Co-driver laps headline new Sandown format

Big-name co-drivers will feature in a pre-Bathurst hit-out at Sandown next month.

The Supercars Commission has approved an updated Penrite Oil Sandown SuperSprint format.

The Sandown round, which will be held over three days, will feature an Additional Driver practice session.

The August 19-21 event will be Sandown's record-extending 52nd championship event.

Friday August 19 will feature two Supercars practice sessions, one dedicated solely to co-drivers.

It will be the only co-driver dedicated session at an event before the Repco Bathurst 1000.

The likes of Craig Lowndes, Jamie Whincup, Garth Tander, Greg Murphy and Richie Stanaway will all be eligible to cut laps.

Lowndes will race a Triple Eight wildcard in Bathurst, as will Murphy and Stanaway for Erebus.

Any driver with a Superlicence will be eligible for the 30-minute session.

Aaron Seton, son of Supercars Hall of Fame Inductee Glenn, is also set for his first main game laps.

Seton will race alongside Jack Le Brocq at Matt Stone Racing.

The Additional Driver hit-out carries extra importance for co-drivers to reacquaint with main game machinery before the Great Race.

Murphy and Stanaway will share an Erebus wildcard in Bathurst

"The updated format of our historic Sandown event is great news for fans,” Supercars CEO Shane Howard said.

“The Friday practice session allow teams to prepare as best they can for a huge weekend of racing.

“Fans get to see the best drivers in the sport on track on all three days alongside our support categories that are getting to the business end of their seasons.”

Full-time drivers will also complete a practice session on the Friday.

Saturday August 20 will feature a second practice session, qualifying and Race 24.

Saturday will run with the Format 3 qualifying system, which is knockout qualifying followed by a Top Ten Shootout.

Sunday will be headlined by two single qualifying sessions, which will set the grids for Races 25 and 26.

The Sandown and Bathurst rounds bookend the trip to New Zealand for the ITM Auckland SuperSprint.

The ITM Auckland SuperSprint will also be a three-day event, held on September 9-11.

The Sandown and Pukekohe events will be the final three-race sprint rounds of the 2022 season.

The single-race Bathurst round will be followed by two-race weekends in Surfers Paradise and Adelaide.

The Penrite Oil Sandown SuperSprint schedule will be released in the lead-up to the event.

Tickets for the event are on sale now through Ticketek and Supercars.com.

2022 Repco Bathurst 1000 combinations