Supercars has confirmed what seemed an inevitable move following an earlier reshuffle of the schedule.
The championship moved its 200km Sunday race forward to Saturday, while tentatively planning for qualifying and a 120km race on Sunday morning.
However, the Sunday schedule is no more, allowing teams and event organisers to begin packing down the venue following today’s action.
The affected race will instead be run on the Friday at next weekend’s Christchurch Super440 at Ruapuna.
A statement declared that “conditions on Sunday present an unacceptable risk to all in attendance”.
The decision was made following consultation with authorities and emergency services, including Motorsport New Zealand, Taupō Emergency Management, Taupō District Council and New Zealand Major Events.
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“This is an unprecedented situation that has never occurred in the history of the Supercars Championship,” said Supercars chairman Barclay Nettlefold.
“It’s very disappointing to see a weather event of this scale disrupt what we had hoped would be an exciting final day of racing.
“We deeply regret the impact this cancellation has on our fans who have travelled to Taupō to be part of this event.
“But a cyclone of this intensity leaves no other option, and the safety of everyone at the circuit has to come first.
“We’re delighted to be in a position to make it up to fans and all our partners, by adding a race to the Christchurch event.”
Authorities have warned that Cyclone Vaianu will bring severe wind and rain to the North Island, labelling it a “potentially life threatening event”.
Supercars advises that Ticketek NZ will contact Sunday Taupo ticket holders in the coming days with information on refund options.
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