Motorsport: Supercars 2017 calendar confirmed

Fabian Coulthard of Team DJR Penske during the Ipswich SuperSprint. Photo / Supplied

SUPERCARS has revealed its full 2017 championship calendar with a key change from recent seasons.

Newcastle will make its debut on the schedule in 2017, replacing Sydney Olympic Park as the final round of the championship.

The season will have its traditional start in March at the Clipsal 500 Adelaide while the inaugural race in Newcastle has been pencilled in for the month of November, fitting Supercars' desire to shorten its season.

"Our preferred date for the event next year is 17-19 November but this won't be confirmed until the date of the World Rally Championship is known so as to avoid any clash," James Warburton, Supercars CEO, said.

"As we did this year, we have condensed our calendar to deliver consistent and regular events throughout the season. This will help build momentum but still provide adequate breaks for our teams."

The 2017 championship will once again consist of 14 events plus the non-championship event at Albert Park on the support card of the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix.

Supercars has found itself in a date clash with MotoGP for the second year in succession, with the Gold Coast 600 and the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Phillip Island both scheduled for the weekend of October 20-22.

The sport's annual trip to New Zealand will again be the penultimate round of the series as well as its sole overseas event, with Supercars' expansion into Asian events delayed until 2018 at the earliest.

"Owing to these legal issues we have not included Malaysia in the 2017 calendar but we remain committed to exploring new events in Asia," Warburton said.

"There is very strong interest in the region and we believe these will be great opportunities for the sport and our fans from 2018."

CALENDAR - 2017 VIRGIN AUSTRALIA SUPERCARS CHAMPIONSHIP

EVENT 1 - Clipsal 500 Adelaide
Adelaide Street Circuit, SA
March 2-5

NON-CHAMP - Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix
Albert Park, VIC
March TBC

EVENT 2 - Tyrepower Tasmania SuperSprint
Symmons Plains Raceway, TAS
April 7-9

EVENT 3 - Phillip Island SuperSprint
Phillip Island Racing Circuit, VIC
April 21-23

EVENT 4 - Perth SuperSprint
Barbagallo Raceway, WA
May 5-7

EVENT 5 - Winton SuperSprint
Winton Motor Raceway, VIC
May 19-21

EVENT 6 - Crownbet Darwin Triple Crown
Hidden Valley Raceway, NT
June 16-18

EVENT 7 - Townsville 400
Townsville Street Circuit, QLD
July 7-9

EVENT 8 - Coates Hire Ipswich SuperSprint
Queensland Raceway, QLD
July 28-30

EVENT 9 - Red Rooster Sydney SuperSprint
Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW
August 18-20

EVENT 10 - Wilson Security Sandown 500
Sandown Raceway, VIC
September 15-17

EVENT 11 - Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000
Mount Panorama Racing Circuit, NSW
October 5-8

EVENT 12 - Gold Coast 600
Gold Coast Street Circuit, QLD
October 20-22

EVENT 13 - ITM Auckland SuperSprint
Pukekohe Park Raceway, NZ
November 3-5

EVENT 14 - Coates Hire Newcastle 500
Newcastle Street Circuit, NSW
November TBC