Three phases, not one season
Rounds 1 to 9 are the Sprint Cup, rounds 10 and 11 the Enduro Cup, and rounds 12 to 14 a Finals Series. Ten drivers qualify for the finals, which run as knockouts across the last three rounds.
Australia's premier motorsport championship
Supercars
Front-engined V8 touring cars, thirty-seven races across Australia and New Zealand, and one weekend in October at Mount Panorama that the whole country stops for.
1960First season of Australian touring car racing
37Races in the 2026 season
1000Kilometres at Bathurst, the Great Race
DriversTeamsBathurst 1000Gen3V8 Supercars
What is the Supercars Championship?
The Supercars Championship — commercially the Repco Supercars Championship, and known as V8 Supercars from 1996 until 2016 — is Australia's premier motorsport series, a touring car championship raced across Australia and New Zealand and FIA-sanctioned as an international series since 2011. Cars are front-engined, rear-wheel-drive V8s built to the Gen3 rules introduced in 2023: the Ford Mustang GT, the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and, new for 2026, the Toyota GR Supra, all on Dunlop control tyres. Its crown jewel is the Bathurst 1000 at Mount Panorama. The 2026 season is the 28th Supercars Championship, the 30th in which Supercars have contested the Australian Touring Car Championship, and the 67th season of touring car racing in Australia.
- Australian touring car racing since
- 1960
- Status
- FIA-sanctioned international series since 2011
- Commercial name
- Repco Supercars Championship
- 2026 season
- 14 rounds · 37 races · 28 cars
01 — How it began
How Supercars began.
Australian touring car racing has crowned a national champion since 1960, and the Bathurst enduro at Mount Panorama started the same year as the Armstrong 500. For decades the Australian Touring Car Championship was a Holden-versus-Ford argument settled at Bathurst every October, and it is where Peter Brock built a nine-win record at the Great Race that still stands.
The V8 formula came first and the name came after. CAMS confirmed a class structure in June 1992 built around Australian-made 5.0-litre V8 Fords and Holdens, which is what made the turbocharged Nissan Skyline GT-R and Ford Sierra RS500 ineligible. In November 1996 the teams’ own body, TEGA, formed the Australian Vee Eight Super Car Company with IMG and the Australian Motor Sports Commission to run the series — and the category took the name V8 Supercars, even though the cars barely changed.
What changed was the business. The series raced as the Shell Championship Series from 1999, the V8 Supercar Championship Series from 2002, the International V8 Supercars Championship from 2011, then under Virgin Australia from 1 July 2016 and Repco since 2021 — while contesting the Australian Touring Car Championship title throughout. The championship expanded with it: Hidden Valley in 1998, an Adelaide street race in 1999, Canberra in 2000, New Zealand in 2001 and the Gold Coast in 2002. The endurance races began counting for the championship in 1999, control tyres arrived the same year, and the Top Ten Shootout was used at every round from 2001.
The cars are now Gen3, introduced in 2023 to cut costs and bring the silhouettes closer to showroom shapes. Toyota joined Ford and Chevrolet for 2026 with the GR Supra, giving the championship three manufacturers for the first time in its modern era.
- Australian touring car champion since
- 1960
- Modern championship from
- 1997, when the teams took over the series
- Renamed
- 1999 Shell Championship Series, 2002 V8 Supercar Championship Series, 2016 Virgin Australia Supercars, 2021 Repco Supercars
- Current car
- Gen3, introduced 2023
- Models
- Ford Mustang GT, Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, Toyota GR Supra (2026)
- Engines
- Front-mounted V8 — 5.4L Ford, 5.7L Chevrolet, 5.2L Toyota
- Tyres
- Dunlop control tyres, in soft, supersoft and hard compounds
- Grid
- 28 charter cars, plus up to six wildcards for the endurance races
02 — The essentials
What makes Supercars different?
A season in three distinct phases, and a points system built around one number.
Every event is worth 300
The points scale changes with the number of races at an event — a win pays 60, 75, 120 or more — set so that sweeping every race at any event scores exactly 300. No round is worth more than another.
The Bathurst 1000
161 laps and 1,000 kilometres of Mount Panorama over six or seven hours, run since 1960 and watched by crowds approaching 200,000. Both drivers of a car score the full points for the finishing position.
Three manufacturers, one silhouette
Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro and, from 2026, Toyota GR Supra — different bodies over the same Gen3 architecture, front-engined and rear-wheel-drive, on control tyres.
