MOTORSPORT: Supercars Sydney night race
The Bend and Australian Grand Prix also join 2018 Supercar championshipA race under lights, a championship round at the new Tailem Bend track in South Australia and points paying races at the Australian Grand Prix are highlights of the 2018 Supercars championship calendar.
The category will have a night race for the first time since Calder in 1997, with a 300km outing scheduled for Sydney Motorsport Park on Saturday evening August 4.
The Bend SuperSprint will be the next event on the calendar after Sydney, with the Supercars utilising the 18-turn 4.9km version of the new venue. The category has committed to racing at the $110 million track for the next four years.
Championship points at Albert Park have long been a goal of Supercars management and Liberty Media’s takeover of Formula One management from Bernie Ecclestone was undoubtedly a catalyst for it.
“Competing for championship points for the first time at the Australian Grand Prix has been a long-term goal for our sport and we are honoured to be able to do so on such an international stage,” said Supercars CEO James Warburton.
All up, there will be 16 championship events and 37 races for the Supercars in 2018 – both up two on 2017 – across a 37-week season that starts with the March 1-4 Adelaide 500 (no longer sponsored by Clipsal) and finishes with the November 23-25 Coates Hire Newcastle 500.
Fifteen outings will be held in Australia and one in New Zealand.
Intriguingly, Warburton made a point in the official calendar press release of talking up Asian races for the category in 2019. The release claimed the category had “multiple signed agreements”.
“We are making strong progress with our Asian promoters and are committed to these being sustainable long term rather than short-term opportunities,” Warburton said in the statement.
The category’s last attempt at an Asian outing was the ill-fated Kuala Lumpur street race that sank after a demo event because of legal disputes and unrest about the disruption the event would cause to the Malaysian capital’s traffic flow.
No venues disappear from the 2018 calendar and there are four Dunlop Super2 Series wildcard events at Winton, Darwin, Ipswich and The Bend after the concept made a successful debut in 2017.
This year’s clash between the Gold Coast and the Phillip Island MotoGP round have been avoided in 2018.
The Dunlop Super2 Series returns as a points paying event at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 on a seven-event calendar including a return to the Perth SuperSprint.
March 1-4: Adelaide 500, Adelaide*
March 22-25: Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix
April 6-8: Tyrepower Tasmania SuperSprint*
April 20-22: WD-40 Phillip Island 500
May 4-6: Perth SuperSprint*
May 18-20: Winton SuperSprint
June 15-17: CrownBet Darwin Triple Crown
July 6-8: Watpac Townsville 400*
July 20-22: Coates Hire Ipswich SuperSprint
Aug 4: Red Rooster Sydney SuperNight 300
Aug 24-26: The Bend SuperSprint
Sept 14-16: Sandown 500*
Oct 4-7 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000*
Oct 19-21: Vodafone Gold Coast 600
Nov 2-4: ITM Auckland SuperSprint
Nov 23-25: Coates Hire Newcastle 500*
*denotes Dunlop Super2 Series
** Events and dates are subject to change. Correct at time of distribution.
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