The Virgin Australia Supercars Championship will make another stop in Victoria this weekend with the Truck Assist Winton SuperSprint.
With teams having a few weeks to prepare after a sensational show in Perth, cams.com.au has a look at some of the key facts to know ahead of this weekend.
What we’re looking forward to:
Saying thanks to our volunteers
While all eyes will be on the track for the Championship’s 13th and 14th races of the season, it will also be a weekend of celebration with the annual FIA Volunteers Weekend.
More than 10,000 dedicated, loyal and passionate officials form the lifeblood of the sport and this weekend their ongoing commitment and dedication will be recognised.
Testing time
The three-week break has enabled a number of teams to do some testing in-between races and Brad Jones Racing, Penrite Racing, Boost Mobile Racing and Kelly Racing all took advantage of the break.
This weekend will also allow teams to give some of their co-drivers an opportunity to get some valuable seat time ahead of the of Pirtek Enduro Cup rounds later this year.
Former Tickford Racing driver Dean Canto will be behind Macauley Jones’ Holden ZB during the 30-minute session, while Penrite Racing have opted to give two teenagers a run in the session with Dunlop Super2 driver Jordan Boys and 16-year-old Kumho Super3 Series driver Broc Feeney testing the Holdens of David Reynolds and Anton De Pasquale. Their regular co-drivers, Luke Youlden and Will Brown were able to get their own seat time in recent weeks, thanks to the test days at Winton.
Jack’s Back
After a difficult start to life in the top flight at Symmons Plains earlier this year, Wildcard Jack Smith is having another crack in the championship this weekend.
The Brad Jones Racing driver logged plenty of laps last time around, finishing 23rd and 24th, this wekeend the youngster is hoping to take his racing to another level.
“The wildcard experience at Tasmania was a huge weekend for me, with a lot of lessons taken away from that weekend,” Smith said.
“Moving forward we take those lessons learned from Tasmania and will aim to tick a few more boxes at Winton.”
The Championship
While Scott McLaughlin and Fabian Coulthard continued their dream start for DJR Team Penske each claiming a win in Perth, it was the two Triple Eight Drivers who would be rapt with their most recent outing.
They may not have come away with the win but their results showed the team were back challenging for race wins at the front of the field, with both Shane van Gisbergen and Jamie Whincup moving up the standings.
Cameron Waters’ third in the SuperNight race saw him move into the top 10 at the expense of Mark Winterbottom, while Chaz Mostert’s DNF saw him out of the outright top three and now sits below David Reynolds in fifth.
Championship Top 10
1 Scott McLaughlin 1346 points
2 Fabian Coulthard 1204
3 Shane van Gisbergen 1024
4 David Reynolds 971
5 Chaz Mostert 944
6 Jamie Whincup 937
7 Will Davison 914
8 Nick Percat 877
9 Tim Slade 837
10 Cameron Waters 811
This round last year:
Race 1:
Pole: Scott McLaughlin
Winner: Rick Kelly
Runner Up: Scott Pye
Third: Shane van Gisbergen
Race 2
Pole: Scott McLaughlin
Winner: Fabian Coulthard
Runner Up: Shane van Gisbergen
Third: Scott McLaughlin
The Grid
#2 Holden ZB - Scott Pye
#3 Nissan Altima - Garry Jacobson
#4 Holden ZB – Jack Smith (wildcard)
#5 Ford Mustang - Lee Holdsworth
#6 Ford Mustang - Cameron Waters
#7 Nissan Altima - Andre Heimgartner
#8 Holden ZB - Nick Percat
#9 Holden ZB - David Reynolds
#12 Ford Mustang - Fabian Coulthard
#14 Holden ZB - Tim Slade
#15 Nissan Altima - Rick Kelly
#17 Ford Mustang - Scott McLaughlin
#18 Holden ZB - Mark Winterbottom
#19 Holden ZB - Jack Le Brocq
#21 Holden ZB - Macauley Jones
#22 Holden ZB - James Courtney
#23 Ford GT - Will Davison
#33 Holden ZB - Richie Stanaway
#34 Holden ZB - James Golding
#35 Holden ZB - Todd Hazelwood
#55 Ford Mustang - Chaz Mostert
#78 Nissan Altima - Simona De Silvestro
#88 Holden ZB - Jamie Whincup
#97 Holden ZB - Shane van Gisbergen
#99 Holden ZB - Anton De Pasquale
The Support Categories:
Kumho Super3 Series
Touring Cars Masters
ECB SuperUtes Series
Excel Series
Formula Ford
The Schedule
Saturday 24 May
9:20 – 9:50 Additional Drivers Practice
10:40 – 11:20 Practice 1
13: 10 – 13:50 ARMOR ALL Qualifying – Race 11
15:50 – 16:55 Race 13
Sunday 5 May
9:20 – 9.50 Practice 2
11.10 – 11.50 ARMOR ALL Qualifying - Race 12
13:45 – 15:30 Race 14
(All times listed are Vic local times)