03 — Race weekend format
A race weekend, decoded.
Two to four races
A Super 440 or SuperSprint weekend packs three or four races into two days, each with its own qualifying.
Two drivers, one car
The Bend 500 and the Bathurst 1000 are co-driven, and both drivers take the full points scored by the car.
Knockout
The last three rounds are run as knockout events among the ten drivers who qualified, deciding the championship at Adelaide.
To score, a car must complete 75% of the race distance and be running at the finish; at least 50% of the planned distance must be run for a result to count at all.
04 — How points are scored
Supercars points system.
| Pos | Main race | Short race |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | 120 | 60 |
| 2nd | 110 | 55 |
| 3rd | 102 | 51 |
| 4th | 93 | 47 |
| 5th | 86 | 43 |
| 6th | 79 | 40 |
| 7th | 73 | 36 |
| 8th | 67 | 33 |
| 9th | 62 | 31 |
| 10th | 57 | 28 |
Why the numbers keep changing
- Different scales apply to events with one, two, three or four races, set so that winning every race at any event pays 300.
- A three-race round pays 60 for the opener and 120 for each of the other two. A four-race round pays 75 each. Both add up to 300.
- Points run all the way down to 25th place.
- Five bonus points for the fastest lap.
- At the endurance rounds both drivers of a car score the car’s full points.
The two columns above are the scales used at three-race rounds — the short opening race, then the two longer ones. Other event formats use their own scale to reach the same 300-point maximum.
05 — Race calendar
Next: The Bend 500 · 11–13 September 2026 Supercars calendar.
| Round | Phase | Event | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Sprint Cup | Sydney 500, Sydney Motorsport Park | 20–22 February |
| 02 | Sprint Cup | Melbourne SuperSprint, Albert Park | 5–8 March |
| 03 | Sprint Cup | Taupō Super 440, New Zealand | 10–11 April |
| 04 | Sprint Cup | Christchurch Super 440, New Zealand | 17–19 April |
| 05 | Sprint Cup | Tasmania Super 440, Symmons Plains | 22–24 May |
| 06 | Sprint Cup | Darwin Triple Crown, Hidden Valley | 19–21 June |
| 07 | Sprint Cup | Townsville 500, Reid Park | 10–12 July |
| 08 | Sprint Cup | Perth Super 440, Wanneroo Raceway | 31 July – 2 August |
| 09 | Sprint Cup | Ipswich Super 440, Queensland Raceway | 21–23 August |
| 10 | Enduro Cup | The Bend 500, Tailem Bend | 11–13 September |
| 11 | Enduro Cup | Bathurst 1000, Mount Panorama | 8–11 October |
| 12 | Finals | Gold Coast 500, Surfers Paradise | 23–25 October |
| 13 | Finals | Sandown 500, Sandown Raceway | 6–8 November |
| 14 | Finals | Adelaide Grand Final, Adelaide Street Circuit | 26–29 November |
Last updated: 7 September 2026. Fourteen rounds and 37 races. The Sprint Cup is complete — Broc Feeney won it for the second year running, and Ford has already taken the Manufacturers' Championship. Race 10 at Christchurch was postponed when Cyclone Vaianu hit. The Enduro Cup starts at The Bend this weekend, and the title is settled at Adelaide in November.
06 — From 1960 to today
Supercars timeline.
1960
Australia gets a champion
The first Australian Touring Car Championship is run, and Mount Panorama holds the first Bathurst enduro as the Armstrong 500.
1970s–1980s
The Brock era
Peter Brock wins the Great Race nine times, a record that still stands, and turns Bathurst into a national event.
1992
A V8 formula of its own
CAMS confirms the class structure in June: Class A for Australian-built 5.0-litre V8 Fords and Holdens, which makes the turbocharged Nissan Skyline GT-R and Ford Sierra RS500 ineligible from 1993.
1996
AVESCO, and the name
The Australian Vee Eight Super Car Company is formed in November by the teams' own body TEGA with IMG and the Australian Motor Sports Commission. The category takes the name V8 Supercars — the cars themselves barely change.
1999
The enduros start counting
Bathurst and Sandown are folded into the championship, control tyres arrive with Bridgestone, and the series races as the Shell Championship Series.
2002
V8 Supercar Championship Series
Shell's sponsorship ends and the V8 name moves into the series title. Dunlop replaces Bridgestone as control tyre supplier, and the Gold Coast Indy 300 support race becomes a championship round.
