Explained: The twists and turns of new Super 440 format
A new-look Supercars calendar in 2025 also welcomes a new format, with the Super 440 debuting in Taupō.
The 2025 season will take place over 34 races across 13 rounds in Australia and New Zealand, starting in Sydney in February and ending in Adelaide in November.
The first eight rounds of the season will constitute the Repco Sprint Cup, with five of the eight rounds to use the new three-race Super 440 format. Click here to view the full format, pit stop and tyre tables.
So, what is Super 440, and why could it offer twists and turns for drivers and teams in 2025?
What is the Super 440?
The Super400 and previous SuperSprint format have been replaced by the new Super 440 format.
The format will be used at the ITM Taupō Super 440, Snowy River Caravans Tasmania Super 440, Bosch Power Tools Perth Super 440, betr Darwin Triple Crown, and Century Batteries Ipswich Super 440.
What is 'Super 440'? Simply, the combined length of the three races; two 120km races, and one 200km race.
How much racing is there in Super 440 rounds?
The five Super 440 rounds will feature weekends of three races each.
Super 440 rounds feature two 120km sprint races on Saturday and a 200km refuelling race on Sunday.
What does Super 440 qualifying look like?
Super 440 rounds will use qualifying Format 2 and Format 3 in 2025.
Format 2 is a new two-part knockout qualifying format, where the top 10 drivers from the 10-minute Part 1 go through to an eight-minute all-in session in Part 2 to decide pole.
Format 2 will be used for the Saturday races, with the two sessions split across the Soft and Super Soft tyre, matching the corresponding race compound.
200km race day Sundays will use Format 3, which is a slightly tweaked three-part knockout qualifying. Six cars will be knocked out in Part 1, eight cars in Part 2, and then a Top Ten Shootout.
How much practice is there at Super 440 rounds?
All practice sessions in the 2025 Repco Supercars Championship will be held on Friday.
All Super 440 rounds will featured two 30-minute practice sessions on the Friday of each event.
What about Super 440 pit stops?
Teams will be mandated to change a minimum of two tyres at each compulsory pit stop.
However, there are no fuel drops in 2025, meaning teams can open up strategy and play themselves into the race.
The 120km Saturday sprint races will feature one compulsory pit stop for tyres, whilst the 200km races will feature two mandatory pit stops for tyres and fuel.
Cars won't require fuel in their stops for the 120km Saturday races, but in the 200km Sunday races, drivers will be stationary for up to six seconds as they take on fuel from the new-for-2025 churns.
The big catch
Take everything into account; two sprints, a long race, refuelling, and different qualifying formats.
Add to the mix, two different tyre compounds. The result? Expect different winners, vastly different results race to race, and plenty of action.
The Saturday sprint races at Super 440 events will be split between the new-for-2025 Dunlop Soft tyre and Dunlop Super Soft tyre, adding to the challenge for teams and drivers.
Both compounds of tyres will be used on the Saturday of all Super 440 events, with each race and corresponding qualifying session to be held on different compounds.
The Soft tyre will be the sole compound eligible for the first Saturday 120km race and the 200km Sunday race at Taupō, Perth, Darwin, and Ipswich. The Super Soft will be used for the second Saturday 120km race.
The Super Soft tyre will be the sole compound eligible for the first Saturday 120km race and the 200km Sunday race in Tasmania. The Super Soft will be used for the second Saturday 120km races in Taupō, Perth, Darwin, and Ipswich.
