Repco Supercars Championship drivers were given the rockstar treatment Thursday afternoon, as thousands welcomed the field to town on the eve of this year’s ITM Taupō Super440.
This weekend marks Supercars’ second visit to Taupō International Motorsport Park, with three days of action scheduled from today (Friday).
On Thursday afternoon, the entire 24-car field partook in a parade from track to town, driving into the heart of Taupō CBD where they were greeted by fans who’ve travelled to the popular tourism town for this weekend’s event.
After two rounds of incredible racing, defending Supercars’ Champion, Red Bull’s Will Brown, who was a race winner at Taupō in 2024, leads the points standings by seven points heading into this weekend, just ahead of Ford ace Cam Waters.
The driver who scores the most points across the weekend will be awarded the Jason Richards Memorial Trophy, named in honour of the beloved Kiwi Supercars driver who passed away from cancer in 2011.
The Super 440 will be headlined by dual 120km races on Saturday April 12, and a 200km race on Sunday.
Supercars will be on track on all three days of the event, with two practice sessions set for Friday April 11.
There will be two knockout Boost Mobile Qualifying sessions on Saturday to determine the grids for Races 8 and 9, while Qualifying will be followed by a Boost Mobile Top Ten Shootout on Sunday.
Drivers will start arriving from tomorrow. There will be a Track to Town event like no other on Thursday where thousands of fans lined the streets in 2024 to greet Supercars to New Zealand, before practice gets underway on Friday.
Opening practice for Supercars is at 12:10pm local time on Friday.
Live coverage of Supercars’ first ever event in Taupō can be found on Sky Sport in New Zealand.
SUPERCARS TRACK SCHEDULE (LOCAL NZ TIME)
Friday April 11
| Start | Finish | Category | Duration | Session |
| 12:10 | 12:40 | Supercars | 0:30 | Practice 1 |
| 14:55 | 15:25 | Supercars | 0:30 | Practice 2 |
Saturday April 12
| Start | Finish | Category | Duration | Session |
| 10:25 | 10:55 | Supercars | Qualifying Race 8 | |
| 11:05 | 11:35 | Supercars | Qualifying Race 9 | |
| 12:50 | Supercars | 37 laps or 1 lap after 14:03 | Race 8 | |
| 16:05 | Supercars | 37 laps or 1 lap after 17:18 | Race 9 |
Sunday April 13
| Start | Finish | Category | Duration | Session |
| 10:45 | 11:15 | Supercars | Qualifying Race 10 | |
| 12:50 | 13:30 | Supercars | Top Ten Shootout | |
| 15:05 | Supercars | 61 laps or 1 lap after 16:53 | Race 10 |
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