The2020 Supercars Championship (known for commercial reasons as the2020 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship)[1] was a motor racing series forSupercars. It was the twenty-second running of the Supercars Championship and the twenty-fourth series in which Supercars have contested theAustralian Touring Car Championship, the premier title in Australian motorsport. Due todisruption caused by theCOVID-19 pandemic, a number of rounds were rescheduled or cancelled.
The series reverted to having only two manufacturers,Ford andHolden, for the first time since2012 withNissan no longer being represented on the grid.
Scott McLaughlin successfully defended his drivers' championship with one event remaining, winning the title for the third consecutive year.[2]DJR Team Penske successfully defended the teams' championship. Ford successfully defended the manufacturers' championship.[3]
Holden was represented byfactory-backed teamTriple Eight Race Engineering.[4]
The following teams and drivers competed in the 2020 championship.
Tekno Autosports relocated toWestern Sydney and expanded to a two-car operation under the Team Sydney by Tekno brand. A secondRacing Entitlement Contract (REC) was acquired from Supercars management. It entered twoTriple Eight-builtHolden ZB Commodores.[35][47]
Brad Jones Racing expanded to a three-car team, after acquiring an REC that was formerly owned byBritek Motorsport and had been leased toMatt Stone Racing.[48] Brad Jones Racing continued to operate a fourth car on behalf ofTim Blanchard Racing.
Kelly Racing scaled down from a four-car team racingNissan Altimas to a two-car team withFord Mustangs.[49] Two of the team's RECs were purchased byTeam 18 and Matt Stone Racing, with both expanding to two car entries.[50][49][51] Matt Stone Racing acquired a second REC fromGarry Rogers Motorsport to replace the one it had been leasing fromBritek Motorsport.[52][b] Team principalGarry Rogers cited escalating costs of competing and a model that required them to purchase parts rather than develop them as the reasons for his decision to withdraw.[53] Rogers' team later returned to the championship with a single wildcard for the Bathurst 1000 – signing Super2 Series driversTyler Everingham andJayden Ojeda.[46]Nathan Herne from theAustralian TA2 Racing Series was originally signed in Ojeda's place however his entry was blocked asMotorsport Australia denied him of the required licence.[45][54]
Walkinshaw Andretti United fielded a new line-up in 2020 afterJames Courtney andScott Pye left the team.[55][56] Courtney moved toTeam Sydney by Tekno, with his seat at Walkinshaw Andretti United filled byChaz Mostert.[57][35]Jack Le Brocq leftTekno Autosports and joinedTickford Racing, where he replaced Mostert.[9] Scott Pye joinedTeam 18 and Walkinshaw Andretti United named reigning Super2 championBryce Fullwood as Pye's replacement.[58][59]Chris Pither returned to the championship on a full-time basis, racing with Team Sydney by Tekno.[38] Pither last competed full-time in2016. Courtney departed the team after one round.[60]
Zane Goddard andJake Kostecki graduated from the Super2 Series and make their championship débuts driving forMatt Stone Racing.[32] Goddard and Kostecki will share a car as part of the new SuperLite program, allowing both drivers to compete in five rounds of the series each before teaming up for the Enduro Cup.[61]
Todd Hazelwood left Matt Stone Racing to joinBrad Jones Racing.[26] He replacedTim Slade who joinedDJR Team Penske as a co-driver.[62]Jack Smith made his full-time début in the championship with the team. Smith had previously competed for Brad Jones Racing in theSuper2 Series and at selected Supercars rounds as a wildcard in 2019.[48]
Richie Stanaway andJames Golding left Garry Rogers Motorsport after the team withdrew from the series.[53] Stanaway retired from motorsport,[63] while Golding joined Team 18 for the endurance races.[32]
Simona de Silvestro andGarry Jacobson leftKelly Racing after it scaled down to two cars.[64][65][66] De Silvestro returned toEurope to compete in theADAC GT Masters withPorsche, while Jacobson joined Matt Stone Racing.[67][68]
James Courtney leftTeam Sydney by Tekno after round one, citing an inability to come to an agreement with the team for the contract to continue.[35] He was replaced byAlex Davison.[36]23Red Racing withdrew from the series after its primary sponsor withdrew after round 2, leavingWill Davison without a drive. He became a co-driver at the Bathurst 1000 forTickford Racing afterAlexandre Prémat, who resided inLas Vegas, was forced out by COVID-19 travel restrictions.[6] Tickford Racing then leased the REC and entered the car as a fourth entry with James Courtney from round three onwards.[8][69]
Only a single wildcard would be entered byGarry Rogers Motorsport in theBathurst 1000.[44] OriginallyTyler Everingham and Nathan Herne were announced as the drivers.[45] However a dispensation for Herne to compete without a valid Superlicense was denied byMotorsport Australia and he was replaced byJayden Ojeda.[46]
The 2020 championship was originally due to be contested over twenty-eight races run at fourteen rounds. Due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, theMelbourne 400 event was cancelled after practice and qualifying had commenced. With multiple calendar revision during the year, the championship was contested over eleven rounds, although racing only occurred at ten rounds.
