From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base
2019 Supercars Championship
Scott McLaughlin successfully defended his championship title.
DJR Team Penske won the 2019 teams' championship.
The 2019 Supercars Championship (known for commercial reasons as the 2019 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship) was the twenty-first running of the Supercars Championship and the twenty-third series in which Supercars have contested the Australian Touring Car Championship, the premier title in Australian motorsport. The 2019 championship also included the running of the 1,000th Australian Touring Car Championship race, which was contested at the Melbourne 400.
Scott McLaughlin contested the series as the defending driver's champion. McLaughlin successfully defended his championship title, and in doing so, he broke Craig Lowndes' 1996 record for the most wins in a championship year when he recorded his seventeenth win at Pukekohe Park. His team, DJR Team Penske, won their second teams' championship. Ford secured the manufacturers' title at the Ipswich SuperSprint.
Holden was represented by factory-backed team Triple Eight Race Engineering.
The following teams and drivers competed in the 2019 championship.
| Enduro Cup entries | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mustang GT | Tickford Racing | 5 | Lee Holdsworth | All | Thomas Randle | 12–14 |
| 6 | Cam Waters | All | Michael Caruso | 12–14 | ||
| 55 | Chaz Mostert | All | James Moffat | 12–14 | ||
| DJR Team Penske | 12 | Fabian Coulthard | All | Tony D'Alberto | 12–14 | |
| 17 | Scott McLaughlin | All | Alexandre Prémat | 12–14 | ||
| 23Red Racing (Tickford) | 23 | Will Davison | All | Alex Davison | 12–14 | |
| Commodore ZB | Walkinshaw Andretti United | 2 | Scott Pye | All | Warren Luff | 12–14 |
| 22 | James Courtney | All | Jack Perkins | 12–14 | ||
| Brad Jones Racing | 8 | Nick Percat | All | Tim Blanchard | 12–14 | |
| 14 | Tim Slade | All | Ashley Walsh | 12–14 | ||
| Erebus Motorsport | 9 | David Reynolds | All | Luke Youlden | 12–14 | |
| 99 | Anton de Pasquale | All | Will Brown | 12–14 | ||
| Team 18 | 18 | Mark Winterbottom | All | Steven Richards | 12–14 | |
| Tekno Autosports | 19 | Jack Le Brocq | All | Jonathon Webb | 12–14 | |
| Tim Blanchard Racing (BJR) | 21 | Macauley Jones | All | Dean Canto | 12–14 | |
| Garry Rogers Motorsport | 33 | Richie Stanaway | 1–6, 10–15 | Chris Pither | 12–14 | |
| Chris Pither | 6–7, 13 | Dylan O'Keeffe | 13 | |||
| Michael Caruso | 8–9 | —.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);clip-path:polygon(0px 0px,0px 0px,0px 0px);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px;white-space:nowrap}N/a | ||||
| 34 | James Golding | All | Richard Muscat | 12–14 | ||
| Matt Stone Racing | 35 | Todd Hazelwood | All | Jack Smith | 12–14 | |
| Triple Eight Race Engineering | 88 | Jamie Whincup | All | Craig Lowndes | 12–14 | |
| 97 | Shane van Gisbergen | All | Garth Tander | 12–14 | ||
| Altima L33 | Kelly Racing | 3 | Garry Jacobson | All | Dean Fiore | 12–14 |
| 7 | Andre Heimgartner | All | Bryce Fullwood | 12–14 | ||
| 15 | Rick Kelly | All | Dale Wood | 12–14 | ||
| 78 | Simona de Silvestro | All | Alex Rullo | 12–14 | ||
| Wildcard entries | ||||||
| Mustang GT | Tickford Racing | 66 | Thomas Randle | 10 | —N/a | |
| Commodore ZB | Brad Jones Racing | 4 | Jack Smith | 3, 6–7, 10 | —N/a | |
| 77 | Tim Blanchard | 5 | —N/a | |||
| Walkinshaw Andretti United | 27 | —N/a | Alexander Rossi James Hinchcliffe | 12 | ||
| Kostecki Brothers Racing | 56 | —N/a | Brodie Kostecki Jake Kostecki | 12–14 | ||
| Source: | Source: |
Ford introduced the Mustang as a replacement for the FG X Falcon.
