Queensland Raceway will host both AASA and Motorsport Australia categories in the same event. Image: InSyde Media
AU4 was originally scheduled to hold its season finale at Sydney Motorsport Park earlier in September, however financial hurdles put forward by the circuit left the category seeking an alternate venue.
September 25-27 at Queensland Raceway became a viable option, with the venue already hosting a major state-level event, although sanctioned by AASA.
Recent turmoil has plagued AASA, including the movement of several national categories from the sanctioning body over to Motorsport Australia, and the subsequent shuttering of its event promotion.
QR circuit manager Josh McFarlane expects the weekend to run smoothly, with the different personnel to rotate through race control between sessions.
“Basically when the AU4s go on track, it’s controlled by the Motorsport Australia approved officials,” McFarlane told Speedcafe.
“So they will run race control, the stewards will be there, and other forms of officiating for the event will be run under MA.
“Then as soon as AU4s are finished, they’ll move out of race control, and other parts of the area, and then AASA drops in.”
The ultimate goal for QR is to accommodate a category in need of a venue, insisting that MA and AASA officials rotating will not pose any issues to the event operations as long as key personnel cooperate.
“It’s just trying to accommodate a category that didn’t have an opportunity to run their last round of their championship at another circuit,” McFarlane added.
“By doing this, it’s just achieving what they need, as well as trying to expand Queensland Raceway in forward thinking and trying to deliver multiple insurers on one weekend to achieve the main goal; getting drivers out and racing over the weekend and not missing out on events.
“Safety is everything for us at Queensland Raceway, so as long as those boxes get ticked, the permits are in place and the right personnel are in place in those particular groups – meaning AASA and Motorsport Australia – then we have no problem with the event.”
McFarlane stressed it’s not the first time two governing bodies have shared the stage on a single weekend.
Dual governing bodies featuring on one race weekend at QR dates as far back as the circuit’s earliest days, with joint motorcycle and car (2+4) events happening from year one in 1999.
This continued as recently as the 2025 Ipswich Super440, which featured the Australian Superbike Championship on the support undercard.
Round 4 of the QRDC on September 25-27 is set to feature Australian Trans Am, a Hot Hatch Cup Enduro, and the headline Nankang World Excel Enduro, with Supercars star Aaron Cameron confirmed in the lineup alongside Caleb Paterson.
AU4 joins the fray hosting its season finale, with a blockbuster championship battle looming.
Both Excels and AU4 will be livestreamed via the Queensland Raceway YouTube channel in conjunction with Blend Line TV.