THE Winton round of the 2021 Repco Supercars Championship has officially been cancelled.
Originally scheduled to take place in May, the regional Victorian circuit’s round was pushed back to October 2-3 where it was to restart the Supercars season following an extended break due to Australia’s second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the Winton round has now been cancelled entirely amid “ongoing COVID-19 challenges,” per a statement from Supercars.
According to the statement, ticket holders for the event will be issued a full refund within 21 days.
“We would like to thank all our stakeholders for being so supportive of both Winton Motor Raceway and the Benalla Auto Club, in particular our campers who have stuck by us just waiting for the chance to attend Supercar racing at Winton, and we confirm we will be in touch with you to provide the refund options available,” Benalla Auto Club CEO, Chris Lewis-Williams said.
“Thanks also goes to the Victorian Government, Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Martin Pakula and Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes who continue to be great supporters of Northeast Victorian events and motorsport events at Winton in particular.
“We look forward to formalising plans for the return of the Winton Supersprint in 2022.”
It marks the third round cancelled within the past fortnight, with the Phillip Island SuperSprint and Gold Coast 500 both canned as Supercars tried to complete its 2021 season.
The dates and venues for the remaining four rounds have yet to be finalised by Supercars but are expected to feature double-headers at Queensland Raceway and Sydney Motorsport Park in late October/mid-November.
“The situation is rapidly changing and has shifted considerably since we released the draft calendar changes in July,” Supercars CEO Sean Seamer said.
“We regret that the COVID-19 situation has led to the cancellation of both the Winton and Phillip Island events and share our Victorian fans’ disappointment that we will not be returning to the state in 2021.
“We thank Chris and his team at Winton, Andrew and the team at the AGP Corporation, and of course the Victorian Government, for their support.”