The sixth generation Ford Mustang, the Mustang GT, was homologated for the 2019 championship. The Mustang was a replacement for the FG X Falcon, which was used between 2015 and 2018. Tickford Racing and DJR Team Penske oversaw the development of the car, with Ford Performance providing additional technical support. Ford Australia provided financial support in developing the car, but no team was officially recognised as a factory team. The homologation process required modifications to the bodywork to fit the series' control chassis, but the car continued to use the V8 engine used by the FG X Falcon. The decision to return the Mustang to the series was made as Australia's domestic production of the Ford Falcon ceased in 2016. The Mustang's return marked the first time since 1990 that a Mustang has contested the premier class of Australian motorsport. The car completed the homologation process in December 2018 and was subsequently approved for competition by the Supercars Commission.
Nissan withdrew its factory support from the championship at the end of 2018 as the company elected to change its global motorsport strategy and focus on its Formula E entry. Kelly Racing—who raced under the Nissan Motorsport name between 2013 and 2018—continued to compete with the Altima L33 chassis under licence from the company. Nissan's decision to withdraw from the championship followed the Altima being withdrawn from sale in Australia in 2017.
The number of entries was reduced from twenty-six to twenty-four with both Tickford Racing and Triple Eight Race Engineering returning a Racing Entitlement Contract (REC) to the sport's management. 23Red Racing formed a partnership with Tickford Racing which saw it become a satellite team of Tickford. Matt Stone Racing upgraded from a VF Commodore to a ZB Commodore and are receiving technical support from Triple Eight Race Engineering.
Michael Caruso left Kelly Racing, joining Tickford Racing as an endurance co-driver. Caruso's seat was filled by Garry Jacobson, who made his full time début in the championship with the team.
Craig Lowndes and Tim Blanchard retired from full-time competition at the end of the 2018 championship. Both returned as endurance co-drivers with Triple Eight Race Engineering and Brad Jones Racing respectively. Blanchard's seat at Tim Blanchard Racing was filled by Macauley Jones. Jones made his full time début in the championship, after having previously entered as a wildcard at selected events in 2017 and 2018.
Mark Winterbottom and Richie Stanaway left Tickford Racing. Winterbottom moved to Team 18, replacing Lee Holdsworth. Holdsworth took Winterbottom's place at Tickford Racing, while Stanaway moved to Garry Rogers Motorsport to replace Garth Tander. Tander stepped down from full-time competition, joining Triple Eight Race Engineering as an endurance co-driver.
Richie Stanaway was withdrawn halfway through the Winton SuperSprint and missed the next three rounds, due to a neck injury. He was replaced for the remainder of the round, and the following Darwin Triple Crown by Chris Pither, who had already been nominated as Stanaway's partner for the endurance races. Michael Caruso stepped in for the Townsville 400 and Ipswich SuperSprint, returning to the team for the first time since 2012. Stanaway was stood down halfway through the Gold Coast 600, due to disciplinary reasons. Chris Pither became the main driver for the Sunday race while Super2 and TCR Australia driver Dylan O'Keeffe made his debut with the team.
Several wildcards were granted for 2019. Brad Jones Racing entered Jack Smith for four rounds and Tim Blanchard at the Perth SuperSprint. Kostecki Brothers Racing would also again run a wildcard, this time for all three endurance events.
Thomas Randle was entered in a third Tickford Racing entry at The Bend SuperSprint.
Walkinshaw Racing entered a third car for the Bathurst 1000, driven by IndyCar stars Alexander Rossi and James Hinchcliffe.
