Supercars working on Adelaide date amid calendar upheaval

Supercars is working through a number of date scenarios for next year’s Adelaide 500 as it attempts to navigate complexities in formulating the first part of the 2020 calendar.

The championship is working on a concept that could see the calendar take on a significant shift with racing potentially beginning in January and the season incorporating a winter break before its climax in November.

Such a prospect is providing plenty of challenges for the series as it looks to secure its schedule by its June target.

One of those is the Adelaide 500, which is contracted until 2021 with the deal stipulating that it hosts the opening round of the season, which the event committed to for 2020. 

The annual visit to the South Australian capital has been the traditional curtain raiser for the championship since 2002 barring two seasons that saw Supercars begin its campaign with overseas events in 2010 and 2011.

However, Supercars’ plans to start the season earlier could force the Adelaide 500 into a date change from is traditional late February/March which is not favourable with the South Australian Government due to the temperatures in summer and the city’s plans to host the Tour Down Under.     

Supercars boss Sean Seamer is consulting with Adelaide event organisers with the event’s date yet to be secured.   

“Absolutely. we’ve got a really good relationship with the guys at Adelaide,” Seamer told Speeedafe.com.

“We’ve got a bit of complexity in the first half, well the first two months of next year, in that the Australian Open (tennis) is going to fall on the Bathurst 12 Hour (weekend).

“We’re running through some different scenarios around the first couple of months of next year and, we’re doing that in consultation with the guys at Adelaide.

“Adelaide is contracted to be the first round and we’re just working through and working date scenarios just because, as I said, that early part of next year is getting pretty congested with events.”

Supercars has the added challenge of fitting the Sydney SuperNight back into its calendar for 2020 now the venue has secured funding for permanent lighting.

It has been suggested that the event could even kick off the championship in January.

One event it won’t be able to shift is the Australian Grand Prix which again is likely to fall in a similar March berth.