By Thomas Miles
Date posted: February 11, 2023
The schedule for the maiden race of the Gen3 era of the Supercars Championship has been confirmed with extra practice at the Newcastle 500.
The first time fans will get to witness Gen3 Supercars in the flesh at a championship round will be 11.15am Friday, March 10 when practice commences.
It is the first of three practice sessions, which marks the only major change in the on-track schedule for the street race event.
At the last meeting in the 2019 season finale, only two practice sessions were on the schedule on Friday before Qualifying and racing took over on the weekend.
In 2023 there will be an extra practice session with three 45-minute sessions available on Friday for drivers to come to grips with the new Gen3 cars on the demanding 2.641km street circuit.
An identical schedule follows on Sunday with both 95-lap races commencing at 16.15 local time.
The grid positions will be set by a familiar Qualifying format at high-profile street events. Drivers will be put to the test in a fast-paced 20-minute session with the aim of booking a ticket into the Top 10 Shootout.
Only three teams have enjoyed success on the Newcastle streets previously, Dick Johnson Racing, Erebus Motorsport and Triple Eight Race Engineering.
Scott McLaughlin took the first two pole positions on offer at the circuit, but the races proved to be more dramatic.
The Kiwi did win the first race on the circuit, but was famously forced to concede the 2017 title after Jamie Whincup’s win was enough to steal the trophy.
The 2018 season was rounded out with a dominant David Reynolds drive as he converted pole to victory.
Triple Eight Race Engineering dominated the last round held on the Newcastle streets.
Van Gisbergen and Whincup evenly split the poles and wins on offer on Saturday and Sunday respectively.
The 2023 Newcastle 500 will run 10-12 March on the streets of NSW’s second largest city. Tickets are available through Ticketek and Supercars.com
For more of the latest motorsport news pick up the latest issue of AUTO ACTION.
AUTO ACTION, Australia’s independent voice of motorsport
2023 Newcastle 500: Session times
All times AEST
Friday, March 10
Saturday, March 11
Sunday, March 12
Get the latest updates delivered directly to your inbox
You have successfully joined our subscriber list.
Garry Rogers Motorsport has turned to Eden Thornburrow as its replacement for Nathan Herne in the National Trans Am Series. Thornburrow has two seasons under his belt, but has big […]
Jaylyn Robotham will take his young career in a new direction this season, swapping the Super2 Series for the National Trans Am Series. Robotham, who has spent the last two […]
Former French Formula 1 driver Jean-Pierre Jabouille passed away on Thursday, aged 80. Jabouille is a veteran of 49 Grands Prix in a career that began in 1974 with Williams […]
Grove Racing and Earl Bamber Motorsport will unite for a full season of the Intercontinental GT Challenge, with Supercars driver Anton De Pasquale along for the ride. With the enlisted […]
Auto Action is published by
ACTION MEDIA PARTNERS
Oakleigh 3166.a
ABN 629 709 4459
PHONE 03 9563 2107
EMAIL [email protected]
ABN 62 976 094 459
www.autoaction.com.au
Facebook @autoactionmag
Twitter @Auto_Action
Instagram @autoactionmag
Online Shop
Bruce Williams
[email protected]
PHONE 0418 349 555
Josh Nevett
[email protected]
Recent Comments