2020 VASC Calendar

[GTRMagic]

The summer series seems to have gone into hiatus...

...yet there are pressures from existing contracts, timing of the Grand Prix, and an as yet unexplained desire to put a long mid season break in the middle of the championship

Story Here

Perhaps the new season will start in January.. maybe it won't..
Presumably the teams might like to know like soonish to plan car & parts builds and/or sales deliveries, leave requirements and any other thing..

[Forda]

The summer series push was a ridiculous concept.

If that's been put aside, then any revised alternative based on the current series has got to be a better option.

[Compromised]

They should schedule every second race somewhere overseas with a capable wind tunnel in close vicinity - complete two races, adjust parity, complete two races, adjust parity etc.

My preference would be to adjust parity before the season, but I'm not as intelligent as the men and women who decide these things

[mayhem]

Sydney Motorsport Park must be raising their eyebrows at this story...

[Tourer]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

The summer series seems to have gone into hiatus...

...yet there are pressures from existing contracts, timing of the Grand Prix, and an as yet unexplained desire to put a long mid season break in the middle of the championship

Story Here

Perhaps the new season will start in January.. maybe it won't..
Presumably the teams might like to know like soonish to plan car & parts builds and/or sales deliveries, leave requirements and any other thing..

Mid season break has been explained many times - team members actually need a break, they're gagging for it now but if the calendar starts earlier and finishes later than now, then the break will be sorely needed.

Amazes me that the author of the story thinks that a night race at SMP might suit January - with daylight saving and the long summer days, that would be a LATE starting race!

[S griffin]

Yes, those breaks have their uses. It’s common sense, but must be done at the right time.

A night race would be good, but again that must be the right time

[Umai Naa]

Yes, at night.

[S griffin]

Well one at dusk would be quite nice

[Alan52]

If they spend the millions on permanent lighting at Eastern Creek and run the race in January they realise that only the last 40-50 minutes of the race will actually need the lights right?

[one five five]

Originally Posted by Alan52

If they spend the millions on permanent lighting at Eastern Creek and run the race in January they realise that only the last 40-50 minutes of the race will actually need the lights right?

I hardly think the lights are going in for the Supercars race, that would just be a bonus

[GTRMagic]

Phillip Island & Winton Out?

Low attendance at each venue... but then that would knock out Eastern Creek too if they were serious

Losing rounds at permanent tracks will cause apoplexy for a few people....

[bludvl_x19]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

Phillip Island & Winton Out?

Low attendance at each venue... but then that would knock out Eastern Creek too if they were serious

Losing rounds at permanent tracks will cause apoplexy for a few people....

I can't see Winton losing their round. Supercars have none of the risk, as they aren't the promotor, and are guaranteed their 'sanctioning fee' just for turning up.

[banksie]

Teams want to do the minimum number of events to fulfil the TV contracts. They don't receive extra cash from doing more rounds, so they want to cut rounds off.

[one five five]

Only thirteen events...... That is less than 2014 when Mr Warburton kept telling us the series was on its knees because of a bad TV deal..... I thought the Foxtel deal was supposed to improve the sport, not provide less cars and less events?

Thirteen events is also less than in 1996.....a time that Tony Cochrane kept telling us was awful and the sport was on its knees

Maybe Supercars/Archer should just hand it all back to CAMS and we can get on with things

[Tourer]

Originally Posted by one five five

Only thirteen events...... That is less than 2014 when Mr Warburton kept telling us the series was on its knees because of a bad TV deal..... I thought the Foxtel deal was supposed to improve the sport, not provide less cars and less events?

Thirteen events is also less than in 1996.....a time that Tony Cochrane kept telling us was awful and the sport was on its knees

Maybe Supercars/Archer should just hand it all back to CAMS and we can get on with things

Speedcafe article said 14 events, not 13.

14 events was the norm for many years in the noughties - comprised of 13 points rounds of the championship and one non-points event at the AGP. The sport was doing OK then.

Granted that 14 is one less than the current 15 round series but I hardly think that reducing the number of rounds by one event means annihilation and a "hand it back to cams" scenario.

On the other hand, WHERE the events are run is quite important I think. If the story is accurate about PI (great track but doesn't draw a big crowd for car racing) and Winton missing out, that would be a great shame and leave Vic with the AGP and Sandown - but if Sandown is to lose the 500km race to the bend, that would be a really big mistake IMHO - experience shows that sticking with some traditions does make a difference and it would be a great shame for the sport to make the mistake of moving that event before it is forced to by Sandown's much-discussed future closure. I guess it's a case of "money talks" with the bend.

As for handing "it all back to CAMS" - LOL, the confederation got out of running it precisely because they knew at the time they were a governing body and not good promoters. Not much change these days really - nothing wrong with the Shannons Nationals as a series but 7 events at 6 tracks and much lower crowds, not a live TV series etc mean that it's not in the same league from the point of view of being a promoter.

[one five five]

Originally Posted by Tourer

Speedcafe article said 14 events, not 13.

14 events was the norm for many years in the noughties - comprised of 13 points rounds of the championship and one non-points event at the AGP. The sport was doing OK then.

Granted that 14 is one less than the current 15 round series but I hardly think that reducing the number of rounds by one event means annihilation and a "hand it back to cams" scenario.

