The Prebrief: The key 2022 season opener storylines

For the first time in 23 years, Sydney Motorsport Park will open a new season.

The 2022 Repco Supercars Championship will roar back into life under lights at SMSP.

The Beaurepaires Sydney SuperNight will be the first floodlit season opener since Abu Dhabi in 2011. 

Across Saturday and Sunday, the Supercars action will be headlined by dual 300km races.

Supercars.com breaks down the leading storylines of the first round of 2022.

Anton's Sydney supremacy

Anton De Pasquale was the man to beat at Sydney Motorsport Park in 2021.

The Shell V-Power Racing Team driver scored five wins and seven poles across the four weekends at the Eastern Creek venue.

The circuit has been friendly to both driver and team in the past.

Could an SMSP opener see De Pasquale leave Sydney with a series lead?

Big changes for SVG

SVG won three races at SMSP in 2021

Red Bull Ampol Racing has experienced arguably the greatest off-season transformation in his history.

The team has undergone management, driver line-up and engineering changes for the new season.

Notably, Andrew Edwards has replaced Grove Racing-bound David Cauchi alongside Shane van Gisbergen.

The decorated Cauchi combined with van Gisbergen to record 14 race wins and six poles in 2021.

The change marks van Gisbergen’s third engineer in as many years.

The Kiwi will also have a new teammate in rookie Broc Feeney, and a new boss in Jamie Whincup, no less.

Dual 300km races

The 77-lap races will be a great challenge

This weekend’s return to racing will feature two 300km races.

The 2022 season will kick off with not one, but two gruelling 77-lap races; one on the Saturday night, and another on the Sunday afternoon.

It marks a unique challenge for both teams and drivers for the first event of the season.

Not only is it an increase on the usual dual 250km, 500km total rounds, but Race 1 will start after seven o’clock on the Saturday night.

Drivers will then return to the track at 10.50am AEDT on Sunday for their second ARMOR ALL Qualifying session of the weekend.

Longer races and tight turnarounds will make for an interesting test of driver fitness and car performance.

It will only be more difficult should wet weather intervene.

Opportunity for Erebus

Brown and Erebus won a thriller last November

Brodie Kostecki opened Erebus Motorsport’s Sydney account with a bang last October with a first-up podium.

The team's second podium came in as many days, with Will Brown recording his first career podium on the Sunday.

Brown’s form only got better throughout the Sydney swing; he took home his first career win just two weeks later.

To cap a stellar rookie season, Kostecki claimed his first Bathurst 1000 podium in December.

Erebus will be buoyed to return to the track that was fruitful for the team in 2021.

Sweeping changes across the grid

Nick Percat tested his new WAU car last week

It was a silly season to remember, with many teams undergoing personnel changes.

Only the Shell V-Power Racing Team, Team 18, Erebus Motorsport and Blanchard Racing Team head into 2022 unchanged.

In addition, just 10 driver-engineer combinations from 2021 will carry over into the new season.

Many teams used pre-season testing as an opportunity to get their newcomers up to speed.

However, the vast changes could see teething problems arise as both drivers and engineers settle into their new environments.

Which teams will land the first punches in Sydney?

The Beaurepaires Sydney SuperNight will open the 2022 Repco Supercars Championship on March 4-6.

Every session of the event will be broadcast live on Foxtel (Fox Sports 506) and streamed on Kayo.

The Seven Network will provide live free to air coverage of the event.

Practice 1 in Sydney will commence on Friday at 3:15pm AEDT. CLICK HERE to view the race schedule.

CLICK HERE to purchase your Beaurepaires Sydney SuperNight tickets.