Triple Eight's imposing record ahead of Super 440's Taupō debut
Supercars
10 Apr
Taupō to host debut of new Super 440 format
Triple Eight has won last three events where new format has debuted
Super 440 is 10th different format to debut since 2000
The new sprint format debuting this weekend at the ITM Taupō Super 440 is set to provide plenty of drama and twists in what has already been a wild start to the 2025 Repco Supercars Championship.
The two-race SuperSprint and Super400 formats used last year have been replaced by the three-race Super 440 format which will be used for the remainder of the Repco Sprint Cup up until the Century Batteries Ipswich Super 440 in August.
The Super 440 format is something of a combination of the two sprint formats used last year, with two 120km races on Saturdays, before a longer 200km race on Sundays.
Providing a further challenge to teams and drivers, the Saturday sprints will be split between the Dunlop Soft tyre, and the Dunlop Super Soft tyre, with back-to-back qualifying sessions on the corresponding compounds.
Such limited running on a new tyre compound hasn't been seen since 2009, when the soft tyre was first introduced at Winton, known as the Sprint Tyre.
On that occasion, it was Craig Lowndes who swept both races at the regional Victorian venue, by virtue of a smart strategy that saw him reuse the softer compound at the start of the second race on Sunday.
Such a strategy call is not applicable this weekend with each race having a single designated compound, however Triple Eight still have an exemplary record with new formats.
Shane van Gisbergen won the first SuperNight event in 2018 at Sydney Motorsport Park, Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes both won races in the debut of the three-race SuperStreet format at Adelaide in 2014, and Whincup paired up with Steve Owen to win the second 300km leg of the 2010 Gold Coast 600.
Tickford Racing and Walkinshaw Andretti United also appear on the list of winners in new formats, though both teams are represented in their former Ford Performance Racing and Holden Racing Team guises.
Another team which has form with new formats is Brad Jones Racing, who had a weekend which arguably still stands as the team's greatest at Tasmania in 2013.
The Tasmania 365 was the first running of the 60/60 Sprint format, a three-race format which saw the opening race run in two 60km halves with a 15-minute half-time break followed by a rolling start.
The Albury squad won all three races that weekend, with Fabian Coulthard winning races one and three, and teammate Jason Bright claiming the second race.
On-track action at the ITM Taupō Super 440 begins tomorrow with Practice 1 at 11:45am local time/9:45am AEST.
Winners in new formats for Supercars since 1997
Format | Event | Winning drivers | Winning teams |
|---|---|---|---|
Two-leg 500km | Adelaide 1999 | Craig Lowndes | Holden Racing Team |
Reverse grid format | Canberra 2000 | Greg Murphy, Todd Kelly, Craig Lowndes | Gibson Motorsport, Holden Young Lions, HRT |
300km single race | Phillip Island 2003 | Craig Lowndes | Ford Performance Racing |
Sprint Tyre | Winton 2009 | Craig Lowndes x2 | Triple Eight |
SuperGP (2x 300km split into 150km legs) | Gold Coast 2009 | Mark Winterbottom x2, Garth Tander, Craig Lowndes | FPR, HRT, Triple Eight |
2x 300km co-driver races, international co-drivers | Gold Coast 2010 | Garth Tander/Cameron McConville, Jamie Whincup/Steve Owen | HRT, Triple Eight |
60/60 Sprints | Tasmania 2013 | Fabian Coulthard x2, Jason Bright | Brad Jones Racing |
International SuperSprint | New Zealand 2013 | Scott McLaughlin, Jamie Whincup, Will Davison, Jason Bright | Garry Rogers Motorsport, Triple Eight, FPR, BJR |
SuperStreet | Adelaide 2014 | Jamie Whincup, Craig Lowndes, James Courtney | Triple Eight, HRT |
SuperNight | Sydney 2018 | Shane van Gisbergen | Triple Eight |
Note: Indicates active driver or team
Note: Holden Racing Team now known as Walkinshaw Andretti United
Note: Ford Performance Racing now known as Tickford Racing
