Photos: EDGE Photographics The Repco Supercars Championship will make its grand return to Sandown International Raceway this weekend for the Penrite Oil Sandown 500.
This will be the first time Australia’s premier motorsport category will feature at the iconic Victorian circuit for an endurance event since 2019, where Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes claimed an emphatic victory.
The popular event is the ninth round of the 2023 season and will be the first endurance event of the year, re-affirming its position on the calendar as the predecessor to the Repco Bathurst 1000 next month.
A total of 56 drivers are confirmed to take to the track across the weekend, starting with practice on Friday, before qualifying on Saturday will determine the grid for the weekend’s sole 500-kilometre race at 2:15pm AEST on Sunday.
View the full weekend schedule here.
With up to 300 points up for grabs, championship leader, Brodie Kostecki will be eager to maintain his position at the top of the standings and currently holds a 137-point lead over Triple Eight Race Engineering’s Shane van Gisbergen.
Kostecki will be joined by David Russell for the upcoming endurance events, while van Gisbergen will welcome Richie Stanaway by his side.
With each of the championship’s top four drivers mathematically able to lead the championship by round’s end, one simple mistake could mix up the standings and see a new leader emerge.
One of those drivers is Kostecki’s Erebus teammate, Will Brown, who will be looking to bounce back after a difficult round at the OTR SuperSprint in Adelaide last time out – but will this time have Jack Perkins alongside him again in 2023.
Brown is one of the few drivers to have led the championship at some stage this year but will have to best both his teammate, Kostecki, van Gisbergen and third-place Broc Feeney this weekend if he is any chance to reclaim what was once his.
View the full championship standings here.
As one of Penrite Oil Sandown 500’s most decorated drivers, Whincup will return to the grid and line up alongside Feeney, as the five-time Sandown race winner attempts to make it three in a row for the very first time after recently taking victory alongside Lowndes and Paul Dumbrell.
Lowndes will also return as one of two entered wildcard entries under the Supercheap Auto Racing banner alongside Zane Goddard in the #888 Camaro, while Blanchard Racing Team will see Aaron Love and Jake Kostecki behind the wheel of the #7 Mustang.
Joining the event will be a handful of exciting national categories, including the Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia 86 Series, Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship, Haltech SuperUte Series and of course the Dunlop Series, featuring both Super2 and Super3.
Tickets for the event are available for purchase here.
The Repco Supercars Championship will take the track at Sandown International Raceway for the Penrite Oil Sandown 500 on 15-17 September.
Entry List
Walkinshaw Andretti United
#2 Ford Mustang GT – Nick Percat / Fabian Coulthard
#25 Ford Mustang GT – Chaz Mostert / Lee Holdsworth
Tim Blanchard Racing
#3 Ford Mustang GT – Todd Hazelwood / Tim Blanchard
Brad Jones Racing
#4 Chevrolet Camaro – Jack Smith / Jaxon Evans
#8 Chevrolet Camaro – Andre Heimgartner / Dale Wood
#14 Chevrolet Camaro – Bryce Fullwood / Dean Fiore
#96 Chevrolet Camaro – Macauley Jones / Jordan Boys
Tickford Racing
#5 Ford Mustang GT – James Courtney / Zak Best
#6 Ford Mustang GT – Cameron Waters / James Moffat
#55 Ford Mustang GT – Thomas Randle / Garry Jacobson
#56 Ford Mustang GT – Declan Fraser / Tyler Everingham
Grove Racing
#19 Ford Mustang GT – Matthew Payne / Kevin Estre
#26 Ford Mustang GT – David Reynolds / Garth Tander
Erebus Motorsport
#9 Chevrolet Camaro – Will Brown / Jack Perkins
#99 Chevrolet Camaro – Brodie Kostecki / David Russell
Dick Johnson Racing
#11 Ford Mustang GT – Anton De Pasquale / Tony D’Alberto
#17 Ford Mustang GT – Will Davison / Alex Davison
Team 18
#18 Chevrolet Camaro – Mark Winterbottom / Michael Caruso
#20 Chevrolet Camaro – Scott Pye / Warren Luff
PremiAir Racing
#23 Chevrolet Camaro – Tim Slade / Jonathon Webb
#31 Chevrolet Camaro – James Golding / Dylan O’Keefe
Matt Stone Racing
#34 Chevrolet Camaro – Jack Le Brocq / Jayden Ojeda
#35 Chevrolet Camaro – Cameron Hill / Jaylyn Robotham
Triple Eight Race Engineering
#88 Chevrolet Camaro – Broc Feeney / Jamie Whincup
#97 Chevrolet Camaro – Shane van Gisbergen / Richie Stanaway
#888 Chevrolet Camaro – Craig Lowndes / Zane Goddard (wildcard)
Blanchard Racing Team
#7 Ford Mustang GT – Aaron Love / Jake Kostecki (wildcard)
Keyword: Supercars to kick off 2023 enduros with Sandown return