The postponed TCR Australia round at Phillip Island has been given a replacement date of 12 – 14 March, allowing the second round of the series to take place after the current lockdown in Victoria.
Held with the Shannons Motorsport Australia Championships, the event may also include further categories which were not originally scheduled for the event bill. The originally-scheduled running of the Australian Superbike Championship will not share the date due to scheduling conflicts.
It is currently unclear if spectators will be able to attend, with the organiser expressing hope that some spectators may be able to attend in line with any government restrictions which will apply at the time.
“We’re really pleased to confirm this new date for the Shannons Motorsport Australia Championships and also to be able to secure a new date so quickly,” said Michael Smith, Director of Shannons Motorsport Australia Chsampionships.
“I’d like to thank the team at Phillip Island for their flexibility and support, allowing us to put this event on in March.
“Motorsport Australia is in regular dialogue with the Victorian Government about this event and will certainly work to deliver a COVID safe event in line with all restrictions and requirements that may be in place at the time.
“We hope that we will be able to welcome fans to this event, however understandably there is still some uncertainty about what restrictions may be in place, so at this stage we are not offering tickets for sale. This is something we’ll monitor closely and provide regular updates for motorsport fans.
“I’d also like to acknowledge the team at Motorcycling Australia for their hard work in preparing for the 2+4 Australian All Wheels Race Fest.
“While we are unable to make the joint-event work for this specific date, we’ve formed a great partnership over recent months and fully expect this combined event to happen in the very near future.”
Matt Braid, CEO of Australian Racing Group, was optimistic about the new date after it was able to be quickly rescheduled in less than a week.
“To secure a replacement date just weeks after the original intended date is an excellent result for the Australian Racing Group’s suite of categories,” said Braid.
“There was simply no way that we could have proceeded with our original event this weekend, which was disappointing, but we are grateful to our competitors and sponsors of their understanding during these times.
“The fast result means that the great momentum that was created from our opening round at Symmons Plains remains and we can get back on track.”