MOTORSPORT: COVID forces Supercars switch

COVID-19 has forced the next round of the Supercars championship on July 18-19 to be switched from Winton in Victoria to Sydney Motorsport Park.

The move north means the return of live fans to the stands, an initiative which had previously been scheduled for Darwin in August.

Last weekend SMP hosted the first Supercars race since February as the championship returned from a three month break forced by the coronavirus.

A TV-only event, attendance was restricted to only essential personnel and there were no support events.

SMP will host a third Supercars event in December when the V8 championship wraps up under a new $16.4m permanent lighting system.

The July event will also feature one sprint race on Saturday under lights on the short circuit with two races on Sunday on the GP track normally used by Supercars.

Supercars took the decision to postpone Winton due to COVID-19 travel protocols in Queensland imposed in response to the infection spike in Melbourne suburbs.

Those new rules mean Queensland-based teams and drivers returning home would have to quarantine for 14 days after competing in Victoria.

DJR Team Penske, Triple Eight Race Engineering and Matt Stone Racing are all based in Queensland.

A new date for the north-east Victorian country circuit is yet to be set. It is also yet to be confirmed if SMP will host support races. The V8 development series, Toyota 86 and Porsche Carrera Cup were due to race at Winton.

Fans will only be allowed in the general admission areas of SMP. They will not be allowed to access the paddock area and the corporate facilities will be closed.

Ticketing information will be released in coming days including each day’s limit for attendance. Fans will be requested to spread out to maintain physical distancing.

In Darwin, a daily 4500 fan limit has been set.

“Following discussions with all government health authorities on the new interstate restrictions, the practicable solution is to go back to Sydney Motorsport Park later this month,” Supercars CEO Sean Seamer said.

“Sydney Motorsport Park was a logical choice as we have a proven track record of completing a safe event there based on what we achieved last week.

“Following NSW State Government guidance, we are thrilled that we will be able to accommodate fans each day of the July event.”

As per the last SMP outing, teams will have to follow strict quarantine measures before, during and after the event. They will be temperature tested daily and accommodated in a hotel next to the track.

No other events on Supercars’ revised calendar have been amended at this stage, but all remain subject to change based on COVID-19 guidelines and protocols.

The Supercars are due to race at Townsville in Queensland in August and Sandown in Melbourne in September. Both those events will now be under scrutiny.

Ford Mustang driver Scott McLaughlin extended his championship lead with two wins at SMP last weekend, while Holden Commodore ZB driver Nick Percat scored a popular win for privateer team Brad Jones Racing in the other 32-lap sprint.