All you need to know about Supercars testing in 2026

Teams are preparing for the new Repco Supercars Championship, which means it's time to go testing.

The new season features 37 races across 14 rounds, and there are new driver and team combinations, as well as new cars.

There is limited testing in Supercars, meaning every lap counts for teams as they aim to get everything right before they race for wins and points.

Testing, testing... what does it actually mean?

Simply, teams go testing to put laps on their cars, get miles under the belts of their drivers, and bed in set-up and pit stop practice processes.

In 2026, there are two all-in tests, helping minimise costs for teams but also getting them all at the same track at the same time, in the lead up to (pre-season test) and after a race event (pre-enduro test), so they're already on-site.

When, where and basics of 2026 Supercars testing

Each Supercars team is permitted just two full test days in 2026.

The first is the Destination NSW Test Day at Sydney Motorsport Park on Wednesday February 18, and the second is the pre-enduro test at Queensland Raceway on Tuesday August 25.

These two test days are non-transferable, with participation by all Supercars teams mandatory. Neither test day is open to the public, but Supercars will provide live timing, news and video coverage.

Should a car not be able to participate due to damage, subject to the approval of the Chief Motorsport Officer, one additional test day will be available for that car only.

Enduro wildcard entries must attend the Queensland Raceway test day.

Test days are also important for engineers, who can collect data on their drivers and cars, to make sure it matches up with data captured from the previous season and in the workshop.

Keep an eye out for aero and engine parity testing throughout the season. Supercars may conduct any testing by any means at any location upon the approval of the category.

Who can drive the car at Supercars test days?

One primary Driver and/or one additional driver nominated at an endurance event/s as an additional driver from the nominated team or group.

The primary driver is not permitted to drive a car outside of their nominated team or group. Toyota driver Chaz Mostert, for example, can't drive a Brad Jones Racing Supra.

Unlike Formula 1 testing, for example, Supercars teams can run both cars on track at a time.

What has involved testing of the new Toyota?

The new GR Supra first hit the track before the 2025 Repco Bathurst 1000, with a Toyota mule car rolling out at Avalon and Winton Motor Raceway.

The test car also cut laps Mount Panorama, Surfers Paradise and Adelaide, before another Supra was sent to the United States for crucial wind tunnel testing.

In the lead-up to the new season, before official pre-season testing and racing commences, a Supra will also share the track with a Mustang and Camaro in a series of pre-season parity evaluation tests.

Running of all three cars is scheduled for Queensland Raceway on February 9 and 10, before the cars head to the Mountain for sessions at the Meguiar's Bathurst 12 Hour event on February 13 and 14.

Testing for the Supra has been centred on mileage, engine testing, and data capture.

Do things ever go wrong in testing?

They absolutely do. Test days are the first chance for drivers and teams to get up to speed, and sometimes, mistakes or bad luck rear their head.

In 2018, Scott McLaughlin crashed heavily in Sydney, while Shane van Gisbergen suffered a brake failure during enduro testing at Queensland Raceway.

In 2025, Aaron Love crashed out of the pre-season test in Sydney after suffering a brake, whilst James Golding's car also went up in flames in a scary incident.

For what it's worth, if you're going to have issues, you're better off suffering them during testing, versus a race...

What about shakedowns?

A full test day is crucial to test the cars and make sure they are reliable before the race weekend.

However, teams are also permitted to conduct shakedowns. Simply, a shakedown differs to a test in that it is the first time that a team runs its new car.

Teams who have built new cars get a maximum of 60km at a shakedown, which can be held away from the permitted test days.

There is a maximum of one shakedown per new car, per approval from the Chief Motorsport Officer.

There will be at least eight new cars on track at Round 1 in Sydney, so look for incoming shakedown headlines.