What you need to know: ITM Auckland SuperSprint

Located roughly 50km south of Auckland, Pukekohe became the first points-paying Virgin Australia Supercars Championship venue outside Australia when it joined the calendar in 2001.

It hosted seven events before a street race in Hamilton took over as New Zealand’s round, but returned in 2013 following a $6.6 million upgrade.

The work included the addition of three new corners on the back straight that extended the circuit length from 2.84km to 2.91km, while retaining its character as a fast and flowing circuit.

The coveted Jason Richards Memorial Trophy is awarded to the driver who earns the most points across the race weekend.

What time is it on?

On-track action starts at 8:00am local time on Friday morning, with Supercars venturing out for the first time at 11:15am.

Two more practice sessions on Friday are followed by qualifying sessions and 70-lap races on Saturday and Sunday, the latter starting at 4:10pm each day.

Click here for the full track schedule.

How can I watch it?

Every session from the ITM Auckland SuperSprint will be broadcast live and ad-break free on Fox Sports 506, from 9am AEDT Friday and 7:30am on Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday’s highlights will be shown from 8:30pm AEDT on One, with Sunday’s package on Ten from 4:00pm.

In New Zealand, Sky will have live coverage from 11am on Friday and 9:30am on Saturday and Sunday.

Click here for the full television schedule.

Where can I buy tickets?

Tickets can be purchased online here, while there will be others available at the circuit.

How else can I follow it?

Supercars.com will provide all the latest news and updates throughout the weekend, while you can follow along on social media with @supercars and the hashtag #VASC on Twitter, or facebook.com/supercars.

Live timing will also be available on Supercars.com throughout the weekend and on the official app.

The numbers

Length: 2.91km

Direction: Clockwise

Average Speed: 166.6km/h

Top Speed: 258km/h

Fast fact: Just four drivers - Craig Lowndes, Garth Tander, Jason Bright and Todd Kelly - have contested every Supercars Championship event at Pukekohe since it joined the calendar in 2001.

Qualifying Lap Record: Jamie Whincup, Triple Eight Race Engineering Commodore VF, 1:02.1183s, 2016, Dunlop Hard Tyre

Race Lap Record: Craig Lowndes, Triple Eight Race Engineering Commodore VF, 1:03.2524s, 2015, Dunlop Hard Tyre

Race wins by driver

9: Greg Murphy

5: Jamie Whincup

4: Jason Bright, Mark Skaife

3: Garth Tander, Mark Winterbottom

2: Shane van Gisbergen

1: Marcos Ambrose, Rick Kelly, Scott McLaughlin, Todd Kelly, Will Davison, David Reynolds

Pole positions by driver

6: Jamie Whincup

4: Shane van Gisbergen