The Supercars Championship has announced its 2023 calendar and there is a shock omission from the circuit grid.
For the first time since 2005, Winton Motor Raceway will not feature on next year’s schedule.
The 2023 series will consist of a shortened 12 championship rounds and two endurance races, starting on the streets of Newcastle on March 10.
But unlike this season, which featured a three-day SuperSprint round at Winton in May, the local raceway has only been allocated as a testing circuit in 2023.
Selected alongside Queensland Raceway, Winton will provide fans a chance to look at the next generation of Supercars, with the venues set to host the first test outings of team-owned Gen3 vehicles.
Supercars chief executive Shane Howard said the the debut of the Camaro vs Mustang rivalry was one aspect of what was set to be an exciting season.
“This year we have seen huge crowds return to our events and Adelaide is shaping as a spectacular finale for the Holden Commodore and Ford Mustang rivalry,” Howard said.
“We cannot wait to roll out our Gen3 Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro at Newcastle in March. What an amazing way to start the new chapter of racing for our sport.”
While the lack of a race in New Zealand was mentioned in official communications, Winton was not, with racing fans from across Victoria to be disappointed by its disappearance.
Racing rounds at Winton have been a regular fixture on the Supercars calendar since it was introduced in 1985.
Fans returned to the nation’s action track this year for the first time since 2019, after COVID-19 halted racing at Winton in 2020 and 2021.
The 2023 season will officially kick off at Newcastle on March 10, with the Bathurst 1000 60th anniversary to begin on October 5.
In a fitting finale to the calendar, the Adelaide 500 will serve as the conclusion to the Supercars Championship once again next season, on December 1, with the recently revived race bringing racing back to the Adelaide city centre.