Photos: Edge Photographics The Repco Supercars Championship returns to South Australia this weekend and takes over the newly rebranded Shell V-Power Motorsport Park for the OTR SuperSprint.
The Tailem Bend based circuit, Australia’s youngest permanent racetrack, will welcome Australia’s premier category for its first official race meeting under the new guise.
In addition to the honour of racing at the new Shell V-Power Motorsport Park, the championship will be celebrating a milestone of its own as this weekend’s event will mark the 600th official round of the Australian Touring Car Championship, now awarded to the winner of the Supercars Championship.
The ATCC has been in existence for more than 60 years and has seen some remarkable drivers come and go in that time – with the 500th milestone round at Phillip Island in 2016 having been won by three-time champion Scott McLaughlin.
McLaughlin eventually departed Supercars to head to the United States, a journey likely to be shared by his compatriot and fellow three-time champion Shane van Gisbergen.
With Triple Eight Race Engineering announcing it has signed Will Brown for the 2024 season and beyond, van Gisbergen will be eager to finish his time in Supercars on a high.
Both van Gisbergen and Brown are well and truly still in the title fight in 2023, along with their respective teammates Broc Feeney and current championship leader Brodie Kostecki.
Only 67 points separate the quartet in what is becoming one of the most exciting title fights in recent years and this weekend is likely to offer an interesting twist in the championship, as it is the fourth and final time in 2023 where three races will take place with 100 points on offer in each.
Since the South Australian circuit started hosting Supercars rounds in 2018, just seven drivers have ever won there, four of whom still currently race, with van Gisbergen having won four times – three of which came last year.
Cameron Waters, Andre Heimgartner and Anton De Pasquale are the other three current drivers to have won there, and with Heimgartner and De Pasquale coming off podiums in Sydney and Townsville, the two are likely to be towards the top again.
Joining Supercars for the event on the support card will be a handful of exciting national categories, including the Gulf Western Oils Touring Car Masters, the Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia 86 Series, Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship, the S5000 Australian Drivers’ Championship and the Haltech SuperUte Series.
The OTR SuperSprint takes place at Shell V-Power Motorsport Park on 19-20 August.
Schedule
Saturday 19 August
9:50am-10:20am Practice 1
11:40am-12:10pm Practice 2
1:40pm-2:30pm ARMOR ALL Qualifying – Race 20
4:30pm-5:25pm Race 20
Sunday 20 August
9:45am-10:00am ARMOR ALL Qualifying – Race 21
10:10am-10:25am ARMOR ALL Qualifying – Race 22
12:50pm-1:45pm Race 21
3:50pm-4:45pm – Race 22
*All times are in ACST
The Top 10 After Sydney
1. Brodie Kostecki – 1590 points
2. Will Brown – 1549
3. Broc Feeney – 1536
4. Shane van Gisbergen – 1523
5. Chaz Mostert – 1348
6. Andre Heimgartner – 1308
7. Cam Waters – 1261
8. Jack Le Brocq – 1159
9. Bryce Fullwood – 1076
10. Mark Winterbottom – 1056
Support Categories
Gulf Western Oils Touring Car Masters
TGRA 86 Series
Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship
S5000 Australian Drivers’ Championship
Haltech SuperUte Series
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
Keyword: Supercars to kick off new Tailem Bend era