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Penrite V8 Superboats announce 2021 calendar

Sean Henshelwood on 24th November 2020

Unlike many sports around Australia, V8 Superboats were fortunate to begin their 2020 campaign before things changed, but despite some windows of opportunity to continue the season, ultimately all plans were shelved until 2021.

The Australian Formula Jet Sprint Association (AFJSA) have unveiled plans for a 2021 V8 Superboats season – a season which will begin a little later than it has traditionally begun in the past.

The 2021 season will follow a traditional rotation, with Keith kicking off the program in late March, a date that is traditionally set for the popular Keith Diesel and Dirt Derby.

Temora’s opening round and the annual Colin Parish Memorial will move to the first Saturday in May, whilst the Tweed Coast Jet Sprint Club’s traditional double-headers in June (19-20) and August (8-9) will remain.

Griffith will take over the traditional September date adopted by Temora in recent years, switching across from it’s usual Autumn slot in April/May, whilst Keith will host a second round at Spitwater Arena, coinciding with the annual Keith Show, leaving Temora to once again host the season finale, with a day/night event at Lake Centenary on November 6.

V8 Superboats spokesman and board-member Justin Roylance admitted:

There’s no question 2020 will be a year we’ll never forget.

It was completely unplanned for and unprecedented, but whilst it has affected us all in different ways, we had to accept it is a real issue and one that we needed to consider in all our planning for the safety of everyone involved, so it just wasn’t worth the risk pursuing an ongoing program this year, no matter how small the risk, so we switched focus to 2021.

We understand that with the way the pandemic is affecting people around the world that we’re not out of the woods yet, and that things could change, which is partly why we have decided to start the season a little later, just in case like South Australia recently, there’s a sudden outbreak and part of the Superboat family is unable to compete.

That said, we wanted to be able to release a calendar as soon as we had an indication of when border restrictions would ease so that our teams had something to prepare for.

It’s a traditional program in many ways, just with a later start, a later finish and a few changes of venue, but it’s certainly a program that we think works for the bulk of teams and communities.

Frustratingly, plans for new venues have been side-lined off the back of the pandemic, but the committee is continuing to pursue those discussions and expand on the program in the coming seasons, but for 2021, we believe we have a solid program.

Whilst the pandemic has proven a setback for some, it has also allowed others to free up some personal time to complete projects that will allow them to start the 2021 season with new equipment, promising a strong return to racing for the many teams scattered around the country, and a great attraction for the fans who can look forward to the return of some great rivalries.

2021 Penrite Australian V8 Superboats Championship

Round 1 – Keith, SA – 27 March (Diesel & Dirt Derby)
Round 2 – Temora, NSW – 1 May (Colin Parish Memorial)
Round 3 – Tweed Coast, NSW – 19-20 June
Round 4 – Tweed Coast, NSW – 7-8 August
Round 5 – Griffith, NSW – 11 September
Round 6 – Keith, SA – 9 October
Round 7 – Temora, NSW – 6 November [FINAL]

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