Oran Park to bow out with '08 finale.

Oran Park Raceway will have one last hurrah before being sent to the racetrack slaughterhouse after being granted the final round of the 2008 V8 Supercar Championship as part of a special tribute.

One of the oldest race circuits in Australia, and notable for its figure-of-eight layout, Oran Park will close in 2009 to make way for Sydney's huge westward expansion. As a mark of respect for the track's place in Australian motorsport history, the V8 Grand Finale will relocate for one season, with Phillip Island being handed the traditional 500km Bathurst warm-up as compensation.

"We wanted to do something special for Oran Park and the people of Sydney," V8 Supercars Australia chairman Tony Cochrane said, noting that the circuit will next year host its 38th consecutive round of the series in an unbroken sequence dating back to 1971.

"Oran Park might be ageing as a facility, but it is still one of the most spectator-friendly tracks in the country. This is a one-off move to give one of the great circuits the appropriate send-off. We will invest heavily, along with Oran Park, into making this an event not to forget. The place has so much history and culture, we really want to send it out with a big bang."

Sandown, which has held the second endurance round of late, remains on the schedule, but moves to an earlier date, while Phillip Island now precedes the annual trip to Mount Panorama.

"Phillip Island is undergoing constant refurbishment and upgrade, including the latest extension of the pit-lane facilities, which make it even more attractive for our teams and fans," Cochrane said, "The decision to hold the endurance event at Phillip Island was one of long-term planning. Phillip Island is a motorsport venue that will be there for decades and we are looking to be there for that time.

"It is also applying for an international track licence which adds to our championship and the teams' ability to include overseas drivers for the endurance races. With the V8 Supercar Events becoming the promoter of the 500, we plan to re-launch it with new initiatives, a new sponsor and a weekend for the fans."

The changes are a feature of the 2008 calendar, which has expanded to 15 dates to include the return of the non-championship Australian Grand Prix support, and features an earlier start than usual, but with a significant break in the middle largely due to broadcaster Seven's coverage of the Beijing Olympics. The Clipsal 500 in Adelaide remains the traditional curtain-raiser, but runs over 21-24 February, while Eastern Creek is also squeezed in before the the F1 support event. The series will also make a return to New Zealand with the debut event in Hamilton expecting a sell-out 155,000 crowd to pack out the brand new street circuit in April.

The Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series will shadow the Championship Series with the exception of the stand-alone race at Wakefield Park over 4-6 April.

The full 2008 V8 Supercar Championship Series calendar is as follows:

February 21-24 Clipsal 500 (Adelaide)
March 7-9 Eastern Creek
March 13-16 Australian Grand Prix (Melbourne)*
April 18-20 Hamilton
May 9-11 Perth
June 7-9 Sandown Raceway
July 4-6 Hidden Valley
July 18-20 TBC
August 1-3 Winton
September 12-14 Phillip Island
October 9-12 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000
October 23-26 Indy 300 (Surfers Paradise)
November: 6-8 Desert 400 (Bahrain)
November 21-23 Tasmania Challenge
December 4-7 Oran Park