The Repco Supercars Championship ventures up north for its traditional trip to the Gold Coast Street Circuit.
IndyCars first raced around the original Gold Coast Street Circuit layout in 1991, with the Group 3A Touring Cars (the precursor to Supercars) making a maiden appearance in 1994.
From 1996, Supercars have been a fixture on the Gold Coast initially as a support event to the IndyCars before taking equal billing when it became a championship round in 2002.
When the IndyCars dropped its Australian round in 2008, A1GP soon was announced as its replacement and this was to have a long-term effect on the event.
A1GP went bankrupt and the event’s viability was soon questioned due to the lack of a top international category, with the result being a shortened layout first used in 2010.
Supercars picked up the slack of a missing international category by turning the race into an endurance event featuring some of the world’s best stars as co-drivers.
Currently, the tight confines of the Gold Coast hosts the opening round of the Supercars Finals placing extra pressure on those to have qualified.
Race winners automatically qualify to the next stage as Penrite Racing’s Matt Payne leads the way entering the Finals.
Repco Sprint Cup winner Broc Feeney and Red Bull Ampol Racing teammate Will Brown aren’t far behind, while Bathurst winner Brodie Kostecki is well placed to make the next stage.
Cam Waters will be aiming to bounce back following a lacklustre Bathurst performance and Kai Allen backs up his Finals appearance last year as a rookie, but also endured a tough time at the Mountain.
Anton De Pasquale fills the last Finals progression spot despite his high profile retirement at Bathurst.
The three drivers in the elimination zone include Walkinshaw TWG Racing drivers Chaz Mostert and Ryan Wood. The tale of woe from Bathurst for many Finals participants, but Walkinshaw TWG Racing’s contenders both hit the wall in separate incidents and Wood limped around to just scrape into the mix. Reigning champion Mostert’s crash in the closing stages dropped him into the elimination zone.
Matt Stone Racing’s Jack Le Brocq won out in the battle for the last Finals spot, but there is work to be done if continued Finals action at Sandown is to occur.
All the Repco Supercars Championship action will feature live on Fox Sports and Kayo, while the free-to-air broadcast will be on 7two on Saturday, with it moving to 7mate on Sunday.
Repco Supercars Championship – Bathurst schedule
|
Friday, October 23 |
Duration |
AEST (local) |
|
Practice 1 |
25 minutes |
11:45 |
|
Practice 2 |
25 minutes |
13:50 |
|
Qualifying Race 31 |
30 minutes |
16:05 |
|
Saturday, October 24 |
AEST (local) |
|
|
Top 10 Shootout Race 31 |
35 minutes |
12:35 |
|
Race 31 |
85 laps |
15:15 |
|
Sunday, October 25 |
AEST (local) |
|
|
Qualifying Race 32 |
35 minutes |
11:20 |
|
Top 10 Shootout |
35 minutes |
12:05 |
|
Race 32 |
85 laps |
14:45 |
Gold Coast 500 – TV schedule (AEDT)
Friday, October 23
Foxtel/Kayo – 12:30pm
Seven – No coverage
Saturday, October 24
Foxtel/Kayo – 9:45am
7two – 1:30pm-6:30pm
Sunday, October 24
Foxtel/Kayo – 10:00am
7mate – 1:00pm-6pm