The carsales TCR Australia Series will have to wait until November before it visits Mount Panorama following confirmation this year’s Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst 6 Hour has been postponed.
Organisers have confirmed the April 10-12 event has been postponed and will be “run in conjunction with the Bathurst International in November 13-15″.
Alongside the headline production car race, TCR was set to make its debut at the famed circuit for what would have been the second round of its 2020 series.
Also on the card were Radical Australia, Historic Touring Cars, and Hyundai Excels.
The decision comes amid the global COVID-19 pandemic.
“The key priority of Australian Racing Group (ARG) is to the safety of all attending the event and to those in the Bathurst region,” said Matt Braid, ARG CEO.
“ARG also wishes to ensure a minimal amount of disruption as possible to competitors, suppliers, spectators and members of the local community.
“A key consideration in the current environment is where possible make a decision and communicate it as early as possible.
“We appreciate the assistance of the council in working with us to enable immediate confirmation of the revised date in November.
“This early decision will ideally offer all parties committed to the event as much time as possible to alter travel arrangements and their own planning to suit the new date.
“ARG is highly aware of the importance of the economic impact generated by events at Mount Panorama to the city of Bathurst and the surrounding region, especially considering the recent catastrophic bushfires in New South Wales.
“The ideal outcome of the date change will be an even larger and more vibrant event in November than initially planned, one that positively enhances the local region and those participating at it.”
Mayor Bobby Bourke said the safety of the community was incredibly important.
“While it’s disappointing to see Bathurst 6 Hour postponed, community safety takes priority,” he said.
“Bathurst Regional Council continues to follow the advice of the state and federal health departments on how to respond to COVID-19 and that includes not allowing gatherings of 500 people or greater”.
“I look forward to working with ARG to bring a bigger and exciting event to Mount Panorama in November.”
Earlier today Supercars confirmed it had postponed events at Symmons Plains, Hampton Downs, and Wanneroo (Barbagallo).
A decision is expected today on the future of the opening round of the Shannons Motorsport Australia Championships at Sydney Motorsport Park next week.
The 2020 Targa Tasmania has also been cancelled, as had the opening round of the Australian Formula Ford championship.
How the change impacts the 2020 TCR Australia Series calendar is unclear, as is the impact on the six-hour TCR race held across the Bathurst International event.
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