| Round | Event | Circuit | Location | Dates | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adelaide 500 |  Adelaide Street Circuit | Adelaide, South Australia | 22–23 February | |
| 2 | Melbourne 400 |  Albert Park Circuit | Albert Park, Victoria | 13–15 March[c] | |
| 3 | Sydney SuperSprint |  Sydney Motorsport Park | Eastern Creek, New South Wales | 27–28 June | |
| 4 | 18–19 July | ||||
| 5 | Darwin Triple Crown |  Hidden Valley Raceway | Darwin, Northern Territory | 15–16 August | |
| 6 | Darwin SuperSprint | 22–23 August | |||
| 7 | Townsville SuperSprint |  Reid Park Street Circuit | Townsville, Queensland | 29–30 August | |
| 8 | 5–6 September | ||||
| 9 | The Bend SuperSprint | The Bend Motorsport Park | Tailem Bend, South Australia | 19–20 September | |
| 10 | 26–27 September | ||||
| 11 | Bathurst 1000 | Mount Panorama Circuit | Bathurst, New South Wales | 18 October | |
| Source:[71][72][73][74][75] | |||||
TheSydney SuperNight was originally scheduled to return to the calendar after a one-year absence, but was instead be the first event back after the enforced break due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, and ran in daylight hours.Sydney Motorsport Park continued to host the event.[71] TheGold Coast 600 was to have also become a night race.[72] TheAuckland Super400 moved fromPukekohe Park Raceway toHampton Downs Motorsport Park. The change was made in response toAuckland Council passing legislation that prohibited from running any event at the circuit on key dates, withAnzac Day falling on the Saturday of the round.[75]
The Bend 500 was scheduled to replace theSandown 500 as the opening round theEnduro Cup.[76]The Bend SuperSprint was re-formatted as a 500 kilometre race, while the Sandown round adopted a sprint format, called theSandown Super400.[73] This resulted in a 500 kilometre being restored as the first race of the Enduro Cup after theBathurst 1000 was the first endurance race in 2019.
TheIpswich andPhillip Island SuperSprints were removed from the calendar. It was the first time since opening thatQueensland Raceway has not been on the calendar and the first since 2004 forPhillip Island Grand Prix Circuit.[74]
The championship was disrupted by theCOVID-19 pandemic, with theMelbourne 400 cancelled before the first race of the event.[70][77] Supercars' management later announced that should an event be postponed, the calendar would have been altered to complete the 2020 fixture,[78] and that a January 2021 finish may have been required to do so.[79] Supercars later announced the postponement of theLaunceston,Auckland andPerth rounds due to the pandemic. All three were later cancelled.
The championship recommenced in June with a reformatted round atSydney Motorsport Park, with the postponed races assigned new dates later in the season.[80][81] Races atGold Coast andNewcastle were removed from the schedule.[82]
Due to a spike inCOVID-19 cases in Victoria, Sydney Motorsport Park hosted round four of the championship on the weekend of July 18–19 instead of Winton. The event followed the same format as the previous round but featured a night race on the Saturday night and fans were allowed to attend the event. This spike also caused the Sandown event to be removed from the calendar and replaced with two rounds atThe Bend Motorsport Park on the weekends of September 19–20 and 26–27.[83] This calendar revision also saw postponed races atSymmons Plains Raceway,Wanneroo Raceway and a scheduled third appearance at Sydney Motorsport Park cancelled.
The Saturday race at the SuperSprint and SuperNight events and theDarwin Triple Crown were due to be extended from 120 kilometres to 200 kilometres.[74]
Proposed changes to theMelbourne 400 and a relocatedSandown 500 toThe Bend Motorsport Park did not take place as the events were subsequently cancelled.
The number of engines that a team was allowed to use has been reduced to three, compared with four in 2019 in a bid to reduce costs. The piston ring and rocker ratios becamecontrol components and engines must complete 4,000 km (2,485 mi) before being rebuilt. Breaking the engine seal before reaching the mileage limit will result in a ten-place grid penalty, similar toFormula One's system of grid penalties for changing engine components. However, engine changes can be made with the approval of Supercars provided that teams present a clear reason for doing so.[84]
A controlshock absorber manufactured by Supashock was introduced in a bid to reducing costs.[85][86] All cars had a reduction of downforce of up to twelve percent, in a bid to improve racing and encourage overtakes. The rear wing angle was reduced from 18 degrees to 13 degrees, and has gurney flaps of 13 millimetres and 10 millimetres on the wing plane and bootlid respectively. The Mustang's rear wing has also moved forward by 90 millimetres and lowered by 50 millimetres.[87]
LED panels were to be fitted in the windows of all cars. To accommodate this, the car number on the front windscreen moved from the top-right to top-left corner. Originally scheduled to be introduced from the start of the season, due to production delays its introduction was postponed until 2021.[88]
Points were awarded for each race at an event, to the driver or drivers of a car that completed at least 75% of the race distance and was running at the completion of the race. At least 50% of the planned race distance must be completed for the result to be valid and championship points awarded.
| Points format | Position | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th | 14th | 15th | 16th | 17th | 18th | 19th | 20th | 21st | 22nd | 23rd | 24th | 25th | ||
| Bathurst | 300 | 276 | 258 | 240 | 222 | 204 | 192 | 180 | 168 | 156 | 144 | 138 | 132 | 126 | 120 | 114 | 108 | 102 | 96 | 90 | 84 | 78 | 72 | 66 | 60 | |
| Adelaide | 150 | 138 | 129 | 120 | 111 | 102 | 96 | 90 | 84 | 78 | 72 | 69 | 66 | 63 | 60 | 57 | 54 | 51 | 48 | 45 | 42 | 39 | 36 | 33 | ||
| SuperSprint | 100 | 92 | 86 | 80 | 74 | 68 | 64 | 60 | 56 | 52 | 48 | 46 | 44 | 42 | 40 | 38 | 36 | 34 | 32 | 30 | 28 | 26 | 24 | 22 | ||
| Melbourne | 75 | 69 | 64 | 60 | 55 | 51 | 48 | 45 | 42 | 39 | 36 | 34 | 33 | 31 | 30 | 28 | 27 | 25 | 24 | 22 | 21 | 19 | 18 | 16 | ||
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The 2020 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship could conclude with a showpiece Sydney night event as plans continue to evolve for the return from the COVID-19 hiatus.
Courtney will next year switch to a relocated Tekno Autosports operation
