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Fourteen-Round Schedule Rolled Out After Payment Talks
Supercars rolled out its 2027 schedule this week following months of tense negotiations with teams over event payments. The final 14-round schedule is being heralded as a major win after fears that a cash crunch could have contracted it to 12. However, the end result simply maintains the current total and still features five-week gaps either side of the New Zealand double-header. Those gaps exist due to Supercars owner RACE switching from air freight to sea freight in 2025 in a bid to reduce costs.
Extended Overseas Hiatus Prompts Visibility Concerns
The fact that there is no Australian event from the first weekend in April until mid-June was among the key issues pointed to by team bosses reacting to the new calendar at the Sandown 500. PremiAir boss Roland Dane observed that having 14 events is great as an initial matter, though he expressed his opinion that the championship needs more than 14. Dane added that he is not a fan of going to New Zealand for such a long time because the series drops off the radar, describing that outcome as not good while assessing the rest of the calendar as pretty good.
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Erebus Motorsport boss Barry Ryan echoed those sentiments regarding the calendar, which begins in late February and concludes in late November. Ryan remarked that it is good to get the 14 ticked off rather than 12, but noted it would be good to condense the schedule a bit more to make the championship a bit more exciting more often. He explained that while the gap surrounding New Zealand is obviously great for that country, it is going to be tough again for people back in Australia. Furthermore, Ryan pointed out that some sponsors have no commercial interest in New Zealand.
Standalone Mallala Super2 Round Added During Break
Supercars has at least added a standalone Mallala Super2 event on ANZAC weekend to help fill the gap in its main game schedule during that period.
Phillip Island Returns with Pit Lane Safety Cautions
The big change to the Supercars Championship schedule is the addition of Phillip Island, which rejoins at the expense of Queensland Raceway. Dane welcomed the return of the picturesque Victorian venue while delivering a caution regarding pit lane safety, noting that everyone will have to be very careful in pit lane as a group because it is the "narrowest pit lane in the country by some margin". However, the circuit features a very long pit lane, providing space to have decent gaps in between each garage if Supercars lays it out the right way to try and keep it as safe as possible. Dane remarked that as a circuit on a great day with a great backdrop, one cannot ask for much more apart from Bathurst. Phillip Island will take the Finals Series slot currently held by Sandown, which in turn takes Queensland Raceway's place as the Sprint Cup finale in August.
