Supercars racing will return to Ipswich and Tailem Bend in 2025 in an expanded format that however has no room for the endangered Newcastle road circuit.
NSW’s second metropolis has as soon as once more been left off the calendar after it was axed because the 2024 season opener following a break-down in negotiations between the game’s organisers, Vacation spot NSW and Newcastle Metropolis Council.
Subsequent yr’s curtain-raiser will as a substitute be held beneath lights in a twilight race at Sydney Motorsport Park on February 21-23, Supercars introduced on Friday.
In August, the grid head to the recently-upgraded Queensland Raceway in Ipswich for the primary time since 2019 earlier than returning to Tailem Bend, which missed out in 2024, for the South Australian racetrack’s first-ever endurance occasion.
Different modifications to the roster embody bringing ahead the Symmons Plains occasion in Tasmania to Might, whereas the historic Sandown circuit in Melbourne can be shifted from its conventional time slot because the endurance season opener to the collection’ penultimate spherical in November.
The expanded 13-race format, up from 12 in 2024, solidifies Supercars’ footprint in Australia and internationally, stated Supercars chief govt Shane Howard.
“We’re thrilled in regards to the strategic additions and shifts within the calendar, together with shifting Sandown to a November date and debuting an endurance spherical at The Bend,” he stated.
“We’re extremely excited to announce the return of the Ipswich occasion in 2025. After a number of years off the calendar, we all know followers in south-east Queensland have been looking forward to its return.”
Australia’s most well-known motor race, the Bathurst 1000, will maintain onto its conventional place within the calendar and run from October 9-12, whereas Adelaide will as soon as once more host the season finale from November 27-30.
In June, Supercars makes its option to Perth’s Wanneroo raceway for probably its remaining time with the Western Australia authorities dedicated to a road circuit within the metropolis from 2026.
The omission of Newcastle drives an additional nail into the coffin of hopes to revive the circuit, which first noticed racing in 2017.
Supercars has beforehand expressed its dedication to racing within the coastal city however the occasion has confronted opposition from residents and native councillors, who’ve voiced complaints over noise, mud and disruption.
The race was canned for 2024 when Newcastle council would not comply with a counter supply for a one-year extension after pushing for a five-year deal to retain the race.
2025 Supercars Championship calendar
February 21-23: Sydney SuperNight, Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW
March 13-16: Melbourne, Components 1 Australian Grand Prix, VIC
April 11-13: Taupo, Taupo Worldwide Motorsport Park, NZ
Might September 11: Tasmania, Symmons Plains, TAS
June 6-8: Perth, Wanneroo Raceway, WA
June 20-22: Darwin Triple Crown, Hidden Valley, NT
July 11-13: Townsville, Reid Park, QLD
August 8-10: Ipswich, Queensland Raceway, QLD
September 12-14: Tailem Bend Endurance Race, The Bend Motorsport Park, SA
Octtober 9-12: Bathurst 1000, Mount Panorama, NSW
October 24-26: Gold Coast, Surfers Paradise, QLD
November 14-16: Sandown, Melbourne, VIC
November 27-30: Adelaide, East Parklands, SA.
AAP
