Supercars has locked in the dates for its two Queensland events, the NTI Townsville 500 and the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500.
Both events will slot in as expected on the schedule, starting with the 15th running of the Townsville 500 on July 5-7.
That was a given based on the requirement for the event to fall within the winter school holidays, given the Townsville State High School falls within the circuit precinct.
The 30th anniversary of Supercars racing on the Gold Coast, meanwhile, will take place on October 25-27, which all but locks it in as the penultimate round of the 2024 season.
“We are thrilled to be celebrating two major milestones for our two marquee rounds in Queensland in 2024,” said Supercars CEO Shane Howard.
“Both the Townsville and Gold Coast rounds have become key events on our annual calendar and are favourites of fans and the drivers alike, with door-to-door racing and live music acts providing something for everyone.
“The Gold Coast street circuit is one of the longest running street races in world motorsport and every year more than 20,000 fans travel from around Australia to join our biggest party of the year.
“We’re proud to celebrate 15 years of delivering North Queensland’s biggest annual sporting event and we know fans are already planning their winter getaways to be a part of the 2024 event.”
Queensland’s Tourism and Sport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe welcomed the continuation of the two marquee events.
“The streets of Townsville and the Gold Coast will again next year be buzzing with the high-octane energy the Supercars bring to town, alone with their legions of dedicated fans,” he said.
“The events, combined, inject an estimated $90 million into our visitor economy, supporting good Queensland jobs and our tourism and hospitality operators.
“Congratulations to Supercars on reaching two important milestones next year. It’s been terrific to be on the journey with you as we race headlong into another action-packed championship series in 2024.”
With this announcement there are now three dates locked in for 2024, the other being the first trip to Taupo on April 19-21.
That includes whether there will be an all-in pre-season test, and whether the schedule will be 13 rounds with The Bend, or 12 without.