Melbourne SuperSprint

{{V8 supercar race

|flag = Victoria

|title = Melbourne SuperSprint

|circuit = Albert Park Circuit

|track_map = Albert Park Circuit 2021.svg

|times_held = 7

|first_held = 2018

|last_held =

|race1_laps = 19

|race1_distance = 100

|race2_laps = 19

|race2_distance = 100

|race3_laps = 19

|race3_distance = 100

|race4_laps = 14

|race4_distance = 70

|last_year = 2025

|last_event_link = 2025 Melbourne SuperSprint

|overall_winner = {{flagicon|AUS}} Will Brown

|overall_team = Triple Eight Race Engineering

|race1_winner = {{flagicon|AUS}} Broc Feeney

|race1_team = Triple Eight Race Engineering

|race2_winner = {{flagicon|AUS}} Cameron Hill

|race2_team = Matt Stone Racing

|race3_winner = {{flagicon|AUS}} Will Brown

|race3_team = Triple Eight Race Engineering

|race4_winner = Race 4 was abandoned

|race4_team =

}}

The Melbourne SuperSprint (known for sponsorship reasons as the MSS Security Melbourne SuperSprint) is an annual motor racing event for Supercars, held at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne, Victoria since 2018. The 2018 edition was the first time that a championship round was contested at the circuit, after several years of supporting the Australian Grand Prix as a non-championship event.{{cite web|url=http://www.speedcafe.com/2017/05/30/agp-host-supercars-championship-round-2018/|title=AGP to host Supercars championship round in 2018|last=Howard|first=Tom|date=30 May 2017|publisher=Speedcafe|accessdate=30 May 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://www.grandprix.com.au/fan-zone/news/coates-hire-supercars-melbourne-400-headlines-biggest-support-category-line|title=Coates Hire Supercars Melbourne 400 headlines biggest support category line-up|publisher=Australian Grand Prix|date=7 December 2017|accessdate=7 December 2017}}

Format

The event is staged over a four-day weekend, from Thursday to Sunday, as a support category in the lead-up to the Australian Grand Prix. Two thirty-minute practice sessions, two fifteen-minute qualifying sessions to determine the starting grid for the first and second races, and the first 100 kilometre race are held on Thursday. The second 100 km race is then held on Friday before two further fifteen-minute qualifying sessions to determine the starting grid for the third and fourth races. The 100 km race three is held on Saturday and the 70 km race four is held on Sunday.[https://www.supercars.com/news/championship/2023-agp-to-host-63-year-supercars-first/ AGP to host 63-year Supercars first] Supercars 29 March 2023

=Larry Perkins Trophy=

The driver who accumulates the most points across the four races receives the "Larry Perkins Trophy", named in honour of the Supercars Hall of Fame inductee who also started eleven Formula One Grands Prix.{{cite web|url=http://www.supercars.com/news/championship/supercars-to-race-for-larry-perkins-trophy-at-agp/|title=Supercars to race for Larry Perkins Trophy at AGP|publisher=Supercars|first=Mitchell|last=Adam|date=7 December 2017|accessdate=7 December 2017}} The perpetual trophy was designed in collaboration between a student and senior lecturer at RMIT University and was partly created using 3D printing.{{cite web|url=http://www.supercars.com/news/championship/larry-perkins-trophy-unveiled/|title=Larry Perkins Trophy unveiled|last=Bartholomaeus|first=Stefan|date=15 March 2018|publisher=Speedcafe|accessdate=16 March 2018}}

History

Supercars Championship have held non-championship events at the Australian Grand Prix dating back to its first appearance on the Formula One calendar in 1985. The support event, most recently known as the Supercars Challenge, was held in every year from 1985 to 2017 except 2007. After the demise of the event, the series finally attained championship status for the 2018 season.

The inaugural event saw four different winners across the four races, including Scott Pye's first championship race win in a dramatic third race of the weekend. Pye had taken the lead early in the race, and was among the drivers to remain on slick tyres during a late-race shower. Despite a brief off-track moment in the changing conditions, Pye held on for a narrow victory, the first for Walkinshaw Andretti United since the foreign investment in the team.{{cite web|url=https://www.speedcafe.com/2018/03/24/pye-takes-thrilling-maiden-supercars-win-rain2/|title=Pye takes thrilling maiden Supercars win in rain|last=Isaacs|first=Lewis|date=24 March 2018|publisher=Speedcafe|accessdate=25 March 2018}} One victory and three further podiums across the weekend saw Jamie Whincup take the overall event victory and the first Larry Perkins Trophy.{{cite web|url=https://www.speedcafe.com/2018/03/25/reynolds-claims-supercars-melbourne-400-finale/|title=Reynolds claims Supercars Melbourne 400 finale|last=Isaacs|first=Lewis|date=25 March 2018|publisher=Speedcafe|accessdate=25 March 2018}}

