![]() | |
Race Information | |
Venue | Albert Park Circuit |
Number of times held | 6 |
First held | 2018 |
Race Format | |
Race 1 | |
Laps | 19 |
Distance | 100 km |
Race 2 | |
Laps | 19 |
Distance | 100 km |
Race 3 | |
Laps | 14 |
Distance | 70 km |
Race 4 | |
Laps | 14 |
Distance | 70 km |
Last Event (2024) | |
Overall Winner | |
![]() | Triple Eight Race Engineering |
Race Winners | |
![]() | Triple Eight Race Engineering |
![]() | Triple Eight Race Engineering |
![]() | Triple Eight Race Engineering |
![]() | Matt Stone Racing |
The Melbourne SuperSprint (known for sponsorship reasons as the MSS Security Melbourne SuperSprint) is an annual motor racing event for Supercars, held at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne, Victoria since 2018. The 2018 edition was the first time that a championship round was contested at the circuit, after several years of supporting the Australian Grand Prix as a non-championship event. [1] [2]
The event is staged over a four-day weekend, from Thursday to Sunday, as a support category in the lead-up to the Australian Grand Prix. Two thirty-minute practice sessions, two fifteen-minute qualifying sessions to determine the starting grid for the first and second races, and the first 100 kilometre race are held on Thursday; the second 80 km race is held on Friday; two further fifteen-minute qualifying sessions to determine the starting grid for the third and fourth races, with the 70 km race three are held on Saturday; the 70 km race four is held on Sunday. [3]
The driver who accumulates the most points across the four races receives the "Larry Perkins Trophy", named in honour of the Supercars Hall of Fame inductee who also started eleven Formula One Grands Prix. [4] The perpetual trophy was designed in collaboration between a student and senior lecturer at RMIT University and was partly created using 3D printing. [5]
Supercars Championship have held non-championship events at the Australian Grand Prix dating back to its first appearance on the Formula One calendar in 1985. The support event, most recently known as the Supercars Challenge, was held in every year from 1985 to 2017 except 2007. After the demise of the event, the series finally attained championship status for the 2018 season. [1]
The inaugural event saw four different winners across the four races, including Scott Pye's first championship race win in a dramatic third race of the weekend. Pye had taken the lead early in the race, and was among the drivers to remain on slick tyres during a late-race shower. Despite a brief off-track moment in the changing conditions, Pye held on for a narrow victory, the first for Walkinshaw Andretti United since the foreign investment in the team. [6] One victory and three further podiums across the weekend saw Jamie Whincup take the overall event victory and the first Larry Perkins Trophy. [7]
In the event's second year, Scott McLaughlin failed to win the event despite winning three of the four races across the weekend, including the 1,000th Australian Touring Car Championship race. In the other race, McLaughlin and Cam Waters, who were first and second on the grid, clashed on the way to the grid, leaving both drivers out of the race. The race was won by Chaz Mostert, who also went on to win the round and the trophy. [8] The 2020 event, along with the 2020 Australian Grand Prix, was cancelled on the Friday morning of the event due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Two qualifying sessions had already been held the previous day. [9] The event was included in the 2021 calendar, however was cancelled along with the Formula One round. [10]
The Grand Prix returned in 2022 to record crowds in Melbourne. The four races were shared equally between Mostert and Shane van Gisbergen, with the latter winning the trophy despite finishing the final race in 20th position due to a tyre failure. [11] In 2023, Brodie Kostecki won his first two championship races at the event, as well as the event win, on the way to winning his first title. [12] In 2024, Matthew Payne was involved in two incidents in two races whilst battling for the lead - one with Moster and one with Waters. [13]
Wins | Team |
---|---|
3 | Triple Eight Race Engineering |
Wins | Manufacturer |
---|---|
2 | Holden |
Chevrolet |
The Gold Coast 500 is an annual motor racing event for Supercars, held at the Surfers Paradise Street Circuit in Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia. The event has been a regular part of the Supercars Championship — and its previous iteration, the V8 Supercars Championship — since 2010.
The Ipswich SuperSprint was an annual motor racing event for Supercars, held at Queensland Raceway near Ipswich, Queensland. The event was a regular part of the Supercars Championship—and its previous incarnations, the Shell Championship Series and V8 Supercars Championship—from 1999 to 2019.
The 2014 International V8 Supercars Championship was an FIA-sanctioned international motor racing series for V8 Supercars. It was the sixteenth running of the V8 Supercars Championship and the eighteenth series in which V8 Supercars have contested the premier Australian touring car title.
The Sydney SuperNight is an annual motor racing event for Supercars, held at Sydney Motorsport Park in Eastern Creek, New South Wales. The event has been a semi-regular part of the Supercars Championship—and its previous incarnations, the Australian Touring Car Championship, Shell Championship Series and V8 Supercars Championship—since 1992. Since 2018, this is the only active Supercars event held in metropolitan Sydney.
The 2015 International V8 Supercars Championship was an FIA-sanctioned international auto racing series for V8 Supercars. It was the seventeenth running of the V8 Supercar Championship Series and the nineteenth series in which V8 Supercars have contested the premier Australian touring car title.
