WINTON Motor Raceway will return to the SpeedSeries calendar with the category announcing an expanded eight-round schedule for 2023.
The rural Victorian circuit will slot in as the fourth round of the 2023 season on June 9-11, the King’s Birthday long weekend.
Winton has not been on the series’ calendar since 2019, although it was slated for a round during the COVID-cancelled 2020 season.
Four of the Australian Racing Group’s categories will headline the event but TCR is not one of them.
The Winton round will instead feature a V8-themed lineup with S5000, Trans Am, Touring Car Masters and the V8 Touring Cars category heading the bill.
STANDALONE: V8 Touring Cars series reborn for 2023
“It is exciting for the SpeedSeries to expand up to the current eight events, the most we have ever run in a calendar year,” Liam Curkpatrick, ARG chief operating officer, said.
“We are thrilled to bring Winton back to the SpeedSeries calendar. We have not been there since 2019, and even in our inaugural year, Winton was very popular with the teams and fans.
“The V8-theme is perfect for Winton too. The four categories that we are bringing are fan favourites and we know there is going to be a lot of support from the fans in the rural areas for this kind of racing.”
Promoters are hoping to attract families to camp out at Winton across the King’s Birthday long weekend with the promise of nightly entertainment within the track precinct “focused with a true country theme”, per the release.
“It’s nice to have a significant marquee event to provide something for our fans to utilise the facilities, including camping, at Winton,” Stephen Whyte, Benalla Auto Club general manager, said.
“It’s great to partner with ARG to provide not only a motorsport event, but a festival feel over a long weekend to the event.
“We’re working with ARG on a number of great ideas that will make this event more than just a race meeting. We want this to be a festival that is a must-see and do for people year after year.”
New Sandown SpeedSeries date locked in, 2023 calendar could expand further
ARG has also locked in a new date for the Sandown round, displaced by Supercars’ claiming of its original September 15-17 date for the reborn Sandown 500.
That round will now move to the week prior to the Supercars enduro on September 8-10.
Meantime, the Winton round represents and expansion to the original seven-round SpeedSeries schedule, with the venue for Round 3 still listed as a TBC in Victoria.
There is also the potential for the SpeedSeries to expand to a ninth round.
“The only key piece left to finalise is the potential inclusion of the second global round of the WSC TCR World Tour which will be broadcast to over 53 countries, and we are working to finalise the location and timing with both WSC and local promoters,” Curkpatrick added.
“We can’t wait to kick the season off at Race Tasmania which is a fantastic opportunity to take the family and see the best that Tasmania has to offer in the summer and enjoy some great racing and opportunity to get up close with the cars and drivers.”
All SpeedSeries events will be broadcast live and ad-break free on Stan Sport, with an expanded live free to air and highlights package on the Nine Network.
2023 SpeedSeries calendar
| Rd | Date | Circuit | Event Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Feb 24-26 | Symmons Plains | Race Tasmania |
| 2 | Apr 7-9 | Mount Panorama | Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst 6 Hour |
| 3 | TBC | TBC (Victoria) | TBC |
| 4 | Jun 9-11 | Winton | |
| 5 | Jun 23-25 | Sydney Motorsport Park | |
| 6 | Aug 11-13 | Queensland Raceway | |
| 7 | Sep 8-10 | Sandown | |
| 8 | Nov 10-12 | Mount Panorama | Supercheap Auto Bathurst International (TCR World Tour) |
