Deluge delays Supercars openers
A downpour has forced Supercars to delay the start of the opening round of the championship.
The first two races of the season were due to get underway at the Sydney Motorsport Park at 9am, but with heavy rain expected to continue throughout the morning, the schedule will be pushed back by at least an hour.
The opening round of the championship has always been a traditional rain-affected event, but this year's conditions look particularly gloomy.
"We're looking at a real chance of a significant delay or even a cancellation of the morning session," Supercars CEO Sean Seamer said.
"We're not expecting the rain to ease up until around 10:30, so we're looking at a possible delay to the start of the first race until then."
"I know the fans are going to be disappointed, but we can't control the weather," Seamer said.
Seamer said the decision to delay the start would be made on a race-by-race basis.
"If the rain eases up and the track is drying, we'll be able to get on with it. But if it continues to pour, we may have to cancel the session altogether," he said.
The Sydney Motorsport Park has a drainage system in place, but Seamer said it would struggle to cope with the heavy rain.
"The track's drainage system is good, but it's not designed to handle a deluge like this," he said.
Seamer said fans who had arrived at the track would be allowed to stay and watch the racing, but would not be able to leave and re-enter.
"We're not going to turn people away, but we're not going to let people leave and re-enter either," he said.
Seamer said the decision to delay the start was made to ensure the safety of drivers, teams, and spectators.
"We're not going to take any risks with people's lives," he said.
Supercars has a safety plan in place to deal with severe weather conditions, which includes the use of a new safety procedure for heavy rain.
The procedure involves a team of safety officials monitoring the track conditions and making the decision to delay or cancel the session based on the safety of all parties involved.
Seamer said the safety procedure had been in place for several years and had been successful in ensuring the safety of drivers and spectators.
"We're confident that our safety procedure will continue to work well in these conditions," he said.
"We'll keep monitoring the weather and make any necessary adjustments to the schedule."
The Sydney Motorsport Park is a 3.92 km circuit and features a mix of fast and slow corners, as well as a long straight.
The circuit has a number of drainage systems in place, including a network of pipes and drains that can handle heavy rainfall.
However, Seamer said that the track's drainage system would struggle to cope with the heavy rain expected in the morning.
"The track's drainage system is good, but it's not designed to handle a deluge like this," he said.
Seamer said that the decision to delay the start of the session would be made based on the safety of drivers, teams, and spectators.
"We're not going to take any risks with people's lives," he said.
"We're looking at a real chance of a significant delay or even a cancellation of the morning session,"
– Supercars CEO Sean Seamer
Author's Summary
A heavy downpour has forced Supercars to delay the start of the opening round of the championship, with the first two races of the season pushed back by at least an hour.
The decision to delay the start was made to ensure the safety of drivers, teams, and spectators, with Supercars confident that their safety procedure will continue to work well in these conditions.
The Sydney Motorsport Park has a drainage system in place, but Seamer said it would struggle to cope with the heavy rain.
Seamer said that fans who had arrived at the track would be allowed to stay and watch the racing, but would not be able to leave and re-enter.
Supercars has a safety plan in place to deal with severe weather conditions, which includes the use of a new safety procedure for heavy rain.
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