Ladies and Gentlemen: start your engines as Ipswich welcomes back Supercars
18 July 2021
Ipswich will welcome Supercars back to the Queensland Raceway at Willowbank in an exciting move for motorsport fans.
Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding said today it was great news for the region as the Sunshine State again came to the rescue during pandemic lockdowns across the nation.
“I am delighted to welcome Supercars to Queensland Raceway in Ipswich,” Mayor Harding said.
“Thank you to Queensland Raceway and Supercars for moving the event here on 21-22 August 2021.
“Council is revved and ready to continue working with Supercars and Queensland Raceway to host the high octane weekend.”
Supercars cut the “Paperclip” circuit from its championship program for the 2020 season in what was a devastating blow to Ipswich motorsport fans.
The event had always been a fan favourite and brought thousands of spectators to the city and tens of millions of dollars to the local economy.
“I am absolutely thrilled it is back on the calendar and, speaking on behalf of the huge motorsport community in the region, I know they will be just as happy to see this event return to Ipswich,” Mayor Harding said.
“It is a huge win for Ipswich! Council will quickly turn its attention to working with all stakeholders to have the event up-and-racing within the relatively short time frame.”
Supercars confirmed today it was returning to Queensland Raceway in August, in what would be the eighth round of the 2021 Repco Supercars Championship.
Supercars plans to hold the event as a two-day, three race weekend across 21-22 August.
It followed last week’s announcement that the Sydney SuperNight race will shift to a later date in the calendar due to the current COVID situation.
The championship cars, which last raced at Willowbank in 2019, made a brief return to the track in February for early season testing.
Now they will be back for the three-race weekend in a sporting highlight on the Ipswich event calendar.
“As a big motorsport fan and regular race goer, I am very excited by this announcement,” said Deputy Mayor Nicole Jonic.
“And, as chair of council’s Economic and Industry Development Committee, I can also see the big economic boost this will bring to the city.
“This is an important and significant event for tourism and for bringing people to the city, further investment, spending, and jobs for locals.
“Motorsport fans have been pleading for the race to return to the region and this will bring joy, adrenalin and the petrol fumes back for them all.”
Supercars CEO Sean Seamer thanked Queensland Raceway for welcoming back the Supercars field.
“Sincere thanks to John Tetley and the team at QR for accommodating us and helping to keep the Championship progressing throughout 2021,” he said.
Queensland Raceway owner, John Tetley said he was thrilled to offer the Ipswich racetrack to the Series amid the current COVID-19 pandemic resulting in changes to the calendar.
“During the COVID caused turmoil of 2020, Supercars had hoped to race here but external factors prevented the two of us delivering a race weekend last year.
“This year things have reversed and the flexibility of our two organisations offer the perfect opportunity to bring things together for the fans in South East Queensland,” he said.
Supercars is planning on at least a 12-round championship, but with the current COVID crisis in NSW and Victoria, the organisation turned to Queensland for help.
Queensland has also come to the rescue of the AFL and NRL by providing COVID-safe bubbles for teams to stay and play during the pandemic.
Mayor Harding said Ipswich had shown its excellence with COVID-safe plans in place during many events this year and would be ready again in August.
“We will have all the appropriate plans in place and work with authorities to make this a safe and successful weekend of motor racing,” said Mayor Harding.