New starts now: 2023 season launches in Sydney

The most anticipated change in the history of the Repco Supercars Championship has officially arrived – the Gen3 Ford Mustang vs Chevrolet Camaro era.

The new cars made a stunning entrance, roaring into the 2023 Season Launch in Sydney on Monday night, just over two weeks out from their first ever race on the streets of Newcastle from 10-12 March.

This year marks one of the biggest for Supercars, with the introduction of Gen3 vehicles and the 60th anniversary of the Repco Bathurst 1000.

Following on from its huge audience in 2022, the 2023 Repco Bathurst 1000 is expected to bring another mammoth crowd next year with planning already underway for the 60th anniversary celebrations.

The jewel in the crown for Supercars, the 161-lap enduro where a King of the Mountain will be crowned, will be held on Sunday 8 October.

Live entertainment will soon be announced for the NTI Townsville 500 from 7-9 July, as well as the fan-favourite Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500 which will run 27-29 October.

The VALO Adelaide 500 will be the season finale, running 23-26 November where the 2023 Supercars’ Champion lifts the famous trophy aloft for the first time in the Gen3 era.

The season will be capped off by a performance by international superstar Robbie Williams who will return to the Adelaide Parklands stage after the final Supercars race of 2023.

This year marks the third season of Supercars naming rights deal with Repco. In December Repco extended that partnership through until the end of 2028.

The 2023 season is the ninth for Foxtel as broadcast partner and the third consecutive for the Seven Network as free-to-air broadcaster.

Foxtel and Kayo will broadcast every practice, qualifying, shootout and race of the 2023 Repco Supercars Championship live and ad free.

The Seven Network will broadcast six marquee events live: Newcastle, Darwin, Townsville, Bathurst, Gold Coast and Adelaide. Seven and 7plus will broadcast highlights of all other events.

Supercars CEO Shane Howard said: “This year will be unforgettable for fans.”

“With the Camaro vs Mustang debut, the return of the Penrite Oil Sandown 500 and our marquee event, the Repco Bathurst 1000, celebrating its 60th anniversary, 2023 is shaping as one of the most exciting in the history of our sport.

“We have seen that excitement and anticipation build around the country as teams, who have worked tirelessly over recent months, unveiled and hit the track with their brand new Supercars.

“Today we are launching not just a new season, but a new era for our great sport.

“Under the guidance of our ownership group RACE and our stakeholders, we have set a path for the future of Supercars, and we cannot wait to begin racing these incredible new cars on the streets of Newcastle in just over two weeks’ time.”

Repco CEO Wayne Bryant said: "We're incredibly excited about the 2023 Repco Supercars Championship and the introduction of Gen3.

“The Gen3 program is going to create an exciting new chapter and bring new levels of competitiveness, innovation, and fan engagement to the Repco Supercars Championship.

“We can't wait for the 2023 Supercars season to kick off at Newcastle and we're excited to see the new cars on the track and the competition heating up."

The 2023 Repco Supercars Championship race weekend formats will consist of 28 races to headline 12 rounds of action from circuits around Australia.

The 28 races across the 12 events will see competitors complete nearly 5400km of racing.

The combined Dunlop Super2 and Dunlop Super3 Series which will feature ZB Commodores racing against Car of the Future Ford Mustangs will race on the support card at Newcastle, Perth, Townsville, Sandown, Mount Panorama and Adelaide.

A launch event was held tonight in Sydney ahead of an all-in test day that will be held at Sydney Motorsport Park on Wednesday, 22 February. That test day is free to the public.

Tickets for the opening event of 2023, the Thrifty Newcastle 500, are now on sale through Supercars.com and Ticketek.