In the event's second year, Scott McLaughlin failed to win the event despite winning three of the four races across the weekend, including the 1,000th Australian Touring Car Championship race. In the other race, McLaughlin and Cam Waters, who were first and second on the grid, clashed on the way to the grid, leaving both drivers out of the race. The race was won by Chaz Mostert, who also went on to win the round and the trophy.{{cite news |last1=Newton |first1=Bruce |title=Mclaughlin leads Mustang domination |url=https://www.motoring.com.au/motorsport-mclaughlin-leads-mustang-domination-117515/ |accessdate=18 March 2019 |work=motoring.com.au |date=17 March 2019 |language=en-AU}} The 2020 event, along with the 2020 Australian Grand Prix, was cancelled on the Friday morning of the event due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Two qualifying sessions had already been held the previous day.{{cite news |last1=Bartholomaeus |first1=Stefan |title=AGP cancelled, Supercars looks to reschedule |url=https://www.supercars.com/news/championship/agp-cancelled-supercars-looks-to-reschedule/ |accessdate=23 March 2020 |work=Supercars |date=13 March 2020 |language=en}} The event was included in the 2021 calendar, however was cancelled along with the Formula One round.{{cite news |title=F1's Australian GP scrapped for 2021 |url=https://www.espn.com.au/f1/story/_/id/31766347/formula-one-australian-grand-prix-cancelled-second-year-succession |access-date=12 April 2022 |work=ESPN.com |date=6 July 2021 |language=en}}

The Grand Prix returned in 2022 to record crowds in Melbourne. The four races were shared equally between Mostert and Shane van Gisbergen, with the latter winning the trophy despite finishing the final race in 20th position due to a tyre failure.{{cite news |last1=Nevett |first1=Josh |title=MOSTERT CELEBRATES BIRTHDAY WITH A WIN |url=https://autoaction.com.au/2022/04/10/mostert-celebrates-birthday-with-a-win |access-date=12 April 2022 |work=Auto Action |date=10 April 2022}} In 2023, Brodie Kostecki won his first two championship races at the event, as well as the event win, on the way to winning his first title.{{cite news |last1=Pavey |first1=James |title=Kostecki wins chaotic Albert Park sprint {{!}} Supercars |url=https://www.supercars.com/news/kostecki-wins-chaotic-albert-park-sprint |access-date=21 August 2024 |work=www.supercars.com |date=31 March 2023 |language=en}} In 2024, Matthew Payne was involved in two incidents in two races whilst battling for the lead - one with Mostert and one with Waters.{{cite news |last1=O'Brien |first1=Connor |title=Payne responds to Mostert Albert Park incident |url=https://www.v8sleuth.com.au/payne-responds-to-mostert-albert-park-incident/ |access-date=21 August 2024 |work=V8 Sleuth |date=25 March 2024 |language=en}} Will Brown won his second consecutive Larry Perkins Trophy in 2025, aided by an abandoned fourth race due to wet weather - a race in which Brown was to start 21st on the grid.{{cite news |last1=Dale |first1=Will |title=Brown cops penalty over Mostert qualifying baulk |url=https://www.v8sleuth.com.au/brown-cops-penalty-over-mostert-qualifying-baulk/ |access-date=26 March 2025 |work=V8 Sleuth |date=15 March 2025}} In the weekend's second race, Cameron Hill won his first championship race in a one-two finish for Matt Stone Racing.{{cite news |last1=Chapman |first1=Simon |title=Hill scores first Supercars win in historic MSR one-two |url=https://speedcafe.com/supercars-news-2025-melbourne-supersprint-cameron-hill-wins-race-5-results-report-highlights/ |access-date=26 March 2025 |work=Speedcafe.com |date=14 March 2025 |language=en-AU}}

Winners

File:Albert Lake Park Street Circuit in Melbourne, Australia.svg

class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"
Year ! Driver ! Team ! Car ! Report
2018 \| {{flagicon\|AUS}} Jamie Whincup \| Triple Eight Race Engineering \| Holden ZB Commodore \| Report
2019 \| {{flagicon\|AUS}} Chaz Mostert \| Tickford Racing \| Ford Mustang GT \| Report
2020 \|align=center colspan="3" style="background:#ddd"\|cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic \| Report
2021 \|align=center colspan="4" style="background:#ddd"\|not held due to COVID-19 pandemic
2022 \| {{flagicon\|NZ}} Shane van Gisbergen \| Triple Eight Race Engineering \| Holden ZB Commodore \| Report
2023 \| {{flagicon\|AUS}} Brodie Kostecki \| Erebus Motorsport \| Chevrolet Camaro ZL1-1LE \|
2024 \| {{flagicon\|AUS}} Will Brown \| Triple Eight Race Engineering \| Chevrolet Camaro ZL1-1LE \|
2025 \| {{flagicon\|AUS}} Will Brown \| Triple Eight Race Engineering \| Chevrolet Camaro ZL1-1LE \|

class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"

Year

! Driver

! Team

! Car

! Report

2018

| {{flagicon|AUS}} Jamie Whincup

| Triple Eight Race Engineering

| Holden ZB Commodore

| Report

2019