Compulsory pit stops are back in the regulations for next month’s Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500.
Supercars has dropped CPSs entirely for the enduros, save for a compulsory brake pad change at the Repco Bathurst 1000, and allowed teams to undertake just the one for the refuelling race at the Beaurepaires Sydney SuperNight.
However, for the Gold Coast, the supplementary regulations prescribe at least two pit stops and a total fuel fill of at least 100 litres for each of the 250km races around the Surfers Paradise Street Circuit.
All of those figures match the rules which applied for the Thrifty Newcastle 500 and NTI Townsville 500, the other refuelling events of 2023 so far.
Despite the now unusual level of strategic freedom for the Penrite Oil Sandown 500, most teams opted to complete the race on four pit stops, with slightly shorter stints for the co-drivers to clear their 54 laps.
It was thought that fuel range would have covered minimum driver distance but the use of the super soft compound meant stint length was essentially tyre-limited anyway.
Dunlop’s soft compound will be used for the remainder of the season, at Mount Panorama, Surfers Paradise, and Adelaide.
Friday at the Gold Coast 500 features two, half-hour practice sessions, with Saturday and Sunday each comprised of 15 minutes of qualifying, a Top 10 Shootout, and an 85-lap race.
Before then, the Bathurst 1000 takes place from October 5-8.
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