On the other hand, WHERE the events are run is quite important I think. If the story is accurate about PI (great track but doesn't draw a big crowd for car racing) and Winton missing out, that would be a great shame and leave Vic with the AGP

and Sandown - but if Sandown is to lose the 500km race to the bend, that would be a really big mistake IMHO - experience shows that sticking with some traditions does make a difference and it would be a great shame for the sport to make the mistake of moving that event before it is forced to by Sandown's much-discussed future closure. I guess it's a case of "money talks" with the bend.

As for handing "it all back to CAMS" - LOL, the confederation got out ouf running it precisely because they knew at the time they were a governing body and not good promoters. Not much change these days really - nothing wrong with the Shannons Nationals as a series but 7 events at 6 tracks and much lower crowds, not a live TV series etc mean that it's not in the same league from the point of view of being a promoter.

Auto Action article references 13 events for 2020

https://autoaction.com.au/2019/07/03...rcars-schedule

[Tourer]

Originally Posted by one five five

Auto Action article references 13 events for 2020

https://autoaction.com.au/2019/07/03...rcars-schedule

Aha - first time referenced in this thread - thanks for that 155.

I guess we'll have to wait and see whether AA or Speedcafe have got it right.

[one five five]

Originally Posted by Tourer

Aha - first time referenced in this thread - thanks for that 155.

I guess we'll have to wait and see whether AA or Speedcafe have got it right.

All good I had read the AA article first, assumed the speedcafe one would have said the same

------

Even a drop to 14 events must be considered a worry. Any time an event is added to the schedule it is lauded as what great shape the series is in. Any drop in events numbers must be judged to the same extent, it is hardly a positive sign, especially given how well Mr Seamer keeps telling us everything is going....

[mayhem]

Surprised the minimum number of rounds to satisfy that wizz-bang Fox TV deal is as low as 13.

[Trevor]

Years ago I was fully supportive of Winton maintaining a round, but the amount of work for a marginal business (and sometimes a loss) is hardly worthwhile.

The reason I fought for them to keep a round was once the Supercars stop coming they will be just another country race track in many average punters eyes, so why bother driving the 3 hours up the highway

[GROUPA]

PI needs to stay from a drivers point of view as for the date pick a date and format and stick to it

PI's problem has been consistency the date and race has chopped and changed over the years - keep Sandown as long as you can and add The Bend - keep Winton as a 3 day event with a better support program - perhaps even have a short and long circuit format

[Tourer]

Originally Posted by one five five

Even a drop to 14 events must be considered a worry. Any time an event is added to the schedule it is lauded as what great shape the series is in. Any drop in events numbers must be judged to the same extent, it is hardly a positive sign, especially given how well Mr Seamer keeps telling us everything is going....

Personally I suspect that there might be more to this than meets the eye - but I could be wrong (and often am). The teams as a group have always been very resistant to increasing the number of events beyond 14. Even when the 14th round was then a non-points AGP, the teams as a group often weren't keen but a BIG appearance fee from AGP and sponsor preference for many teams would get them over the line. Even when the series didn't go to the AGP, the end result was that a massively increased appearance fee was offered and accepted for the following year after AGP worked out how much not having Supercars cost the event financially.

The team RECs were written initially back in those days (I can't recall if the document was updated after the Archer buy in) and as a two-way document, the number of events is in there as a commitment for the teams AND for the series organisers. In the olden days, if the series organisers wanted to add rounds above the number listed in the REC, then the teams needed to agree to that increase. If that is still the case, it's possible that the teams - even without the majority shareholding of the pre-Archer days - may have put their collective feet down and said "14 and no more".

If that is the case, it is simple arithmetic that some events need to go and the decisions then flow from that point. With Supercar having its own event arm, it's likely that part of the decision process revolves around risk and reward financially for that part of the business too.

The decisions on what existing rounds to trim with SMP coming back will have a number of factors - not least being that if QR is chopped, then Qld teams lose their existing test track and if PI and Winton are dropped, then Vic teams lose both their test track options. A decision either way is likely to cause significant headaches in that area, unless there are plans to change the testing regime for next year.

To me the biggest problem though with the REPORTED changes is moving the 500 from Sandown to the Bend (if true). Whilst it might make a little sense in the short term, in my view it is a huge mistake to move it before it is absolutely necessary - was done previously & other than generating a stronger relationship with the Qld government, did not deliver. Again, may be more happening behind the scenes IF the SA govt has tied Adelaide 500 funding to a larger event at the Bend (a facility into which the SA govt has tipped money) but still I feel a mistake for the sport overall IMHO.

[Alan52]

The decision will be based on whether they can convince Queensland government to give them several million dollars.
4 current events-2 Victoria and 2 Queensland -are up for renewal and only 2 of them will be on 2020 calendar.If Queensland government gives hand out Townsville and Gold Coast will be the 2.If not then it will be the 2 Victorian events as Supercars cannot make street races pay unless government funds circuit construction.
Maybe telling that supposed Townsville calendar reveal has come and gone.

[Trevor]

it is all about a return to Supercars so that they can 'pay the bills'

[Scrut]

Hearing today that Phillip Island and Queensland Raceway are 100% gone.
Winton gone after next year.