The Supercars Championship’s double-header in Darwin will be delayed by a week after the Northern Territory government suddenly imposed a mandatory quarantine period for all personnel travelling across the border from Queensland.
Local health officials declared Brisbane a COVID-19 Coronavirus hotspot after a number of new cases cropped up in the city. The area is a base to a number of teams, drivers and key Supercars figures – any who declare to have been in the city will be required to self-isolate for over a week upon entering the Northern Territory.
Several teams’ transporters and crew were held at the state border while clarity was sought.
This all but forced Supercars’ hand to delay the Darwin Triple Crown and Darwin SuperSprint rounds, which were to have run over consecutive weekends on August 8-9 and August 15-16 respectively.
The Triple Crown will now run on the August 15-16 weekend, with the following SuperSprint round potentially taking place anytime in the two weeks that follow before the field returns to Queensland at the end of the month for the Townsville 400 round.
“Following intensive discussions over recent days and at the direction of the NT Government and the relevant health authority, the decision has been made to postpone this weekend’s event for seven days,” Supercars CEO Sean Seamer explained.
“This decision has been made to ensure we protect the health and wellbeing of all of our people and the wider community in the Northern Territory ahead of the BetEasy Darwin Triple Crown.
“We would like to thank the NT Government and health authorities on working with Supercars on developing a plan that allows us to move forward with the northern leg of our championship.
“I would also like to thank our teams and fans for their ongoing flexibility to accommodate this year’s championship. This is a decision Supercars supports to ensure the health and wellbeing of all Territorians.
“This announcement will have no bearing on our plans for any future events including the Townsville SuperSprint.”
2020 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship Season Calendar (Updated) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Date | Event | Location | Format | |
22-23 Feb | ![]() |
Adelaide 500 | Adelaide street circuit, SA | Two-race |
Cancelled | ![]() |
Melbourne 400 | Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit, VIC | Four-race |
Cancelled | ![]() |
Auckland SuperSprint | Hampton Downs Motorsport Park, NZ | Two-race |
27-28 Jun | ![]() |
Sydney SuperSprint I | Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW | Three-race |
Postponed | ![]() |
Winton SuperSprint | Winton Motor Raceway, VIC | Two-race |
18-19 Jul | ![]() |
Sydney SuperSprint II | Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW | Three-race |
15-16 Aug | ![]() |
Darwin Triple Crown | Hidden Valley Raceway, NT | Two-race |
TBA | ![]() |
Darwin SuperSprint | Hidden Valley Raceway, NT | Two-race |
29-30 Aug | ![]() |
Townsville 400 | Townsville street circuit, SA | Two-race |
Cancelled | ![]() |
The Bend 500 | The Bend Motorsport Park, SA | Endurance |
19-20 Sep | ![]() |
Sandown 400 | Sandown Raceway, VIC | Two-race |
11 Oct | ![]() |
Bathurst 1000 | Mount Panorama Circuit, NSW | Endurance |
Cancelled | ![]() |
Gold Coast 600 | Surfers Paradise street circuit, QLD | Two-race |
31-01 Nov | ![]() |
Perth SuperNight | Wanneroo Raceway, WA | Two-race |
21-22 Nov | ![]() |
Tasmania SuperSprint | Symmons Plains Raceway, TAS | Two-race |
Cancelled | ![]() |
Newcastle 500 | Newcastle street circuit, NSW | Two-race |
12-13 Dec | ![]() |
Sydney SuperNight 500 | Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW | Two-race |
Image via Red Bull Content Pool
Geoff Burke
Latest posts by Geoff Burke (see all)
- Supercars: McLaughlin closes in on third title - 26 September, 2020
- Supercars: Former team granted Bathurst 1000 wildcard - 22 September, 2020
- Supercars: McLaughlin leads DJRTP 1-2 in Race 3 - 20 September, 2020
- Supercars: Van Gisbergen dominates Race 2 at The Bend - 20 September, 2020
- Supercars: Coulthard wins thriller at The Bend - 19 September, 2020