Sandown secures key spot in new-look 2025 calendar

Sandown Raceway will return in 2025, and will play a key role in the story of the 2025 Repco Supercars Championship as the penultimate round of the title fight.

The historic Melbourne venue has been confirmed as the 12th stop on the 13-round 2025 calendar, released Friday, and the second Victorian round after the Australian Grand Prix.

The 2025 date for the Sandown round is November 14-16, two weeks before the final round on the streets of Adelaide.

Just three weeks ago, over 60,000 fans flocked to Sandown to enjoy the 60th anniversary event. As it did in 2019, Sandown will host the penultimate round, but on that occasion, it was the famed 500km enduro race.

Endurance racing will be hosted by The Bend Motorsport Park for the first time, with the South Australian venue formally locked in as the pre-Bathurst 500km enduro following an announcement late last year.

The debut of a Bend enduro and the November shift for Sandown are just two of a number of significant calendar changes for 2025, along with Sydney hosting the opening round, the return of Queensland Raceway, and Tasmania moving to May.

Sandown is no stranger to sprint racing, recently hosting single-driver races in 2021 and 2022 before the enduro returned last year as the traditional lead-up event to the Repco Bathurst 1000.

Additionally, a Sandown sprint round was the penultimate round in 2010 and 2011, with those seasons producing thrilling final-round title deciders.

Next year, Sandown bodes to play a crucial role in yet more championship drama, and there are hopes it could continue at the famous venue beyond 2025 following a leadership chance at the Melbourne Racing Club.

The Sandown reshuffle also moves the Melbourne event away from the NRL and AFL finals in September.

"The expansion to 13 events not only brings back Ipswich but solidifies Supercars’ national and international footprint," Supercars CEO Shane Howard said.

"We’re thrilled about the strategic additions and shifts in the calendar, including moving Sandown to a November date and debuting an endurance round at The Bend.

"We’re incredibly excited to announce the return of the Ipswich event in 2025. After a few years off the calendar, we know fans in south-east Queensland have been eager for its return."

The 2025 race formats, television schedule and support category details will be announced in coming days leading into this year’s Great Race, the Repco Bathurst 1000 at Mount Panorama from 10-13 October.

Tickets are still available through Supercars.com for the 2024 Repco Bathurst 1000. A waiting list for fans wanting to secure tickets to 2025 Repco Supercars Championship events can be found by clicking here.