MEDIA RELEASE: Ahead of next weekend’s 2016 season finale of the Australian Sports Racer Series – Sydney Motorsport Park, November 11-13 – Series management is pleased to announce the 2017 season calendar.
Five action-packed rounds will be held with the CAMS Shannons Australian Motor Racing Nationals across five of the country’s best tracks across three states – Sandown Raceway (7-9 April), Winton Motor Raceway (9-11 June), Sydney Motorsport Park (7-9 July), Queensland Raceway (4-6 August) and Phillip Island (8-10 September).
All events will feature free live streaming of Sunday’s action – which in 2016 averaged an audience of 11,000 per event – as well as post-produced highlights packages which will be broadcast on SBS Speedweek and Fox Sports.
In addition, these programs will be available for free on-demand viewing online after their air dates, while footage will also reach an estimated 27 million homes throughout the UK and continental Europe across the year thanks to the fact that a considerable number of countries provided with satellite and cable programming via the Motors TV Network.
Like in previous years, the Australian Sports Racer Series will continue its development of inter-class racing, with the SR2 Division as well as titles for Radical/Supersports and F1000 competitors being held alongside the chase for outright honours.
“To be able to confirm the 2017 calendar as we head into our final round of 2016 is very pleasing for us, and we are very excited with the program that we have put together,” Australian Sports Racer Series category administrator Liam Curkpatrick said.
“With five-rounds which are all held at well-known tracks and supported by television coverage and live streaming, we believe this to be a very exciting calendar and our competitors agree.
“We are expecting to see numbers continue to increase across the next 12 months, with West Race Cars Australia expecting to import an influx of new cars over the holiday season and the number of Radical and F1000 racers with our Series having grown since we introduced titles for these brackets for 2016.
“We are seeing plenty of interest from both current and prospective competitors, which we expect only to increase following the confirmation of our plans for 2017.
“The future is certainly looking bright, and we can’t wait to see what 2017 has in store for us.”
For more on the Australian Sports Racer Series, including details of the 2016 finale, please visit www.sportsracer.com.au
ABOUT THE AUSTRALIAN SPORTS RACER SERIES
The Australian Sports Racer Series is an exciting national motorsport series providing something different amongst Australia’s crowded motorsport landscape. Launched in 2010, the Series joined the popular Shannons Australian Motor Racing Nationals in 2014, successfully launching the Series onto the national stage.
With spiritual links to the hugely popular sports car racing scene of the 70s and 80s, these Le Mans prototype style sports cars offer scintillating performance, amazing dynamics and spectacularly close racing.
Designed to maximise aerodynamic performance while weighing just 400kgs, these racers are powered by high-tech production-based motorcycle engines which rev to 13,200 rpm. Capable of punching out lap times equal to the mighty V8 Supercars at many circuits around Australia, these rockets are sure to grab your attention, whether you are behind the wheel, or in the grandstand.
In 2015 the Australian Sports Racer Series employed a new championship structure, which will see the introduction of divisional racing for the category – allowing more of the field to compete for race day honours whilst also still being in the running for the ‘outright’ SR1 Championship. This format continued in 2016 with success and will continue in 2017, along with the titles for F1000 and Radical which were introduced in 2016.
All drivers will be seeded according to their performances at previous national rounds and/or their domestic meetings, while racers for individual events will be seeded on their merits. SR2 points will be awarded as per the 2015 Series Sporting Regulations, and SR2 drivers who qualify more than twice in the top three or finish a race more than twice in the top three during a season will be reclassified to be eligible only for the SR1 championship.
For more information on the Australian Sports Racer Series, go to www.sportsracer.com.au
2017 Australian Sports Racer Series Calendar
Round 1: Sandown Raceway 7- 9 April
Round 2: Winton Raceway 9-11 June
Round 3: Sydney Motorsport Park 7-9 July
Round 4: Queensland Raceway 4- 6 August
Round 5: Phillip Island 8-10 Sept
