Sprints, enduros and finales: Phillip Island's Supercars history
Phillip Island will make a triumphant return to the Supercars fray in October as the ninth round of season 2021.
On Thursday, it was confirmed the Victorian circuit will stage the Bunnings Trade Phillip Island SuperSprint across October 23-24.
It will be the 31st time the Australian Touring Car Championship/Repco Australia Supercars Championship has visited Phillip Island.
The circuit has hosted 62 championship races in total since the first round was held there 45 years ago.
Phillip Island was part of the ATCC in 1976 and 1977, before it hosted a the circuit hosted a sprint round of the championship for the first time in 1990.
It was won by Dick Johnson, which was his final round win in the ATCC.
Phillip Island returned to the ATCC in 1993, and it became a happy hunting ground for 1993 and 1997 champion Seton.
Seton won five of the six races held across the 1993, 1994 and 1995 events.
The tides turned after that, with Holden winning all seven Phillip Island events between 1996 to 2002.
The circuit notably hosted the season finale in 2005, 2006 and 2007.
Tander celebrates in 2007 Pic: AN1 Images
Russell Ingall clinched his maiden title in 2005, before Rick Kelly and Tander claimed back-to-back titles for the Toll HSV Dealer Team.
The 2006 finale was one of the sport’s most infamous events, with Kelly entering the weekend with a small points margin over Lowndes.
Following the first two races, Kelly and Lowndes were tied on points. Early in the finale, Kelly made contact with the back of Lowndes, sending Lowndes and Kelly's brother Todd into a spin.
Lowndes was stranded in the middle of the track and was hit by Will Davison, with resultant steering damage seeing him finish 29th.
Kelly received a drive-through penalty for his role in the incident, but his finish of 18th was enough to clinch the title.
Mark Winterbottom won the race from Tander by just 0.12s, which remains the closest finish at Phillip Island.
Between 2008 to 2011, the Phillip Island 500 two-driver endurance race was revived, although a sprint round was also held in 2009 following the cancellation of the Bahrain event.
In 2016, Phillip Island hosted the 500th event in ATCC history.
The weekend will be the first Phillip Island championship event since April 2019, when Scott McLaughlin and Fabian Coulthard shared the wins.
McLaughlin took seven wins at Phillip Island between 2014 and 2019, with Craig Lowndes the most successful driver with 11 victories.
Lowndes won 11 races on the Island, his last coming in 2015
Lowndes’ haul includes a pair of victories in the 500km endurance races hosted by the circuit in 2010 and 2011, with Mark Skaife his co-driver.
Skaife splits Lowndes and McLaughlin with nine wins, ahead of Glenn Seton (seven) and Garth Tander (five).
Jamie Whincup will arrive at the circuit as the winningest driver with five victories, his last coming in 2015.
Five drivers in the 2021 field have scored Supercars race wins at Phillip Island; Whincup, Winterbottom, Coulthard, Chaz Mostert and Will Davison.
Will a new driver add their name to the list to have conquered one of Australia’s most historic venues?
