After a hugely popular return to night racing in 2018, Supercars return under lights at the Pirtek Perth SuperSprint this week. 

With teams making a variety of changes to their cars through the additions of neon lights, the anticipation of light shows, fireworks and fun entertainment on a resurfaced West Australian track makes the event all the more exciting. 

Barbagallo Raceway is the host of this weekend’s round, as cams.com.au takes a look at some of key stats ahead of the Pirtek Perth SuperSprint.

The Fall Out from Phillip Island 

More changes to Ford

Following another dominant display from the manufacturer at Phillip Island which saw Scott McLaughlin and Fabian Coulthard claim victories, the Championship has made further regulation changes to ensure parity between Ford, Holden and Nissan teams.  

Ahead of this weekend, Supercars enacted an aerodynamic change meaning all six mustangs will race with a trimmed front under-tray, rear wing Gurney and endplates for the rest of the season.

Another wildcard joins to party

This weekend will see another Wildcard entry join the Championship, with the experienced hands of former Supercars regular Tim Blanchard making a return. 

After retiring at the end of last year to give his seat to Macauley Jones, Blanchard now holds a team manager role for Team Cooldrive and will drive in the same chassis used by fellow wildcard entry Jack Smith in Tasmania earlier this year.  

While the entry is technically a once off, Blanchard will use it as an opportunity to prepare for this year’s Pirtek Enduro Cup, for which he will compete alongside Nick Percat. 

“I am looking forward to stepping back into the Supercar series in Perth. The night race was heaps of fun last year, so I expect it to be just as big this year,” Blanchard said.

The Championship

Phillip Island saw Ford continue to dominate the Championship as both McLaughlin and Coulthard grabbed a one-two finish in both races. While each race saw a new face on the podium in Andre Heimgartner and Anton De Pasquale, DJR Team Penskecontinue to impress. 

Triple Eight Racing has admitted its performances haven’t met their lofty standards, and Jamie Whincup was hit hard at Phillip Island with several issues over the round, dropping from third outright to ninth in the Drivers’ Championship standings. 

Two top five finishes in Victoria saw Chaz Mostert earn some serious points and climb above Shane van Gisbergen and David Reynolds to secure third place behind the two Penske drivers.

Championship Top 10

1 Scott McLaughlin 1058 points
2 Fabian Coulthard  934
3 Chaz Mostert   815       
4 Shane van Gisbergen 802         
5 David Reynolds 791              
6 Will Davison  722            
7 Nick Percat   703
8 Tim Slade 693
9 Jamie Whincup 679       
10 Mark Winterbottom 652 

;

This round last year:

Race 1:

Pole: Scott McLaughlin
Winner: Scott McLaughlin
Runner Up: Mark Winterbottom
Third: Shane van Gisbergen

Race 2 

Pole: Shane van Gisbergen
Winner: Scott McLaughlin
Runner Up: David Reynolds
Third: Craig Lowndes

The Grid

#2 Holden ZB - Scott Pye
#3 Nissan Altima - Garry Jacobson
#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
#77 Holden ZB – Tim Blanchard
#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:

Historic Touring Cars
ECB SuperUtes Series
CAMS Australian GT Championship
Dunlop Super2 Series

The Schedule 

Thursday 2 May
18:40 – 19:10 Practice 1 
Friday 3 May
12:45 – 13.15 Practice 2
15:25 – 16:05 ARMOR ALL Qualifying – Race 11
18:45 – 19:40  Race 11
Saturday 4 May
13.05 – 13:35 Practice 3
14.50 – 15.30 ARMOR ALL Qualifying - Race 12
18.45 – 20:15 Race 12

(all times listed are WA (Perth) local times)