New Zealand's round of the 2020 Australian Supercars season has been pushed forward to April.
Supercars has revealed its race calendar for next year, which includes the shock omission of Phillip Island and the expected departure of Queensland Raceway.
The Pukekohe SuperSprint will take place on the weekend of April 25/26, giving New Zealand petrolheads just seven months between rounds.
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The 2019 edition is set to run in two weeks.
The Gold Coast was one of the big winners for the 60th Supercars season, after the Queensland government confirmed new five-year deals for both the street circuit on the tourist strip and the Townsville 400 round.
But Phillip Island and Ipswich were glaring omissions, when the 2020 format was confirmed, reducing the season from 15 to 14 rounds next year.
The Gold Coast round is set to become one of three night races, joining Perth and the recalled Sydney Supersprint.
And the enduro rounds have also received a dramatic facelift, with a 500km race at South Australia's The Bend circuit to kick off the three-race series for the first time, followed by the centrepiece Bathurst 1000 and a new-look Gold Coast 600 night race.
The programme's unveiling is a blow for the Queensland Raceway, which has featured the Ipswich round since 1999, while Phillip Island also cops a hit, after being a Supercars mainstay since 2005.
But Supercars CEO Sean Seamer was confident the reduced format would produce better racing.
Despite hosting fewer events, the 2020 season will feature an increase in racing kilometres.
The revised race formats ensures supersprint events at Symmons Plains, Auckland, Winton, Darwin and Sandown will host two 200km races, as opposed to the 120km races on Saturday and 200km events on Sunday in the past.
"The one-round reduction is to create a better, more regular and consistent rhythm throughout the year, and making sure that we're getting the right flow for both the fans and the teams," Seamer said.
The Supercars boss said the decision to cut Ipswich and Phillip Island was not made lightly.
"Phillip Island is one of the best permanent circuits in Australia, but with our operational requirements limiting the number of rounds we can complete over 12 months, it was not included in the 2020 calendar," he said.
"And it was not an easy decision, knowing the strong support we have in Ipswich, but it does not mean that the championship will not return to either facility in the future.
South Australia will host a pre-season test at The Bend, outside Adelaide, on February 18.
The championship will also feature a five-week winter break to coincide with the Tokyo Olympics, before returning with the Sydney SuperNight round in late August.
2020 Supercars schedule
February 20-23: Adelaide 500
March 12-15: Australian Grand Prix
April 3-5: Tasmania SuperSprint
April 24-26: Auckland SuperSprint
May 15-17: Perth SuperNight
June 5-7: Winton SuperSprint
June 26-28: Townsville 400
July 17-19: Darwin Triple Crown
August 28-30: Sydney SuperNight
September 18-20: The Bend 500
October 8-11: Bathurst 1000
Oct 30-Nov 1: Gold Coast 600
November 20-22: Sandown 400
December 4-6: Newcastle 500
AAP/Newshub.