2011
An FIA international series
Supercars is recognised by the FIA and the series is retitled the International V8 Supercars Championship, opening the door to rounds beyond Australia and New Zealand.
2016
The V8 name goes
A deal with Virgin Australia agreed in April renames the series on 1 July, mid-season — so 2016 is the last season titled International V8 Supercars and 2017 the first titled Supercars Championship.
2023
Gen3
New cars cut costs and bring the Mustang and Camaro closer to their showroom shapes.
2025
A finals series
Ten drivers now carry the championship into knockout rounds across the last three events.
2026
Toyota arrives
The GR Supra joins Ford and Chevrolet, giving the championship three manufacturers.
07 — The cars
How the machinery changed.
Group C and Group A
Australian touring car rules of their own, then international Group A — the era of the Torana, the Falcon and Brock's Commodores.
Five-litre V8s
A locally written formula settled on 5.0-litre V8 Holdens and Fords, restricted to 7,500 rpm, and the Holden-versus-Ford rivalry became the sport's identity.
Car of the Future and Gen2
A project led by Mark Skaife from 2008 aimed at a $250,000 car through control parts: a common chassis, independent rear suspension, a rear transaxle and the fuel tank moved ahead of the rear axle. Gen2 then permitted two-door coupés and turbocharged four- and six-cylinder engines from 2017 — no team ever built one to the alternate engine spec.
Gen3
Lower, lighter cars with more showroom-accurate silhouettes and much less downforce, to cut the dirty air and make them harder to drive: the Mustang GT and the Camaro ZL1, joined by the GR Supra in 2026.
08 — Champions and icons
Racers who defined their eras.
Defending Champion
Chaz Mostert
2025 Supercars Champion · Walkinshaw TWG Racing · eighth in the 2026 standings and into the Finals Series
Icon
2026
2026
2026
2026
2026
Peter Brock
Nine Bathurst 1000 wins, a record no one has approached. The winner's trophy has carried his name since 2006.
9× Bathurst winner
Icon Jamie Whincup
The most successful driver in the championship's history, and the benchmark every modern Supercars career is measured against.
Most successful ever
Icon Shane van Gisbergen
Three-time Supercars champion from Auckland, now racing full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series for Trackhouse.
3× champion
Broc Feeney
Won the 2026 Sprint Cup for the second year running and leads the standings on 2,107 points going into the enduros.
2026 Sprint Cup winner
Matt Payne
Second on 2,077 points for Grove Racing, the team leading the Teams' Championship.
Second in 2026
Brodie Kostecki
Third on 1,878 points, and a former champion of the series.
Third in 2026
Cameron Waters
Fourth on 1,852 points, and Ford's leading challenger in the year Ford took the Manufacturers' title.
Fourth in 2026
Kai Allen
Fifth on 1,793 points in only his second full season.
Fifth in 2026
09 — Defining events
Crises, controversies and turning points.
The first Great Race
The Armstrong 500 at Phillip Island moves to Mount Panorama in 1963 and becomes the race the championship is built around.
The teams buy the championship
AVESCO is formed in November by the teams' own body TEGA together with IMG and the Australian Motor Sports Commission. TEGA held 75% and set the rules and technical management; a separate company took the broadcasting, sponsorship and sanction rights. The championship has been run for and by its competitors ever since.
Six names, one trophy
The series has been the Australian Touring Car Championship through 1998, the Shell Championship Series from 1999, the V8 Supercar Championship Series from 2002, the International V8 Supercars Championship from 2011, the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship from 1 July 2016 and the Repco Supercars Championship since 2021 — while the trophy has been the Australian Touring Car Championship the whole way through.
Gen3 and a reset
New cars, closer parity and lower costs, after years of argument about how much teams should be allowed to build themselves.
Three manufacturers, and a cyclone
Toyota's arrival ends the two-brand era, while Cyclone Vaianu forces the postponement of a race at Christchurch.
10 — Meet the grid
The 2026 Teams' Championship.
Teams' Championship Leader
Grove Racing
3,810 points, 67 clear of reigning Teams' Champions Triple Eight, with Matt Payne second in the drivers' standings
#1
3810
Grove RacingChampionship leader
#2
3743
Triple Eight Race Engineering67 behind — reigning Teams' Champions
#3
2993
Tickford Racing817 behind
#4
2723
Walkinshaw TWG Racing1,087 behind — Chaz Mostert's team
#5
2713
Dick Johnson Racing1,097 behind
#6
2680
Team 181,130 behind
#7
1959
Blanchard Racing Team1,851 behind
#8
1949
Brad Jones Racing1,861 behind
#9
1870
Matt Stone Racing1,940 behind
#10
1713
PremiAir Racing2,097 behind
#11
1209
Erebus Motorsport2,601 behind
11 — Frequently asked
Supercars FAQ.
