BY the numbers, the streets of Surfers Paradise haven’t been particularly kind to the Shell V-Power Racing Team.
The catch? Only when the event has been for championship points.
Dick Johnson Racing’s record in Supercars Championship races at the Gold Coast street circuit stands at just one win from 40 race starts.
That breakthrough triumph came in 2017, when Scott McLaughlin and Alex Premat combined to win from 13th on the grid.
DJR’s three appearances on the 28 Gold Coast podiums since the event’s championship status was enacted also rank it as the team’s worst success ratio for any current venue on the schedule.
It carries scars too, with its most recent visit marred by a mega McLaughlin crash in Sunday qualifying three years ago.
But it wasn’t always this way.
In fact, DJR utterly dominated the early days of Supercar racing on the original Indy layout, before it became a championship event in 2002.
In 17 non-championship races at the venue, DJR tasted victory on a remarkable nine occasions.
John Bowe was unbeaten in the first four races held, two each in 1994 and 1996, before Paul Radisich went on a five-race win streak across 1999 and 2000.
Even further back in history, Dick Johnson himself was twice a race winner at the old Surfers Paradise International Raceway in 1981 and 1984.
That 3.2km circuit closed in 1987 and now has totally disappeared – but for its place in history archives.
