Supercars reveal revised 2020 calendar

Sunday 17 May, 2020

The BetEasy Darwin Triple Crown will now be held in August.

(Photos: Edge Photographics)

The Virgin Australia Supercars Championship has announced a revised 2020 season calendar with the season running until February next year.

The modified Supercars schedule will include 11 events between June 2020 and February 2021.

Supercars worked on the sport’s return with Motorsport Australia, state governments, commercial stakeholders and competing teams to create the new schedule.

Motorsport Australia CEO Eugene Arocca praised Supercars for their efforts in getting back to racing.

“This is a significant milestone for motorsport in Australia and we’re thrilled Supercars have come up with a solid plan to get back on track as soon as possible,” Arocca said.

“It’s a fantastic effort and we’re very excited to see their season return and to be holding 11 rounds in both Australia and New Zealand.

“With COVID-19 restrictions starting to ease across Australia, it’s important to note there are still a number of restrictions that need to be managed. Supercars’ strategy has met all the right criteria and we fully support their season going ahead.”

As confirmed on Saturday, the championship will restart next month with Sydney Motorsport Park hosting the 2020 season’s second round on 27-28 June – adding to February’s opening round, the Superloop Adelaide 500 which was completed before the COVID-19 lockdowns.

Outside of the OTR The Bend 500 in September and October’s Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000, all events will be staged on a new date with the traditional street circuit races on the Gold Coast and Newcastle excluded from the new calendar.

Following January’s penultimate round in New Zealand, a second event at Bathurst will host the season finale in February, which will replace the Liqui Moly Bathurst 12 Hour, which would have struggled to go ahead with international travel restrictions expected to last for some time yet.

With formats and support categories to be determined closer to each event, Supercars CEO Sean Seamer was confident with the plan and proud of the work put in by everyone involved.

“To be in a position to release a calendar is great news for our sport,” Seamer said.

“This plan allows us to deliver a world-class Championship while remaining agile and responsive to changing conditions.

“The stringent guidelines we have developed are based on expert medical advice and the advice of our Government partners and Motorsport Australia and prioritise the safety and wellbeing of our people, teams, drivers and officials.

“We will continually assess the possibility of admitting fans to events based on the direction of government restrictions, including how we might be able to accommodate camping and Park & Ride.”

The Virgin Australia Supercars Championship’s 2020 season resumes on 27-28 June at Sydney Motorsport Park.