What is the Supercars Championship?
Australia's premier motorsport series, a touring car championship raced in Australia and New Zealand. It is commercially the Repco Supercars Championship and has been an FIA-sanctioned international series since 2011.
Is it still called V8 Supercars?
No, but it was for twenty years. The category took the V8 Supercars name in November 1996 when AVESCO was formed, carried it in the series title from 2002 as the V8 Supercar Championship Series and from 2011 as the International V8 Supercars Championship, and lost it on 1 July 2016 when a Virgin Australia deal renamed the series mid-season. V8s still race — the name went because the rules opened up, not the engines.
What was V8 Supercars?
The same championship under an older name, not a separate series. V8 Supercars is what this championship was called from 1996 until the middle of 2016; the cars, the teams and the Bathurst 1000 all carried straight over, and the trophy has been the Australian Touring Car Championship the whole time.
What cars does Supercars use?
Gen3 cars, introduced in 2023: the Ford Mustang GT, the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and, from 2026, the Toyota GR Supra. All are front-engined and rear-wheel-drive with V8 engines — 5.4 litres for Ford, 5.7 for Chevrolet and 5.2 for Toyota — on Dunlop control tyres.
What is the Bathurst 1000?
The championship's most famous race: 161 laps and 1,000 kilometres of Mount Panorama, run over six or seven hours in October. It has been held since 1960, originally as the Armstrong 500, and draws crowds approaching 200,000.
Who has won the most Bathurst 1000s?
Peter Brock, with nine. The winner's trophy has been named the Peter Brock Trophy since 2006.
How does the 2026 season work?
Three phases. Rounds 1 to 9 are the Sprint Cup, rounds 10 and 11 the Enduro Cup, and rounds 12 to 14 a Finals Series. Ten drivers qualify for the finals, which run as knockout events across those last three rounds.
How do Supercars points work?
Different scales apply depending on how many races an event holds, arranged so that winning every race at any event is worth exactly 300 points. A three-race round pays 60 then 120 and 120; a four-race round pays 75 each time. Points go down to 25th, with five bonus points for the fastest lap.
Do co-drivers score points at the enduros?
Yes. At the endurance rounds both drivers of a car receive the full points for the car's finishing position.
How many cars are on the grid?
Twenty-eight charter cars, with up to six additional wildcard entries permitted for the endurance races.
Who is leading the 2026 championship?
Broc Feeney, on 2,107 points from Matt Payne on 2,077. Feeney has already won the 2026 Sprint Cup and Ford has taken the Manufacturers' Championship; the drivers' title is decided in the Finals Series at Adelaide in November.
Who is the defending champion?
Chaz Mostert, who won the 2025 title. He sits eighth in 2026 and has qualified for the Finals Series.
Which Supercars drivers went to NASCAR?
Shane van Gisbergen, a three-time Supercars champion, races full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series for Trackhouse Racing. Marcos Ambrose made the same move a generation earlier.
Does Supercars race outside Australia?
Yes. New Zealand has two rounds in 2026, at Taupō and Christchurch, and the series has been FIA-sanctioned as an international championship since 2011.
Is Kozmozracing affiliated with Supercars?
No. Unless a product page explicitly states otherwise, Kozmozracing is an independent store and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Supercars, Repco, any team or driver.
Sources
- Supercars Championship: history, cars, formats and records · Wikipedia
- 2026 Supercars Championship: entries, calendar, points and standings · Wikipedia
- Bathurst 1000 · Wikipedia
- Australian Touring Car Championship, 1960–1996 · Wikipedia
- Shane van Gisbergen · Wikipedia
- Official Supercars website · Supercars (official)
- Photo: Broc Feeney's Ford Mustang at Bathurst, 2026, by Kytabu · Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo: Chaz Mostert's Toyota GR Supra at Bathurst, 2026, by Kytabu · Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo: Matt Payne's Grove Racing Ford at Sydney, 2026, by Hiflex480 · Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Independent fan guide: Formats, calendars and regulations change. Verify current sporting information with Supercars directly. Championship, team and driver names belong to their respective rights holders.
12 — The collection
Supercars-inspired collection.
No products are assigned to Supercars yet. Add products to this series in the product editor.