside NSW, there is no indication – yet – of any serious threat to the Race Tasmania meeting that is scheduled to open the season for TCR, S5000 and Trans-Am categories. But that could change quickly if Covid crack-downs threaten travel for the event at Symmons Plains.

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