Supercars likely to backflip on plans to make the GC500 a night race while the Enduro Cup could return

Secret discussions have been held to make major changes to the GC500 that could send shockwaves throughout the entire Supercars series. We lift the lid on it all

Racing under lights is off the table but the return of co-drivers and the Enduro Cup are back on for the Gold Coast leg of the Supercars series.

Talks of expanding the format of the event to a two-driver endurance race that would end a four-year hiatus for the Enduro Cup coincide with officials looking to scrap long-held plans to make the GC500 a twilight race held partly under lights.

Earl Evans, part of the Supercars ownership consortium Racing Australia Consolidated Enterprises Ltd (RACE), said there had been discussions about changing the Gold Coast format and he was all for it.

Greg Murphy pictured driving with his lights on during heavy rain at the Gold Coast Supercars race. Picture: Pic Derek Moore

“There has been talk about turning the Gold Coast back into a co-driver race and making it into an Enduro Cup again with those three races,” Evans said.

“The reason being is the demand for it on the ground from fans. There is a carnival-like atmosphere that it brings and with record numbers at (co-driver events) Sandown and Bathurst it just makes sense.

FREE GUIDE TO GC500 - TICKETS, TIMINGS, ENTERTAINMENT - CLICK HERE

Earl Evans (middle) is also a financial backer of the Summer of Surf series. Pictured with Matt Bevilacqua (left) and Georgia Miller. Picture: Glenn Hampson

“I would be happy to welcome back Gold Coast as a co-driver race.

“With the television rights renewal ending in 2025 we are looking at how it looks for spectators and with live TV and if it is achievable. I think it would be really good.”

It comes following an enormous resurgence of the Gold Coast races.

Ticket sales for this weekend are already tracking ahead of the 2022 event that attracted 200,000 people and a huge investment by Supercars back into off-track entertainment that had diminished in recent years.

The confidence in the current format is at a level at which officials feel reluctant to move it to a new timeslot, while the addition of co-drivers for longer races is something those in Supercars feel could add to the races.

Before Covid forced the cancellation of the 2020 and 2021 Gold Coast events, the stop on the Supercars schedule was labelled the GC600 and featured two races of 300km.

Currently, the GC500 includes two 250km races with a single driver.

It formed part of the Enduro Cup alongside Sandown and the Bathurst 1000 but with Gold Coast and Sandown shifting to two sprint races with an individual driver, it brought an end to the Cup.

Supercars declined to comment on the potential change of format or adjusted schedule.

FREE GUIDE TO GC500 - TICKETS, TIMINGS, ENTERTAINMENT - CLICK HERE