Why Gold Coast chicanes, kerbs are a 'big challenge'

Setting up the car for the Gold Coast kerbs will prove a bugbear for drivers and teams this weekend.

Surfers Paradise will host Supercars for the first time since 2019 at this weekend’s Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500.

It’s the third street circuit to host Supercars this season following Albert Park and Townsville.

However, Townsville’s Reid Park circuit is a hybrid layout, with the second half of the circuit permanent construction.

Albert Park, meanwhile, is Grand Prix-styled with minimal major kerbing.

Surfers Paradise is 2.96km of pure streets, complete with concrete walls on either side.

The front chicane

The defining features of the circuit are the front and back chicanes, which feature large kerbs and tyre bundles.

Taller kerbs, like those in Townsville, have been laid down alongside the normal kerbs at the chicanes.

There will be a tyre bundle at Turn 1 on driver’s left, and tyre bundles at the beach chicane.

Kerb hop sensors are placed at Turn 2, Turns 7 and 9 (right side) and Turns 8 and 10 (left).

Drivers risk losing lap times in qualifying, or copping bad sportsmanship flags and penalties in the races.

That's not even accounting for major accidents, such as the fate Scott McLaughlin suffered in 2019.

The Gold Coast chicanes differ from those at Townsville and Sandown because of the high entry and mid-corner speeds.

The back chicane

“The chicanes definitely amplify how genuine a street track this is,” Andrew Edwards, Shane van Gisbergen’s race engineer, told Supercars.com.

“We had big kerbs at Townsville and Sandown, but this place is another level.

“The unique thing is the crowning of the roads, especially at the beach chicane; the road falls away to driver’s left.

“You run the springs quite soft, but the forces that go through the car are pretty significant.”

The control Pedders Supashock system will be used by all competitors for the first time at the Gold Coast track.

Supercars banned the use of twin-spring dampers in 2019, with linear springs in use since.

Linear springs were subject to the kerbs in 2019, but all teams employed the Pedders Supashock system in 2020.

In the seasons since, Townsville has been the only street circuit with major kerbs — until now.

Craig Lowndes said recently that the kerbs will offer a "big challenge" for the new springs.

“We use linear springs, so you need a car that responds well over bumps and kerbs,” Edwards added.

“Our cars were strong in Townsville and Sandown, they’re very stable.

“Even on the track walk, because we haven’t been here for a while, the kerbs looked bigger.

“It’s a big challenge, you can’t get too greedy with the chicanes because we’ve seen what can happen.”