Supercars Championship drivers are preparing for a brutal return to the streets of Surfers Paradise with the dual 250km races shaping as a challenge.

This weekend’s Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500 marks the first time the event has been held in the beachside city since 2019.

However, it will be a pair of 250km single-driver races instead of the dual 300km two-driver enduro that was seen in its previous iteration.

If the races are to run to their scheduled distances, it will see drivers complete 85 laps of the 2.960km circuit on both Saturday and Sunday in what are forecast to be hot temperatures.

It will prove a tough mental challenge with short straights, limited run-off areas, multiple chicanes, and the concrete walls looming close the entire time.

The last time Supercars held a solo driver round on the Gold Coast was in 2009, though those were 300km races run in two parts on a slightly different layout.

Matt Stone Racing’s Todd Hazelwood is expecting driver fatigue to play a part.

“A single driver [race] around here for 250km is gonna be brutal,” said Hazelwood.

“It’s one of those circuits where you never really stop, you’re always turning the wheel, you’re always making a bias adjustment.

“The mental strain that you need around the circuit is phenomenal.

“Obviously, we’re going to see some pretty humid and hot conditions over the course of this week here in Gold Coast, so that in itself is a toll on the body.

“That’s something that we’ve got to be ready for and prepared.

“We haven’t really had too many hot events this year either; we’ve been pretty lucky [with] the Supercars calendar, they have generally been pretty cool events.

“So to now get that real hot event at a brutal street circuit, where you don’t get any rest —it’s probably going to be an element of driver fatigue involved in this weekend’s action, I’d say.

“It’s going to add a whole new challenge to the racing this weekend and hopefully it provides a good show.”

PremiAir Racing’s James Golding detailed some of the physical preparation, though is feeling confident in the face of the challenge.

“[It’s] definitely going to be challenge,” said Golding.

“Everyone does the training but you still can’t replicate the real thing.

“I’m not worried about my fitness at all, I’ve been self-training ever since I’ve been in Supercars and doing plenty in the sauna and all that sort of stuff.

“It certainly is [mentally taxing] — it’s something that you develop strength in.

“When you first come into Supercars, as a young driver, you sort of burn a lot more energy with brain power and being focussed.

“Once you’ve got a bit more experience, you can kind of relax a bit more and save your energy.

“It’s definitely a difficult track, there isn’t really any breaks, like the straight, it’s basically a corner so you don’t really have any breaks.

“It’s going to be a long gruelling 250 kays.”

On Tuesday, PremiAir Racing revealed Golding’s livery for the Gold Coast 500, with Practice 1 beginning at 12:35 local time/13:35 AEDT on Friday, October 28.