Gold Coast 600
| Venue | Surfers Paradise Street Circuit |
| Race Format | |
| Race 1 | |
| - Laps | 102 |
| - Distance | 302 km |
| Race 2 | |
| - Laps | 102 |
| - Distance | 302 km |
| Last Race (2012) | |
| Winning Driver | R1: Jamie Whincup/Sébastien Bourdais R2:Will Davison/Mika Salo |
| Winning Team | R1: Triple Eight Race Engineering R2:Ford Performance Racing |
| Winning Manufacturer | Ford |
The Gold Coast 600 is the current name for the annual V8 Supercar street circuit carnival held each October at the Surfers Paradise Street Circuit in Surfers Paradise in Queensland, Australia.
Prior to 2009, the most common race format was three races over the weekend, with one on Saturday and two on Sunday. The driver with the most points accumulated over the three races was awarded first place for the weekend.
In 2009, the format was changed to compensate for the absence of the A1 Grand Prix, which had pulled out of the event in the week beforehand, which had replaced the IZOD IndyCar Series. A 300km split into two 150km 'legs' was held on each Saturday and Sunday. The amount of points accumulated over the two legs determined the individual winner for each day.
In 2010, the track was shortened, and each team was required to have at least one driver of international reputation as a co-driver; in 2011, this rule was adjusted such that every car had a driver of international repute as a co-driver. Two races of 300 km were held over Saturday and Sunday, with one race on each day. The co-driver was required to complete at least one-third of the race distance (34 laps). However, for the 2011 race, the international reputation rule was slightly relaxed because of the 2011 IZOD IndyCar World Championship tragedy where Holden Racing Team co-driver Dan Wheldon was killed and Ford Performance Racing co-driver Will Power was injured in the 15-car crash. Brad Jones Racing co-driver Tony Kanaan also withdrew from the event. As of 2012 the winning co-driver will win the Dan Wheldon International Driver Trophy.
Past winners [edit]
Dan Wheldon International Driver Trophy [edit]
The Dan Wheldon International Driver Trophy is awarded to the best performing international driver over the race weekend. The trophy was named for the British IndyCar champion after his death one week prior to the 2011 race. The trophy was awarded unnamed after the 2010 race.
| Season | Driver | Team | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 |  Andy Priaulx |
Triple Eight Race Engineering | [1] |
| 2011 |  Sébastien Bourdais |
Triple Eight Race Engineering | Bourdais became the first driver to win at Surfers Paradise in both a Champ Car (in 2005 and 2007) and a V8 Supercar (2011) |
| 2012 | Sébastien Bourdais |
Triple Eight Race Engineering |
References [edit]
- ^ "V8 Supercars unveils the trophy for the best performing international driver, the Dan Wheldon Trophy". Speed TV (Australia). 2011. Retrieved 2011-10-23.