The calendar was reduced to fifteen rounds in 2019, with the following events scheduled to take place:
| Round | Event | Circuit | Location | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adelaide 500 | Adelaide Street Circuit | Adelaide, South Australia | 2–3 March | |
| Melbourne 400 | Albert Park Circuit | Albert Park, Victoria | 15–17 March | |
| Tasmania SuperSprint | Symmons Plains Raceway | Launceston, Tasmania | 6–7 April | |
| Phillip Island SuperSprint | Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit | Phillip Island, Victoria | 13–14 April | |
| Perth SuperNight | Barbagallo Raceway | Neerabup, Western Australia | 3–4 May | |
| Winton SuperSprint | Winton Motor Raceway | Benalla, Victoria | 25–26 May | |
| Darwin Triple Crown | Hidden Valley Raceway | Darwin, Northern Territory | 15–16 June | |
| Townsville 400 | Reid Park Street Circuit | Townsville, Queensland | 6–7 July | |
| Ipswich SuperSprint | Queensland Raceway | Ipswich, Queensland | 27–28 July | |
| The Bend SuperSprint | The Bend Motorsport Park | Tailem Bend, South Australia | 24–25 August | |
| Auckland SuperSprint | Pukekohe Park Raceway | Pukekohe, Auckland Region | 14–15 September | |
| Bathurst 1000 | Mount Panorama Circuit | Bathurst, New South Wales | 13 October | |
| Gold Coast 600 | Surfers Paradise Street Circuit | Surfers Paradise, Queensland | 26–27 October | |
| Sandown 500 | Sandown Raceway | Springvale, Victoria | 9–10 November | |
| Newcastle 500 | Newcastle Street Circuit | Newcastle, New South Wales | 23–24 November |
The 2019 calendar underwent a radical revision compared to the 2018 calendar. The Sydney SuperNight 300 was removed from the calendar entirely and was replaced by a new night race at Barbagallo Raceway. The change was made with the long-term view to running the Sydney round in January 2020 as part of a proposed move to a "summer series" format that would see the championship run primarily in the summer months.
The Sandown 500 moved to a late-season slot in November, becoming the final round of the Pirtek Enduro Cup, to avoid clashing with the AFL and NRL finals series. The Auckland SuperSprint was brought forward to September, making the Sandown 500 the penultimate round of the championship. Changes to the Formula One calendar meant that the Australian Grand Prix was run earlier in the year than it was in 2018, and thus the Supercars support races was also moved forward. The Adelaide 500 was subsequently brought forward to remain the opening round of the season.
The Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit event format reverted to a SuperSprint format after two years of two 250 kilometre races known as the Phillip Island 500.
As a cost reduction measure, the use of twin-spring dampers were banned with teams required to use linear spring dampers. A new specification of transaxle developed by Xtrac was introduced.
If a car was released from the pit bay before the fuel rig was decoupled from the car, the car had to be re-raised on its pneumatic jacks and the fuel rig removed before the driver can rejoin the race.
| Round | Race | Event | Pole position | Fastest lap | Winning driver | Winning team | Manufactuer | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adelaide 500 | Fabian Coulthard | Chaz Mostert | Scott McLaughlin | DJR Team Penske | Ford | Report | ||
| Scott McLaughlin | Chaz Mostert | Scott McLaughlin | DJR Team Penske | Ford | ||||
| Melbourne 400 | Scott McLaughlin | Chaz Mostert | Scott McLaughlin | DJR Team Penske | Ford | Report | ||
| Scott McLaughlin | Scott McLaughlin | Scott McLaughlin | DJR Team Penske | Ford | ||||
| Scott McLaughlin | Chaz Mostert | Chaz Mostert | Tickford Racing | Ford | ||||
| Chaz Mostert | Scott McLaughlin | Scott McLaughlin | DJR Team Penske | Ford | ||||
| Tasmania SuperSprint | Mark Winterbottom | James Courtney | Scott McLaughlin | DJR Team Penske | Ford | Report | ||
| Shane van Gisbergen | Mark Winterbottom | Shane van Gisbergen | Triple Eight Race Engineering | Holden | ||||
