New benchmarks: The lap records broken in 2021

The pace was hot in 2021, with qualifying benchmarks reset at four circuits this year.

The 2021 Repco Supercars Championship visited seven different venues in 2021, with Supercars qualifying records reset at four of them.

The Sydney Motorsport Park lap record held firm despite four events being held at the circuit. Tailem Bend and Townsville also went unscathed.

However, Sandown, Tasmania, Darwin and Bathurst weren't immune, with new benchmarks clocked in 2021.

Sandown

Chaz Mostert and Cameron Waters both undercut Scott McLaughlin's 2019 qualifying benchmark when the series returned to Sandown in March.

McLaughlin recorded a 1:07.7736s in the qualifying session ahead of the two grid-setting sprints for the 2019 Sandown 500.

On the dry Saturday in Sandown in March, Mostert (1:07.6304s) and Waters (1:07.6752s) both dipped under McLaughlin's time.

However, neither driver won the race, Shane van Gisbergen famously racing from 17th to score victory.

Tasmania

Van Gisbergen carried his momentum to Symmons Plains and undercut the 50.5790s set by Craig Lowndes in 2018.

The eventual champion clocked a 50.4923s in Saturday split qualifying, and went on to win a record-equalling sixth straight race in 2021.

A day later, Waters scored both poles, his Race 8 pole time (50.5622s) also marginally faster than Lowndes' time.

Darwin

Drivers used the new Dunlop Super Soft tyre to great success over one lap at Hidden Valley in June.

The previous qualifying record was McLaughlin's 1:05.4737s set in 2019. Anton De Pasquale (1:05.2904s) and Mark Winterbottom (1:05.4054s) both went below it in Saturday qualifying.

On Sunday, the pace got even hotter; Will Davison (1:05.0575s), van Gisbergen (1:05.3460s) and De Pasquale (1:05.4606s) went under it in Race 13 qualifying.

In the following session to set the grid for Race 14, a whopping 14 drivers in the 26-car field went faster than McLaughlin's 1:05.4s; Davison recorded the first ever 1:04s Supercar lap in Darwin with a scorching 1:04.9353s.

Bathurst

The season ended at the Repco Bathurst 1000, and Mostert combined with Lee Holdsworth to take home the biggest prize of them all with victory.

A day earlier, Mostert fired his #25 Mobil 1 Appliances Online Commodore to pole with a 2:03.3736s.

Not only was it faster than Waters' shootout-winning 2:03.5592s from 2020, it went below the practice/qualifying record set by McLaughlin in 2019.

McLaughlin clocked a 2:03.4813s in Practice 5 in 2019. He set a 2:03.3783s in the shootout, but the time was retrospectively scrapped.

The 13-event 2022 Repco Supercars Championship will commence in Newcastle next year. Tickets for the event are on sale now.

The 13-round draft calendar was released during the Repco Bathurst 1000 weekend.