SUPERCARS is set to reveal a 13-round 2022 calendar on Sunday at the Repco Bathurst 1000, without a South Australian fixture.
The season will start with the Newcastle 500 on the first weekend in March as the street event returns for the first time since hosting the 2019 finale.
V8 Sleuth has learned that Sydney Motorsport Park is slated to hold the 2022 decider, which would mark the first time it’s hosted the finale since 2004.
A 2x300km race format has been mooted for the Sydney event.
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The calendar is also expected to feature Symmons Plains, Albert Park, Wanneroo, Winton, Hidden Valley, Townsville, Sandown, Pukekohe, Bathurst and the Gold Coast.
The Bend Motorsport Park has been left off the initial schedule as Supercars and the circuit’s owners, the Shahin family, are yet to lock-in a deal for the SA event.
However, there is hope yet for South Aussie fans as one event at the end of July will remain ‘To Be Confirmed’, which could be filled by The Bend should an agreement be reached.
It’s understood that The Bend had unsuccessfully pushed for a two-driver endurance format and a daylight savings slot in the schedule.
For the third year in a row the Bathurst 1000 – slated to return to its traditional October month – will be the only two-driver enduro.
The inclusion of a ‘TBC’ also gives flexibility should the Adelaide 500 make a shock comeback after being killed off by the current South Australian Government in 2020.
Supercars subsequently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the SA Opposition that means the event’s future hinges on an election scheduled for March 19.
V8 Sleuth understands that could result in the Adelaide 500 becoming a late addition to the 2022 calendar as a new final round, or return in 2023.
Venues to miss out on a 2022 slot include Queensland Raceway, which could also fill the ‘TBC’ slot if a deal with The Bend is not reached, and Phillip Island.
