Photo: Supercars

Supercars revise 2020 schedule to end within calendar year

The 2020 Supercars Championship season will now conclude before Christmas after a revised calendar was announced for the remainder of the campaign.

A draft calendar announced in May after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic had included a number in races in 2021, but the new schedule will now conclude in December with a race under lights in Sydney.

Sandown has been moved to a slot prior to the Bathurst 1000 and takes the date that had been assigned to The Bend Motorsport Park, which drops off the calendar along with the planned round in New Zealand and a second Bathurst date on the same weekend as the 2021 running of the 12 Hours.

It means a total of eleven rounds will make up the 2020 season.

“When the draft calendar was released four weeks ago, our primary objective was to ensure we returned to racing as soon as possible,” series CEO Sean Seamer said.

“This allowed us to put a stake in the ground and ensure we returned to the track quickly following the COVID-19 shutdown.

“The calendar announced in May was based on the best information we had at the time.

“With an eye on 2021, teams and broadcast partners have agreed it is in all parties’ best interests commercially and competitively to finish this year’s campaign in December and start the new season in the New Year.”

Details of the 2021 calendar are due to be released in October, with the various events that had to be cancelled this year all set to return.

“We envisage the 2021 calendar to include a break over winter months,” Seamer added. “These are challenging times for all sport, which is why we have had to remain flexible with our calendar arrangements and make significant changes to support key stakeholders.

“In 2021 we plan to return to New Zealand, The Bend and street circuits.

“Our goal now is to make sure that we deliver some amazing racing over the rest of the 2020 championship.”

Revised 2020 Supercars Championship calendar

February 22-23 – Adelaide 500
March 12-15 – Melbourne 400
June 27-28 – Sydney Motorsport Park
July 18-19 – Truck Assist Winton
August 8-9 – BetEasy Darwin Triple Crown
August 29-30 – Townsville
September 19-20 – Penrite Oil Sandown
October 8-11 – Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000
October 31-November 1 – PIRTEK Perth
November 21-22 – Tyrepower Tasmania
December 12-13 – Sydney Motorsport Park