SUPERCARS has elected to race on its traditional circuit layout at Sydney Motorsport Park for its upcoming quadruple header of championship rounds.
Aside from the 1996 round that used the venue’s short circuit – now known as the North or ‘Druitt’ circuit – the Repco Supercars Championship has otherwise exclusively raced on the 3.93-kilometre ‘Gardner GP Circuit’ variant in all its visits and will do so again in 2021.
While Supercars has never raced on SMP’s longest layout, a V8 Supercar did tackle the 4.5km ‘Brabham Circuit’ soon after its opening in 2012.
Craig Lowndes sampled a few laps of the course during a Triple Eight ride day in July 2012 a month prior to the championship round on the GP circuit, its first since 2008.
The new circuit used much of the layout that drivers were familiar with, save for a twisty 850-metre extension that turned right at the exit of Turn 6 and rejoined at Turn 7.
“The new section is fantastic,” Lowndes said at the time.
“It’s a technical part of the track, and a great inclusion for the circuit. Everyone is used to the fast, flowing section of turn one into turn two, but now to have that added extra, with blind corners, crests, and then down into that fairly tight hairpin.
“I can see a fair bit of overtaking going on into there, especially in the V8s and that’s something the spectators want to be able to see. The better viewing areas for the spectators are fantastic.”
Watch an onboard lap of Lowndes driving the long layout in the player below!
