The beginner's guide to Supercars

If you’re new to Supercars, you may have a few questions about the world’s best touring car championship. We’ve got you covered in our beginner’s guide!

The Repco Supercars Championship is Australasia’s premier motorsport category and is widely regarded as one of the most competitive racing series in the world. 

Founded in 1960 as the Australian Touring Car Championship, the category has grown from a one-race championship for production cars, into a multi-round championship featuring purpose-built, fire-breathing V8 monsters. 

Over the championship’s 65-year history, a range of local and international touring car regulations have been utilised. 

In 1993, an all-V8 formula was introduced, the genesis of the Supercars Championship we know today. 

Until 2013, it was Ford vs GM and their Australian arm Holden, however new regulations saw several new manufacturers come in through the 2010s. 

Mercedes entered the sport with a privateer effort, whilst Nissan and Volvo entered with factory-backed teams, however by 2020, it was back to Ford v Holden. 

Holden closed down operations in 2020, though remained in Supercars until 2022, when the regulations changed to the current Gen3 cars. 

Two door coupes or muscle cars are represented, with GM swapping Holden Commodores for Chevrolet Camaros, whilst Ford stuck with its Mustang, though now much more resembling its road-going counterpart. 

In 2025, the Repco Supercars Championship takes in 34 races spread across 13 weekends and two countries, with the ever-popular annual stop in New Zealand joining 12 Australian venues. 

The championship takes in a mix of permanent racing facilities and temporary street circuits, with the Townsville Street Circuit in North Queensland a hybrid of the two. 

The highlight of the championship season is the world-renowned Repco Bathurst 1000 two-driver endurance race, which is held on the second weekend of October every year.

Bathurst is to Supercars what the Daytona 500 is to NASCAR, the Indianapolis 500 is to IndyCar, the Le Mans 24 Hour is to the World Endurance Championship, and what the Monaco Grand Prix is to F1; drivers place the 1000 on an equal or higher level to the championship itself.

The category has also raced at several locations outside of Australasia, including China, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, and the United States of America. 

Supercars are some of the toughest race cars in the world to master, with no driver aids like traction control or ABS, and a sequential gearbox requiring heel and toe downshifts. 

Cars are capable of speeds up to 300km/h (or 186mph) thanks to their 600hp V8 engines, with 0-100km/h (or 62mph) achievable in just 3.4 seconds. 

Only the best drivers tame these beasts, as evidenced by some of the achievements some of the very best drivers in the championship’s history have accomplished elsewhere. 

After winning three straight championships and the 2019 Bathurst 1000, Scott McLaughlin has gone on to become one of the top IndyCar drivers with Team Penske, recording the fastest ever pole speed in Indianapolis 500 history in 2024. 

Shane van Gisbergen became the first driver in 60 years to win on debut in the NASCAR Cup Series at Chicago in 2023, ultimately launching him into a full-time career in NASCAR. 

Van Gisbergen walked the same path as two-time champion Marcos Ambrose, who became the first Australian to win a NASCAR race in 2009, and then becoming the first Cup Series winner from Down Under in 2011. 

All of these world class talents were nurtured through the Supercars Championship, testament to the skill and raw talent required to rise to the top of the Supercars pile. 

Supercars is watched all around the world. If you’re planning on going to a race, see our website for tickets. Aussie fans can watch and stream on Foxtel, Kayo and Seven, while New Zealand fans can watch on Sky Sport. Alongside this, Superview gives international fans live coverage of every session.