V8 Supercars 2011 calendar revealed
The V8 Supercars championship has unveiled its 2011 schedule, dropping the round at Bahrain but reinstating Perth in Western Australia after a year’s absence.
The 2011 V8 Supercars Australia championship will kick off in Abu Dhabi in February, and will again end at Sydney’s Olympic Park in the first week of December.
Bahrain, which hosted the second round of the championship as part of an international double header this year, will not take place in 2011. The proximity to the Bahrain Formula 1 Grand Prix has played a part in the decision between the V8’s and Bahrain to remove the event.
“Bahrain was the pioneer of V8 Supercars racing in the Middle East,” said Martin Whittaker, CEO of the V8 Supercars.
“The success of the race was the catalyst for developing the double-header with Abu Dhabi but we fully understand the challenges that Bahrain is now facing with the proximity of the Desert 400 to the opening round of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship.”
After one year away, the championship will go back to the state of Western Australia at the famous Barbagallo circuit near Perth for the fourth round in May.
The series will also continue to run a non-championship support event at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on March 27th.
The Gold Coast 600 race will again take place, as the event has already been confirmed for two years at least, with series boss Tony Cochrane calling the inaugural event a success after 170,000 attended the race last weekend.
The jewel in the crown race at Bathurst takes up its traditional spot in the first week of October.
2011 V8 Supercars Australia Championship Series schedule
Yas V8 400 – Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi UAE – Feb 10th-12th
Clipsal 500 – Adelaide Parklands – Adelaide, South Australia – Mar 17th-20th
Australian GP – Albert Park – Melbourne, Victoria – Mar 24th-27th
ITM 400 – Hamilton – Hamilton, New Zealand – Apr 15th-17th
Barbagallo Raceway – Perth, Western Australia – May 8th-8th
Winton Motor Raceway – Winton, Victoria – May 20th-22nd
Sky City Triple Crown – Hidden Valley – Darwin, Northern Territory – June 17th-19th
Sucrogen Townsville 400 – Reid Park – Townsville, Queensland – July 8th-10th
Queensland Raceway – Ipswich, Queensland – Aug 19th-21st
L&H 500 – Phillip Island, Victoria – Sept 16th-18th
Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 – Mount Panorama, New South Wales – Oct 6th-9th
Armor All Gold Coast 600 – Surfers Paradise, Queensland – Oct 21st-23rd
Falken Tasmania Challenge – Symmons Plains, Tasmania – Nov 11th-13th
Norton 360 Sandown Challenge – Sandown Raceway, Victoria – Nov 18th-20th
Sydney Telstra 500 – Sydney Olympic Park, New South Wales – Dec 2nd-4th