| Phillip Island SuperSprint | Scott McLaughlin | Scott McLaughlin | Scott McLaughlin | DJR Team Penske | Ford | Report | ||
| Scott McLaughlin | Scott McLaughlin | Fabian Coulthard | DJR Team Penske | Ford | ||||
| Perth SuperNight | Scott McLaughlin | James Courtney | Fabian Coulthard | DJR Team Penske | Ford | Report | ||
| Scott McLaughlin | Scott McLaughlin | Scott McLaughlin | DJR Team Penske | Ford | ||||
| Winton SuperSprint | Chaz Mostert | Scott McLaughlin | Scott McLaughlin | DJR Team Penske | Ford | Report | ||
| Scott McLaughlin | Scott McLaughlin | Scott McLaughlin | DJR Team Penske | Ford | ||||
| Darwin Triple Crown | Scott McLaughlin | Chaz Mostert | Scott McLaughlin | DJR Team Penske | Ford | Report | ||
| Scott McLaughlin | Cam Waters | Scott McLaughlin | DJR Team Penske | Ford | ||||
| Townsville 400 | David Reynolds | Scott McLaughlin | Scott McLaughlin | DJR Team Penske | Ford | Report | ||
| Cam Waters | Scott McLaughlin | Shane van Gisbergen | Triple Eight Race Engineering | Holden | ||||
| Ipswich SuperSprint | Scott McLaughlin | Chaz Mostert | Jamie Whincup | Triple Eight Race Engineering | Holden | Report | ||
| Scott McLaughlin | Scott McLaughlin | Scott McLaughlin | DJR Team Penske | Ford | ||||
| The Bend SuperSprint | Chaz Mostert | David Reynolds | Scott McLaughlin | DJR Team Penske | Ford | Report | ||
| Scott McLaughlin | Cam Waters | Scott McLaughlin | DJR Team Penske | Ford | ||||
| Auckland SuperSprint | Shane van Gisbergen | Jamie Whincup | Shane van Gisbergen | Triple Eight Race Engineering | Holden | Report | ||
| Jamie Whincup | Jamie Whincup | Scott McLaughlin | DJR Team Penske | Ford | ||||
| Bathurst 1000 | Chaz Mostert | Chaz Mostert | Scott McLaughlin Alexandre Prémat | DJR Team Penske | Ford | Report | ||
| Gold Coast 600 | Scott McLaughlin | Shane van Gisbergen | Jamie Whincup Craig Lowndes | Triple Eight Race Engineering | Holden | Report | ||
| Shane van Gisbergen | James Courtney | Shane van Gisbergen Garth Tander | Triple Eight Race Engineering | Holden | ||||
| Sandown 500 | Alexandre Prémat | Bryce Fullwood | Craig Lowndes | Triple Eight Race Engineering | Holden | Report | ||
| Jamie Whincup | Cam Waters | Jamie Whincup | Triple Eight Race Engineering | Holden | ||||
| Jamie Whincup Craig Lowndes | Shane van Gisbergen | Jamie Whincup Craig Lowndes | Triple Eight Race Engineering | Holden | ||||
| Newcastle 500 | Shane van Gisbergen | James Courtney | Shane van Gisbergen | Triple Eight Race Engineering | Holden | Report | ||
| Jamie Whincup | James Courtney | Jamie Whincup | Triple Eight Race Engineering | Holden |
Points were awarded for each race at an event, to the driver or drivers of a car that completed at least 75% of the race distance and was running at the completion of the race. At least 50% of the planned race distance must be completed for the result to be valid and championship points awarded.
- Standard: Used for all SuperSprint, SuperNight and street races, including the Gold Coast 600.
- Bathurst: Used for the Bathurst 1000.
- Sandown: Used for the Sandown 500.
- Melbourne (long): Used for Race 1 and 3 of the Melbourne 400.
- Melbourne (short): Used for Race 2 and 4 of the Melbourne 400, and the qualifying races for the Sandown 500.
The Manufacturers' championship was won by Ford.
- Fabian Coulthard placed fourth in the Drivers Championship driving a Ford Mustang GT for DJR Team Penske
- Chaz Mostert placed fifth driving a Ford Mustang GT for Tickford Racing
- Cam Waters placed seventh driving a Ford Mustang GT for Tickford Racing
- Lee Holdsworth placed tenth driving a Ford Mustang GT for Tickford Racing
Ask Mako anything about 2019 Supercars Championship — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.
Research with MakoFree with your Surf account
Create a free account to save articles, ask Mako questions, and organize your research.
Sign up freeThis content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.
Report