Photo: V8 Supercars

2013 calendar announced by V8 Supercars

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V8 Supercars has unveiled the 2013 championship calendar, which runs from February to December and features 16 events.

Fans will have their first opportunity to see the entire field of ‘cars of the future’, which will feature Nissan and Mercedes in addition to Ford and Holden, on February 16 when the official pre-season test is held at Sydney Motorsport Park. The first race of the 2013 season will again be the Clipsal 500, to be held on the Adelaide street circuit on February 28 to March 3.

There are three international events on the 2013 calendar. The first of these, Pukekohe in New Zealand, returns to the calendar for the first time since 2007. V8 Supercars will make their on-track debut in America when they race in Austin in May. The final international event will be held at the Yas Marina circuit in November as part of the Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix.

The Gold Coast event has been scheduled a week later in 2013 to avoid clashing with a number of series and as result increase the pool of potential international co-drivers for next year’s event. However this comes at a cost with only one week between it and Abu Dhabi, putting pressure on drivers not to damage the cars on what has been referred to as the ‘concrete canyon’.

The 2013 championship wraps up on the streets of Homebush for the Sydney 500, to be held on November 29 to December 1. V8 Supercars have yet to announce the race formats and distances for 2013.

2013 V8 Supercars Calendar
Date – Event – Circuit
Feb 16 – Official V8 Supercar Test – Sydney Motorsport Park
Feb 28-Mar 3 – Clipsal 500 – Adelaide Parklands
Mar 14-17 – Australian Grand Prix – Albert Park, Melbourne
April 5-7 – Tasmania Challenge – Symmons Plains, Tasmania
April 12-14 – Auckland 400 – Pukekohe, New Zealand
May 3-5 – Perth – Barbagallo Raceway, Western Australia
May 17-19 – Texas 400 – Austin, Texas
June 14-16 – SKYCITY Triple Crown – Hidden Valley, Darwin
July 5-7 – Townsville 400 – Reid Park, Townsville
July 27-28 – Ipswich – Queensland Raceway, Ipswich
August 23-25 – Winton – Winton Motor Raceway, Victoria
September 13-15 – Sandown 500 – Sandown, Melbourne
October 10-13 – Bathurst 1000 – Mount Panorama, Bathurst
October 25-27 – Gold Coast 600 – Surfers Paradise, Queensland
November 1-3 – Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi
November 23-24 – Phillip Island 400 – Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, Victoria
November 29-December 1 – Sydney 500 – Sydney Olympic Park