Motorsport competitors and categories will benefit from an expanded Australian Motor Racing Series (AMRS) calendar next year, with the Benalla Auto Club-owned national series increasing its schedule to seven rounds for the 2020 season.
As has become tradition, the AMRS will commence on home turf at Winton Motor Raceway on the last weekend of February.
The Morgan Park venue in the regional Queensland centre of Warwick, which has been included on the AMRS calendar in each of the last two years, will return to the schedule for Round 2 in April.
After successfully debuting on the calendar this year, with large entry numbers across all categories, The Bend Motorsport Park in South Australia will again make an appearance in 2020, hosting Round 3 at the end of May.
A return to Winton Motor Raceway for the fourth round on 17-19 July will be followed by the series’ second visit to the Sunshine State, for Round 5 at Queensland Raceway on 7-9 August.
Significantly, the Queensland Raceway race meeting – the AMRS’ first visit to the Ipswich venue – will play host to the 2020 Saloon Car Nationals.
New South Wales will host the last two rounds of the series; Round 6 will be held at Sydney Motorsport Park on 25-27 September, before the AMRS travels to the BAC-owned Wakefield Park venue for the seventh and final round on 13-15 November.
AMRS manager Matt Baragwanath said the 2020 calendar was determined after consultation with categories and competitors.
“In constructing our calendar for next season, we liaised with all our core categories and following an extensive process of communicating with circuits, we’re excited to present the biggest AMRS calendar to date,” Mr Baragwanath said.
“There was high demand for an extra event in Queensland during winter, and our introduction of a Queensland Raceway round gives our southern competitors the opportunity to escape the cold weather while enjoying the experience of a different circuit. The inclusion of the Saloon Car Nationals among other high-profile categories will make it a memorable first visit to the Ipswich circuit.
“As well as increasing our number of rounds for next season, we’re also looking at some other initiatives to enhance the competitor experience, including feature races and varied formats.
“What won’t change is our philosophy of offering a professional, national-level experience within an affordable price range, and to that end we will continue to have a dedicated team of management personnel and officials who will travel to every round, ensuring a consistent experience for the categories and competitors.”
The exact makeup of categories on the AMRS program will be finalised shortly, but the series is again expected to take in rounds of national classes including the TA2 Muscle Car Series, GT-1 Australia, Australian Formula Ford Championship, Australian Formula 3 Championship, Thunder Sports Cup and Miniature Race Car Series, among others. Some rounds will also be augmented by local or state-level categories.
The 2019 AMRS concludes at Winton Motor Raceway this weekend.
2020 AMRS Calendar
Round 1: Winton Raceway, 28 February-1 March
Round 2: Morgan Park, 3-5 April
Round 3: The Bend Motorsport Park, 29-31 May
Round 4: Winton Raceway, 17-19 July
Round 5: Queensland Raceway, 7-9 August
Round 6: Sydney Motorsport Park, 25-27 September
Round 7: Wakefield Park, 13-15 November
