Touring Car Masters has confirmed a seven round 2017 calendar featuring a visit to the Wilson Security Sandown 500 as part of Supercars’ retro round.

The popular touring car category will return to the Supercars undercard for all of its meetings next season having hosted two of its eight rounds with Shannons Nationals this year.

Phillip Island has dropped off the schedule following the decision to scale back to seven events.

Adelaide’s Clipsal 500 will kick off the campaign from March 2-5 before the series heads to Victoria’s Winton Motor Raceway in May.

The annual trip to Darwin’s Hidden Valley Raceway in June remains on the schedule ahead of a visit to Queensland Raceway.

Following its appearance at the Sandown 500 in September, the category will feature at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000, before the season finale at the inaugural Coates Hire Newcastle 500, held on a newly constructed street circuit, in November.

“The 2017 calendar is the result of hard work and dedication from everyone involved in Touring Car Masters to prove to the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship that we warrant being at their major events,” said category manager Tony Hunter.

“This year we have put on a sensational show with great and clean racing, fantastic cars and lots of entertainment for fans at each round and watching on TV.

“We are pleased to have been invited to the marquee events in Adelaide, Sandown, Bathurst and Newcastle while also ensuring we take the series further abroad with trips to Winton, Ipswich and Darwin. It will be a very exciting year for TCM.”

Organisers have also confirmed that the category will be joined by the IROC Challenge Porsche series at four of the seven rounds.

The class will form its own grid at the back of the TCM field at the Clipsal 500, Winton, Queensland Raceway and Sandown meetings.

The Touring Car Masters will be in action next weekend for its season finale at the Coates Hire Sydney 500.

Touring Car Masters 2017 Calendar

Rd 1    Clipsal 500 Adelaide, March 2-5
Rd 2    Winton SuperSprint, May 19-21
Rd 3    CrownBet Darwin Triple Crown, June 16-18
Rd 4    Coates Hire Queensland SuperSprint, July 28-30
Rd 5    Wilson Security Sandown 500, September 18-20
Rd 6    Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000, October 5-8
Rd 7    Coates Hire Newcastle 500, November TBA