The 2016 International V8 Supercars Championship was an FIA-sanctioned international motor racing series for Supercars. It was the eighteenth running of the Supercars Championship and the twentieth series in which Supercars have contested the premier Australian touring car title.
The Supercars Challenge was an annual non-championship motor racing event held for cars from the Supercars Championship, and formerly from V8 Supercars, the Shell Championship Series and the Australian Touring Car Championship. The event was held on the Albert Park Circuit in Albert Park, Victoria, Australia as a support event to the Australian Grand Prix.
The Sandown SuperSprint was a Supercars motor racing event held at Sandown Raceway in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The event was a semi-regular part of the Supercars Championship—and its previous incarnations, the Australian Touring Car Championship, Shell Championship Series and V8 Supercars Championship between 1965 and 2011, and returned to the championship in 2021.
The 2016 Clipsal 500 Adelaide was a motor racing event for V8 Supercars, held on the weekend of 4 to 6 March 2016. The event was held at the Adelaide Street Circuit in Adelaide, South Australia, and consisted of two races of 125 kilometres and one race of 155 km in length. It was the first event of fourteen in the 2016 International V8 Supercars Championship and hosted Races 1, 2 and 3 of the season. The event was the 18th running of the Adelaide 500.
The 2016 Coates Hire V8 Supercars Challenge was a motor racing event for V8 Supercars, held on the weekend of 17 to 20 March 2016. The event was held at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit in Melbourne, Victoria, and consisted of one race of 60 kilometres in length and three races of 65 km in length. It was a non-championship event, contested by teams taking part in the 2016 International V8 Supercars Championship, and was held in support of the 2016 Australian Grand Prix. The event was the 31st running of the V8 Supercars Challenge.
The 2016 WD-40 Phillip Island SuperSprint was a motor racing event for V8 Supercars, held on the weekend of 15 to 17 April 2016. The event was held at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit at Phillip Island, Victoria, and consisted of one race of 120 kilometres and one race of 200 km in length. It was the third event of fourteen in the 2016 International V8 Supercars Championship and hosted Races 6 and 7 of the season. The event was the 18th running of the Phillip Island SuperSprint and was the 500th event in the combined history of the Australian Touring Car Championship and V8 Supercars.
The 2016 Castrol Edge Townsville 400 was a motor racing event for Supercars, held on the weekend of 8 to 10 July 2016. The event was held at the Townsville Street Circuit in Townsville, Queensland, and consisted of two races of 200 kilometres in length. It was the seventh event of fourteen in the 2016 International V8 Supercars Championship and hosted Races 14 and 15 of the season. The event was the eighth running of the Townsville 400.
The 2018 Supercars Championship was an FIA-sanctioned international motor racing series for Supercars. It was the twentieth running of the Supercars Championship and the twenty-second series in which Supercars have contested the premier Australian touring car title. Teams and drivers competed in thirty-one races at sixteen venues across Australia and New Zealand for the championship titles. Scott McLaughlin won his maiden title at the final race in Newcastle, while Red Bull Holden Racing Team won the Teams Championship at Pukekohe.
The 2019 Supercars Championship was the twenty-first running of the Supercars Championship and the twenty-third series in which Supercars have contested the Australian Touring Car Championship, the premier title in Australian motorsport. The 2019 championship also included the running of the 1,000th Australian Touring Car Championship race, which was contested at the Melbourne 400.
The 2018 Melbourne 400 was a motor racing event for the Supercars Championship that was held on the weekend of 22 to 25 March 2018. The event was run at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit in Melbourne, Victoria, and marked the first running of the Melbourne 400. It was the second event of sixteen in the 2018 Supercars Championship and consisted of two races of 130 kilometres, and two races of 70 kilometers. The races were run in support of the 2018 Australian Grand Prix and marked the first time that the Supercars support races would be a points-paying round of the Supercars Championship.
The 2019 Melbourne 400 was a motor racing event for the Supercars Championship held as a support event to the 2019 Australian Grand Prix from 14 March to 17 March 2019. It was held at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit and consisted of two races of 70 kilometres and two races of 130 kilometres. It was the second event of fifteen in the 2019 Supercars Championship and the second running of the Melbourne 400 event.
The 2020 Supercars Championship was a motor racing series for Supercars. It was the twenty-second running of the Supercars Championship and the twenty-fourth series in which Supercars have contested the Australian Touring Car Championship, the premier title in Australian motorsport. Due to disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of rounds were rescheduled or cancelled.
The 2019 Bathurst 1000 was a motor racing event for Supercars which was held on the weekend of 10–13 October 2019. It was held at the Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia and featured a single 1000 kilometre race. The event was the eleventh of fourteen in the 2019 Supercars Championship and incorporated Race 25 of the series. It was also the opening round of the 2019 Enduro Cup.
The 2021 Supercars Championship was a motor racing series for Supercars. It was the twenty-third running of the Supercars Championship and the twenty-fifth series in which Supercars have contested the Australian Touring Car Championship, the premier title in Australian motorsport. Atlanta-based international auto parts conglomerate Genuine Parts Company, through the consumer auto parts brand Repco, replaced Virgin Australia as naming rights sponsor under a five-year partnership, which was later expanded to eight years at the end of the 2022 prizegiving banquet.
The 2024 Supercars Championship is a current motor racing series for Supercars.