Motorsport Australia has announced that the season opener for the 2020 TCR Australia series has been postponed again, due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions and border closures in the country.
The season had been set to get underway at Sydney Motorsport Park on 5 – 6 September, but that event and the following one at Sandown one week later have now officially been postponed.
Motorsport Australia and TCR Australia promoter Australian Racing Group (ARG) are working on a new calendar for the Shannons Motorsport Australia Championships, with the season opener now expected to take place in mid-October at a yet-to-be-confirmed venue.
“It is disappointing to be in this position, however, it is the reality of the current environment,” said Matt Braid, ARG CEO.
“Despite the difficulties, our stakeholders remain positive. Our broadcast partner Network Seven is very supportive, and our competitors and sponsors are understanding of the situation and are all looking forward to going racing.
“ARG is working closely with Motorsport Australia and remaining focused on establishing a strong calendar for 2020, including a blockbuster Bathurst International event at Mount Panorama in November.”
Michael Smith, Director of Shannons Motorsport Australia Championships, explained that stakeholders are working together to explore a range of options to get the season underway at a later date.
“We are understandably disappointed that we could not get the opening round of the Shannons Motorsport Australia Championships underway in September,” said Smith.
“We’ve been working closely with state governments and all our categories and circuit managers to ensure we can be flexible and adaptable, given the changing COVID-19 circumstances.
“We’re very confident we can maximise the number of rounds held in line with the requests from our categories and the availability of circuits around the country.
“We think an October start date is realistic given the current climate and are working on a number of contingencies to maximise the opportunities for racing in the latter half of 2020.
“I’d like to thank everyone for their support and understanding, including our sponsors, categories, competitors, teams and circuit managers who have all been terrific to deal with and very understanding of the fluid situation we’ve been presented with.”