After a dramatic season opener at the start of the month, the Repco Supercars Championship returns to action on one of its biggest stages for the year.
 
A staple support category of the Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix, Supercars teams and drivers will once again be battling it out for top honours in the Beaurepaires Melbourne SuperSprint.
 
With Supercars to be joined by international categories such as the FIA Formula 2 and Formula 3 Championships on the support bill, Australia’s top tier international series has had a bit of a shake up to its format.
 
Although the main format of four races across the weekend remains the same, for the first time in the ATCC/Supercars Championship’s 63-year history, Supercars will hold a race on a Thursday.
 
With only Supercars and the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup taking to the track on Thursday, the category will have a mammoth five sessions with two practice sessions, two qualifying sessions and a race.
 
Thursday’s 19-lap race will be the longest for the weekend, while the rest of the event will have one race per day, 15 laps on Friday and 13 laps for both Saturday and Sunday’s races.
 
Qualifying will also be a little different to other rounds with drivers having to use both hard and super soft tyre compounds during the short qualifying sessions.
 
The starting grid has also seen a shake up, with ARMOR ALL Pole position to be moved to the right side of the track having been on the left side in previous years, and the grid to be staggered down the order.
 
Not only is there a format change for Supercars, but with Albert Park changing its circuit design, drivers are in for one of the fastest tracks on the calendar – an intriguing challenge coming off the slowest track in Newcastle.


Taking all the above into account, it should be an exciting weekend for Supercars fans around the country – with the new Gen3 cars to also get their first taste on the famous Formula 1 circuit.
 
Fan favourite and current Championship leader Chaz Mostert is the milestone man this weekend, with Friday’s race to mark his 300th Supercars start – becoming just the 30th driver to do so.
 
Mostert won two of last year’s races in Albert Park with eventual champion Shane van Gisbergen taking out the other two, although neither driver was in pole position for any of last year’s four races and both will be keen to score massive points on the weekend.
 
Every Supercars session will be broadcast live via Kayo and Fox Sports.
 
The Beaurepaires Melbourne SuperSprint is part of the FIA Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix on 30 March – 2 April.

Schedule

Thursday 30 March
11:25am -11:55am: Practice 1
1:15pm - 1:45pm: Practice 2
2:45pm - 3:00pm: Armor All Qualifying Race 3
3:10pm - 3:25am: Armor All Qualifying Race 4
5:45pm - 6:30pm: Race 3

Friday 31 March
2:55pm - 3:30pm: Race 4

Saturday 1 April
9:30am - 9:45am: Armor All Qualifying Race 5
9:55am - 10:10am: Armor All Qualifying Race 6
5:25pm - 5:55pm: Race 5
 
Sunday 2 April
10:25am - 10:55am: Race 6
*All times are listed AEDT except Sunday 2 April, which is AEST.

Championship top 10

Chaz Mostert - 276 points
Brodie Kostecki - 231 
Cam Waters - 219 
David Reynolds - 207 
Andre Heimgartner - 207 
Will Brown - 186 
Mark Winterbottom - 180 
Jack e Brocq - 174 
James Golding - 171 
Scott Pye - 150 

Entry list

Walkinshaw Andretti United
#2 Ford Mustang GT - Nick Percat
#25 Ford Mustang GT - Chaz Mostert
 
Tim Blanchard Racing
#3 Ford Mustang GT - Todd Hazelwood
 
Brad Jones Racing
#4 Chevrolet Camaro - Jack Smith
#8 Chevrolet Camaro - Andre Heimgartner
#14 Chevrolet Camaro - Bryce Fullwood
#96 Chevrolet Camaro - Macauley Jones
 
Tickford Racing
#5 Ford Mustang GT - James Courtney
#50 Ford Mustang GT - Cameron Waters
#55 Ford Mustang GT - Thomas Randle
#56 Ford Mustang GT - Declan Fraser
 
Grove Racing
#19 Ford Mustang GT - Matthew Payne
#26 Ford Mustang GT - David Reynolds
 
Erebus Motorsport
#9 Chevrolet Camaro - Will Brown
#99 Chevrolet Camaro - Brodie Kostecki
 
Dick Johnson Racing
#11 Ford Mustang GT - Anton De Pasquale
#17 Ford Mustang GT - Will Davison
 
Team 18
#18 Chevrolet Camaro - Mark Winterbottom
#20 Chevrolet Camaro - Scott Pye
 
PremiAir Racing
#23 Chevrolet Camaro - Tim Slade
#31 Chevrolet Camaro - James Golding
 
Matt Stone Racing
#34 Chevrolet Camaro - Jack Le Brocq 
#35 Chevrolet Camaro - Cameron Hill
 
Triple Eight Race Engineering
#88 Chevrolet Camaro - Broc Feeney
#97 Chevrolet Camaro - Shane van Gisbergen