HAVE you ever wondered which are the oldest circuit layouts on the Supercars schedule?
Some tracks remain true to their original lines, others have been upgraded for safety reasons, or altered in the name of progress.
Here we take a deep dive into the 14 tracks that make up the 2026 calendar, ranking them from the oldest layout to the newest.
For the ultimate in throwback circuit designs, you don’t have to look further than this weekend’s venue – Symmons Plains Raceway.
Set to host its 100th championship race this weekend, the northern Tasmanian track is essentially the same one that greeted competitors in 1960 (and the ATCC from 1969), with the pit lane moved from the infield to its current location in 1994 and safety standards progressively brought up to spec.
Long straights and tight corners, plus a wild section past the pits, it ticks all the boxes for old school cool.
Want more? At 1.5 miles, or 2.41km long, it’s the same length as other 1960s specials such as Lakeside Raceway, and the number two on our list – Wanneroo Raceway, which opened its pit gate in 1969.
It has stayed pretty much intact, except for the positioning of said pit gate, which moved from the inside of the track near Kolb Corner to the outside of the track’s western edge in 1979, before returning to the inside of the circuit in 2012.
Configuration-wise, a shortcut was added in 1992 at the top of the hill, and a bus stop for bikes was built in 2019, which slightly lowered the turn three’s kerb profile, although neither really affects the playing surface utilised by Supercars.
Caltex Chase was added to the Mount Panorama Circuit in 1987. Pic: an1images.com/ Dale Rodgers
No circuit designs from the 1970s are still on the calendar, and only one from the 1980s remains – Mount Panorama Bathurst.
While the general lay of the blast over Bald Hills has remained largely intact since 1938, the current-day circuit dates to 1987, when The Chase was installed to break up Conrod Straight.
Ruapana Park opened in 1963, although the modern full circuit option at the venue was first raced on in 1993.
The original Hidden Valley layout saw circuit racing utilise the drag strip. Pic: an1images.com/ Dirk Klynsmith
In 1998, Hidden Valley came up to modern specs, with its layout placing it at number five on this list.
The venue opened in 1986 and was renovated for the arrival of Supercars in the Top End.
At number seven is Queensland Raceway, which essentially retains its original form from 1999.
When Supercars arrived in the Adelaide Parklands in 1999, it came on a shortened version of the 1985 Formula 1 track.
That 1999 variant was further changed in 2002 with the deletion of the turn 8 chicane, replaced by a flat-out sweeper, which has since seen some minor wall realignments.
Next is the former home of the Retro Round – Sandown Raceway.
First raced on in 1962, changes were made to the suburban Melbourne track in 1984 to accommodate the World Sports Cars, which saw both the north and south ends of the track drastically altered, the paddock moved to its current location, and an infield loop was created, bypassing Rothmans Rise and adding length to the circuit.
The loop was later dropped to bring back the big bad Sandown switchback into Dandenong Road Corner, and then ploughed under the horse track in late 2001, so a second 2.087km track could be added for horses.
Those works also altered the alignment at the north end of the circuit, arriving at the configuration we have today.
Taupō International Motorsport Park may have had its genesis in 1959, but its current form was crafted in 2008.
The hybrid Townsville street circuit/permanent layout was first used in 2009. Pic: an1images.com/ Dirk Klynsmith
Next up is Townsville, which has kept the same layout since its inception in 2009.
Eastern Creek opened in 1991; its current design and Sydney Motorsport Park name came into effect in 2011, when the wiggle at turns six and seven was erased.
The Surfers Paradise street circuit underwent many minor layout tweaks, including chicanes, in the early IndyCar days, while in 2010, the layout was shortened for Supercars use.
In 2013, the design was further refined, with the city’s new light rail encroaching on the track alignment between the first chicane and the opening hairpin.
Shell V-Power Motorsport Park at The Bend came into existence in 2018 and is the freshest venue on the calendar.
The most recent layout on the roster is Albert Park.
Racing in the Park dates back to 1953, with the original meets running counter-clockwise around the lake.
The arrival of F1 to Victoria in 1996 saw the modern clockwise layout created, which was updated in 2021, and first driven on in anger in 2022.
Curiously, only Symmons Plains, Wanneroo Raceway, Townsville, The Bend, and Queensland Raceway continue to follow their creator’s original lines.
Albert Park in 2021, just after the completion of its renovation, but a year before Supercars first raced on the fresh blacktop. Pic: an1images.com/ Mark Walker
Last Circuit Design Change
1960 Symmons Plains
1969 Wanneroo Park
1987 Mount Panorama
1993 Ruapuna
1998 Hidden Valley Raceway
1999 Queensland Raceway
2001 Sandown Raceway
2002 Adelaide Parklands Circuit
2008 Taupō
2009 Townsville
2011 Sydney Motorsport Park
2013 Gold Coast
2018 The Bend
2021 Albert Park
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