The 2013 V8 Supercars Championship calendar has been locked away, with 17 events to be held next year.
The season will start with an all-in, compulsory test at Sydney Motorsport Park. It will be the first time that all four manufacturers will be together on the race track, but it will be the only time the V8s race at the Eastern Creek circuit as the western Sydney track has missed out on an official round.
The Clipsal 500 kicks off the championship, with the Australian Grand Prix support races to be held two weeks later. It’s worth noting that if Network Ten secure the television broadcast rights next year, the Grand Prix is likely to become a championship event.
One major change is Bathurst’s date, which falls on October 13. The later date means there’s a four week gap between Sandown and ‘The Great Race,’ and while there’s still a two-week gap to the Gold Coast, there will only be one week between the Gold Coast and Abu Dhabi.
The later Gold Coast 600 slot means that the event does not clash with the final round of the IndyCar Series and the FIA World Endurance Championship’s round at Japan, opening up the possibility of drivers in those classes to compete at the international-flavoured Surfers Paradise street race.
V8 Supercars will announce the race formats and distances for next season soon, however, they did reveal that Queensland Raceway in July and the penultimate event at Phillip Island in November will be two day meetings.
The 2013 V8 Supercars Calendar
Feb 16 – Official V8 Supercar Test – Sydney Motorsport Park
Feb 28-Mar 3 – Clipsal 500 Adelaide – Adelaide Parklands
Mar 14-17 – Australian Grand Prix – Albert Park, Melbourne
April 5-7 – Tasmania Challenge – Symmons Plains, Tasmania
April 12-14 – Auckland 400 – Pukekohe, New Zealand
May 3-5 – Perth – Barbagallo Raceway, Western Australia
May 17-19 – Texas 400 – Austin, Texas
June 14-16 – SKYCITY Triple Crown – Hidden Valley, Darwin
July 5-7 – Sucrogen Townsville 400 – Reid Park, Townsville
July 27-28 – Coates Hire Ipswich – Queensland Raceway, Ipswich
August 23-25 – Winton – Winton Motor Raceway, Victoria
September 13-15 – Sandown 500 – Sandown, Melbourne
October 10-13 – Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 – Mount Panorama, Bathurst
October 25-27 – ARMOR ALL Gold Coast 600 – Surfers Paradise, Queensland
November 1-3 – Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi
November 23-24 – Phillip Island 400 – Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, Victoria
November 29-December 1 – Sydney 500 – Sydney Olympic Park
