29-04-2009 SHANNONS NATIONALS CANCELS SYMMONS PLAINS ROUND

Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship

The 2009 Shannons Nationals now consists of nine rounds

While the 2009 Shannons Nationals will be contested over nine events following the cancellation of Round Nine at Symmons Plains Raceway, the series has announced plans to return to Tasmania bigger and better in 2010.

Symmons Plains was scheduled to host Round Nine of the 2009 season in October, however the Australian GT Championship’ s withdrawal from the round, along with the Shannons Nationals finale at Sandown, made the event unfeasible.

The Shannons Nationals will return to Symmons Plains in 2010, though, for what is set to be its biggest-ever event on the Apple Isle.

“It’s unfortunate that we won’t be racing at Symmons Plains this year,” Shannons Nationals director Rob Curkpatrick said.

“Motorsports Tasmania does a fantastic job organising and promoting the event, it’s always embraced by the local fans and media and our competitors really enjoy it.

“We’ve generally had three or four national categories in Tasmania each year, supported by state classes, and this year we were scheduled to have the Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship, Formula Vee and the Australian GT Championship there.

“With the withdrawal of GT and the difficulty in finding a replacement category at this late stage, we have decided along with Motorsports Tasmania to skip the round this year.”

Shannons Nationals organisers are working with the Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship and Formula Vee to find replacement rounds.

Planning is already underway for the 2010 Shannons Nationals, including a return to Symmons Plains with all five ‘core categories’.

The Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship, Australian Manufacturers Championship, Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge, Commodore Cup and Saloon Cars are set to be joined by the Victorian Porsche 944 Series in a bumper, six-category program.

“We’re committed to racing in Tasmania well into the future,” Curkpatrick said.

“Our plans for the 2010 season are progressing and a date for the Symmons Plains round has already been pencilled in.

“We have a commitment from our five core categories to race at Symmons Plains, along with the Porsche 944 Series to make it our biggest round in Tasmania yet.”

The next round of the Shannons Nationals will be held at Victoria’s Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit on 16-17 May.

The Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship, Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge, Commodore Cup, Kumho Tyres Saloon Cars, Australian GT Championship and a Porsche Club regularity feature in the series' only visit to Phillip Island this year.

For more information about the 2009 Shannons Nationals Motor Racing Championships, visit www.thenationals. com.au.

2009 Shannons Nationals calendar
1. Mount Panorama Bathurst (N.S.W.), 20-21 February
2. Wakefield Park (N.S.W.), 25-26 April
3. Phillip Island (Victoria), 16-17 May
4. Mallala Motor Sport Park (S.A.), 6-7 June
5. Winton Motor Raceway (Victoria), 27-28 June
6. Eastern Creek (N.S.W.), 18-19 July
7. Queensland Raceway (Queensland) , 8-9 August
8. Oran Park (N.S.W.), 29-30 August
9. Sandown Raceway (Victoria), 28-29 November