Big-ticket Queensland events at Townsville and the Gold Coast will continue to be part of the Supercars Championship in 2024.
The announcement both the Townsville 500 and Gold Coast 500 events will be part of the yet-to-be-revealed 2024 calendar was made by the Queensland Government in the build up to Saturday’s race 25 of the season.
The dates have also been confirmed with the 15th Townsville 500 to take place on July 5-7 2024, while the 19th points-paying trip to Surfers Paradise will be held on October 25-27.
Queensland based fans will be relieved to know the popular events traditionally held in August and October will remain with only 12 or 13 rounds expected in 2024.
Supercars CEO Shane Howard said the two events are vital parts of the annual calendar.
“We are thrilled to be celebrating two major milestones for our two marquee rounds in Queensland in 2024,” he said.
“Both the Townsville and Gold Coast rounds have become key events on our annual calendar and are favourites of fans and the drivers alike, with door-to-door racing and live music acts providing something for everyone.
“The Gold Coast street circuit is one of the longest running street races in world motorsport and every year more than 20-thousand fans travel from around Australia to join our biggest party of the year.
“We’re proud to celebrate 15 years of delivering North Queensland’s biggest annual sporting event and we know fans are already planning their winter getaways to be a part of the 2024 event.”
The Supercars field in the pits ahead of the 2023 Gold Coast 500. Image: Mark Horsburgh
Supercars first graced the Surfers Paradise streets in 1994 and returned every year from 1996 to 2001 in a non championship capacity with IndyCar the main attraction.
Points were on the line for the first time in 2002 when Jason Bargwanna walked on water as Supercars shared the spotlight with CART.
But by 2009 Supercars was the main attraction when A1GP collapsed and the following year the track was shortened by 1.5km as the event became a 600km enduro for the first time.
In 2011 and 2012 teams were required to bring an international driver to partner the main game stars.
By 2013 it became part of the Enduro Cup alongside Sandown and Bathurst and remained a two-driver event for another six years.
Erebus Motorsport’s Will Brown gets some air in the Beach Chicane. Image: Mark Horsburgh
Last year the event returned after a three-year hiatus due to COVID-19 and was run as a single-driver round for the first time since 2009. This format has been retained for this year and next.
Townsville burst onto the Supercars calendar in 2009 and has quickly built a reputation as a fan favourite.
It has been an annual event every single year and even played host to double headers in the COVID affected years of 2020 and 2021, haivng had a mixture of 400km, 500km and SuperSprint formats.
The 39th and 40th races held at the Reid Park street circuit will take place next year where the Dunlop Series will be part of the supports.
The Supercars tackle the hairpin with a picturesque setting in the background in 2021. Photo by Mark Horsburgh / LAT Images
Queensland’s Tourism and Sport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said the Supercars events were some of the biggest on Queensland’s events calendar.
“The streets of Townsville and the Gold Coast will again next year be buzzing with the high-octane energy the Supercars bring to town, alone with their legions of dedicated fans.
“The events combined, inject an estimated $90 million into our visitor economy, supporting good Queensland jobs and our tourism and hospitality operators.
“Congratulations to Supercars on reaching two important milestones next year. It’s been terrific to be on the journey with you as we race headlong into another action-packed championship series in 2024.”
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Source: autoaction.com.au
George Barham, an accomplished journalist and avid gambling enthusiast, serves as the esteemed Editor-in-Chief at fly-to-australia.com, Australia’s leading source for comprehensive gambling news and insights. With an unwavering passion for both the written word and the ever-evolving world of betting and gaming, George brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the helm of our editorial team.
