Supercars snub as NZ event canned

New Zealand has been scrapped from the 2020 Supercars season, with the event scheduled for Auckland wiped from the revised calendar.

In the first iteration of the Supercars’ revamped schedule after an enforced break due to Covid-19, an event was set for Auckland in January, for the penultimate round of the season which was planned to spill into 2021. However, the revised schedule sees the season end in Sydney in December, with Auckland scrubbed.

Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (Ateed) general manager destination Steve Armitage said a variety of factors, including a $500 million Auckland Council budget shortfall and anticipated $10 million Ateed budget cut, means the event couldn’t go ahead.

“We’d understood all the way through this was a possibility,” he told the Weekend Herald. “We were pleased initially when the round was confirmed that it gave us every opportunity to continue to be part of the 2020 schedule but it has become apparent the past few weeks [it would not go ahead] — in particular with the complexity around the border.”

However, motorsport fans may have to wait only a few months to see the Supercars back in Auckland, with Supercars committing to a round in in the city in 2021.

“The silver lining is it’s clear with the engagement we’ve had with Supercars thus far that we’re not going to have to wait too much longer — we’ll look to defer this final year of our contract by ensuring that Auckland features as a round in the 2021 calendar — and at this stage, it’s likely to be April,” said Armitage.

The precise timing of the intended April event will be confirmed in October, with hopes set on Anzac weekend. The intent is still to host the round at Pukekohe. And with the event now set to avoid clashing with the America’s Cup, Armitage believes the delay can ultimately be beneficial.

“This event has performed extremely well for us, it delivers strong returns to Auckland, particularly in the southern part of the city.”