Supercars has made the difficult but necessary decision to cancel Sunday’s event day at the ITM Taupō Super 440, following the deterioration of weather conditions and the expected landfall of Cyclone Vaianu over the central North Island.
The safety of our fans, teams, officials, and all event personnel is the absolute priority for Supercars and all stakeholders involved. Following consultation with authorities and emergency services, including Motorsport New Zealand, Taupō Emergency Management, Taupō District Council and New Zealand Major Events. Supercars has determined that conditions on Sunday present an unacceptable risk to all in attendance.
Following the state of local emergency for the Waikato region, including the Taupō District, fans are urged to follow the latest MetService warnings and the advice of local authorities. Race 10 of the Repco Supercars Championship will be rescheduled to Friday at the ITM Christchurch Super 440.
This addition creates a bumper opening day to the first Supercars round to be held on the South Island. Supercars acknowledges the impact on ticket holders for Sunday. Ticketek NZ will contact affected ticket holders directly in the coming days with information on refund options.
Thank you for your patience and understanding during this time. Supercars Executive Chair Barclay Nettlefold said: “This is an unprecedented situation that has never occurred in the history of the Supercars Championship.
“It’s very disappointing to see a weather event of this scale disrupt what we had hoped would be an exciting final day of racing. We deeply regret the impact this cancellation has on our fans who have travelled to Taupō to be part of this event. But a cyclone of this intensity leaves no other option, and the safety of everyone at the circuit has to come first.
“We’re delighted to be in a position to make it up to fans and all our partners by adding a race to the Christchurch event.”
Supercars thanks all fans, teams, officials, our title sponsor ITM, and the team at Taupō International Motorsport Park for their flexibility and understanding. We look forward to delivering a spectacular event in Taupō next year.
For further updates, please visit Supercars.com or follow @supercarschampionship on social channels.
Header Image: Jessica Barnes/Blissful Photography
