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upercars has announced the cancellation of both the Gold Coast 500 and the Supercars Championship round at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit due to COVID-19.
The Gold Coast 500 was due to take place over 3-5 December and be the final round of the 2021 Championship, while the Phillip Island event was planned by the Australian Grand Prix Corporation (AGPC) to take the place of the cancelled Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at the venue.
On the Gold Coast 500 cancellation, Supercars CEO, Sean Seamer, said: “Given the evolving and unpredictable COVID situation, it has become increasingly challenging to stage a complex multi-faceted event on the streets of Surfers Paradise for tens of thousands of spectators this year.”
“We understand that our fans were looking forward to the season finale on the Gold Coast.
“To cancel the event for a second year is an incredibly difficult decision, but a necessary one.
“We thank the Queensland Government via Tourism and Events Queensland and the City of Gold Coast and Major Events Gold Coast for their ongoing support.
“We fully intend to return to the Surfers Paradise street circuit in 2022 and we are confident that everything is headed in the right direction for us to do so in spectacular style,” Seamer said.
Following the decision, Supercars is expected to end its season with a New South Wales triple header, with two events at Sydney Motorsport Park and the six-day Super Bathurst event combining the Bathurst 1000 with the Bathurst International.
Discussing the cancellation of the Phillip Island SuperSprint, AGPC CEO, Andrew Westacott, said: “AGPC would like to thank the Victorian Government, Supercars, Australian Superbike Championship, Porsche Carrera Cup, the Bass Coast Shire Council and associated tourism and business groups for their support during the event creation and planning phases in recent weeks.”
“Our appreciation also extends to Motorsport Australia, Motorcycling Australia and the legion of motorsport fans who provided their support for this new event concept,” Westacott said.
Elsewhere in Supercars, Motorsport.com have reported the TLA Worldwide/Australian Racing Group (ARG) bid to purchase a 100% ownership stake of Supercars from Archer Capital has outlasted the Adderton consortium, which included a partnership with News Corp, Peter Adderton, Alan Gow, and Pete Smith.
The report also suggest the TLA/ARG bid has also been presented to team representatives with the promise of increased revenue share in return for the 100% ownership stake.
