Let there be night: History of Supercars racing under lights

The sound of V8 engines will help light up the Sydney sky when the 2021 season resumes at Sydney Motorsport Park next month.

It has been confirmed the Sydney venue will host the first Repco Supercars Championship action since July’s WD-40 Townsville SuperSprint.

Like it did last year, Sydney Motorsport Park will stage the season resumption after a three-month hiatus due to COVID restrictions.

Sydney Motorsport Park will stage four back-to-back weekends of racing, starting on October 29.

Multiple races will be held at night over the four events, and fans can expect a variation in formats and regulations.

The first-ever Australian Touring Car Championship night event was held at Calder Park in 1980.

The 1980 Calder Park round was just a one day meeting - practice, qualifying and the two races all held on the Saturday.

Peter Brock was peerless, taking pole and both 25-lap races.

Brock was on a mission in 1980

Kevin Bartlett, aboard his Chevrolet Camaro, kept Brock honest with Murray Carter first of the Fords home in third.

As history showed, it would be 16 years before another night race was held in the ATCC.

Fittingly, it came at Sydney Motorsport Park, then known as Eastern Creek Raceway.

Eastern Creek saw the debut of a new weekend format, which consisted of three, 20-minute sprint races.

Bartlett was Brock's biggest challenger at Calder in 1980

The weekend saw a new wave of new talent, headlined by the debut of two future champions, Craig Lowndes and Russell Ingall.

John Bowe led Peter Brock and Glenn Seton in qualifying, with defending series champion Bowe winning the first heat. Brock led early, but spun out of contention.

In the twilight second race, the 21-year-old Lowndes stole the show.

Eventual series champion and rookie Lowndes lapped quicker than Bowe’s pole time, and was never headed in Race 3.

Lowndes was a revelation in 1996

Lowndes defeated former world motorcycle champion Wayne Gardner, who would enjoy success the next time the series ran under lights.

In 1997, with the championship now under the ownership of AVESCO, the V8 Supercars name was introduced.

Out was Lowndes, who departed for a crack at open-wheel racing in Europe. In at the Holden Racing Team was Greg Murphy.

Seton, Bowe, Brock and Ingall loomed as the biggest threats - but it was Gardner who made it work under lights.

History under lights in 1996

Gardner's Coca-Cola team had reduced to a single car over the off-season, and he duly qualified second behind Murphy, who became the first driver in 22 years to score pole on debut.

Murphy won to become the first driver in 37 years to win on debut, but a poor start in Race 2 opened the door to Gardner and Seton.

Gardner won Race 2 and the round, with eventual champion Seton winning the final heat.

Flood-lit Supercars made its return in 2010, when Abu Dhabi made its championship debut.

Gardner was the surprise packet at Calder in 1997

Abu Dhabi launched the 2010 and 2011 seasons rather than the otherwise-standard Adelaide 500.

Jamie Whincup swept the 2010 event, before winning the opener in 2011. James Courtney ended the 2011 weekend with a thrilling win over Jason Bright.

Both Whincup and Courtney won in Abu Dhabi after switching from Ford to Holden.

Triple Eight entered 2010 with Commodores, and Whincup led Lowndes in a one-two in Race 1.

Happy days for Whincup and Triple Eight in 2010

Whincup followed it up with a Race 2 win, and made it four-from-four when the season continued in Bahrain.

Courtney won the 2010 title for Dick Johnson Racing, but took the prized #1 with him to the Holden Racing Team.

Whincup started the 2011 season with a comfortable victory, while Courtney started 20th and finished finished four laps down in 26th.

In Race 2, Courtney and Bright lit up the Abu Dhabi sky with a remarkable battle.

Courtney started fifth, then pitted during both of the Safety Car periods.

With track position - but a question mark over fuel - Courtney defended from Bright to win a thriller.

Night racing made a triumphant return, again at Sydney Motorsport Park in 2018.

Over 22,000 fans flocked to Eastern Creek to watch the first Supercars night race in Australia since the 1997 Calder event.

Shane van Gisbergen led home Whincup in a Triple Eight one-two, with Scott McLaughlin third ahead of Lowndes.

The single 300-kilometre race was followed up by two Perth night races in 2019, which were won by McLaughlin and Shell V-Power Racing Team teammate Fabian Coulthard.

It marked the first time a night Supercars event had been held at the Perth circuit, but it changed little in the scheme of the season, with Shell Mustangs the class of the field.

A superior Coulthard start paved the way to the Friday night result, before McLaughlin was forced to come from behind to win the Saturday race - just one of his record 18 wins in 2019.

McLaughlin was on a charge in Perth in 2019

McLaughlin was again the man to beat in the sole night race in Sydney last year.

It was the fourth of McLaughlin's 13 wins in 2020; varying tyre strategies made the 32-lap race a complex affair, but once the pit stop cycle shook out, the Kiwi emerged ahead and took the flag 1.3s ahead of Lee Holdsworth.

Supercars has confirmed fans will be welcome at all four Sydney events.

Ticketing details are being prepared, but fans can expect multi-event packages, family packages, park and view, grandstand and general admission options to cater for all tastes and expectations.

Details of the ticketing information will be communicated by Supercars soon.

Full broadcast details for all events, including details of daily coverage plans, will also be released soon.

Supercars will be working closely with health authorities around COVID-safe measures and Public Health Order requirements to ensure the safety of all staff and patrons attending the event.

All teams and officials will follow appropriate health guidelines for each event.