Superbikes and Supercars to invade Phillip Island in October

Although the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix has been cancelled, racing will still feature at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit this October, when the Mi-Bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) joins the Repco Supercars Championship for an event dubbed the ‘Bass Coast Festival of Motorsport’

Hosted by the Australian Grand Prix Corporation (AGPC), the Bass Coast Festival of Motorsport is scheduled for 23-24 October and essentially replaces the cancelled Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix.

For the Australian Superbike Championship, the event will serve as the fifth round of their championship, just one week after Round 4 at Wakefield Park in NSW, but given the growing COVID-19 situation in NSW, that round is looking increasingly unlikely to go ahead.

For Supercars, the ‘Bunnings Trade Phillip Island SuperSprint’ will be their ninth round - and the first time the category has raced at Phillip Island since 2019.

The October event will be the second time this year that the Australian Superbikes will share a race weekend with the Supercars, following the Merlin Darwin Triple Crown at Hidden Valley Raceway in June.

According to Motorcycling Australia CEO Peter Doyle, that cross-over event worked really well, so he’s looking forward to this next one. 

“This is a fantastic initiative of AGPC and the Victorian Government to get this event off the ground and will no doubt be a fantastic event for both two- and four-wheel race fans,” said Doyle.

The Bass Coast Festival of Motorsport will be the first event the AGPC has run since the 2019 Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, after last year’s Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix was cancelled - just hours before it was due to begin - and the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix was scrapped. This year’s Australian F1 and MotoGP events have been cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, too.

Like the ASBK, the Repco Supercars Championship has had to make multiple changes to their 2021 calendar throughout the year, including a much longer winter break than usual.

Supercars CEO Sean Seamer said that Supercars fans and drivers absolutely love the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, so it’s exciting to be getting back there for the first time in more than two years.

“I want to thank the Victorian Government and the Australian Grand Prix Corporation for working with us to deliver what’s sure to be an outstanding event in October,” Seamer said.

While the Bass Coast Festival of Motorsport will be a standalone event for the Superbike class (no Supersport, Supersport 300, Yamaha R3 Cup or Oceania Junior Cup), the Supercars will be backed by the Porsche Carrera Cup, with more support categories to be announced.

As with all national motorsport events in 2021, the Bass Coast Festival of Motorsport remains subject to border closures, lockdowns and other developments with the pandemic.

2021 Australian Superbike Championship remaining rounds (as of 12/8/21)*

Rd 4: Wakefield Park, NSW - 15-17 October

Rd 5: Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, VIC - 22-24 October

Rd 6 & 7: The Bend Motorsport Park, SA - 11-14 November

Rd 8: Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, VIC – 3-5 December

*subject to change.

Words & Photos: Russell Colvin