It’s that time of year where we crack open the stationary cupboard and pull out the paperclip.

Queensland Raceway in Ipswich, affectionately known as ‘the paperclip’ due to its shape and layout, will play host to round 9 of the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship.

It’s a small, yet technical track. On paper it doesn’t look like much, but the six-corner, 3.2km track has a mix of high and low speed sections combined with a few bumps in the middle. It’s still a tricky lap.

The 12m wide surface means there are four genuine passing opportunities as well, so don’t be surprised to see JC or Scotty fire it down the inside, with enough room to run four-wide in spots.

Weather wise, it looks like we might be escaping the Melbourne winter! Morning temperatures are extremely cold, but it looks like it will warm up in the 20’s each day.

This weekend is a SuperSprint round, meaning a 120km race Saturday, and a 200km race on Sunday, all on the super-soft tyre.

We kick things off on Friday with practice 1 and 2, rolling into the knockout qualifying process on Saturday and Sunday.

Every session will be broadcast live on Fox Sports, so don’t miss a minute.

Scott Pye

“I’m looking forward to getting back behind the wheel. Townsville wasn’t what we hoped for, but the beauty is we have another chance this weekend.

“The track itself its quite unique. There isn’t much grip and turn 1 is pretty bumpy so it’s a tricky lap.

“Hopefully it’s a typical Queensland winter and we can see some sun.”

James Courtney

“I love the Queensland races. Staying in my own bed is another positive, so I can’t wait for this weekend.

“We made some noticeable gains during the event in Townsville, especially in qualifying on Sunday, so we need to continue that into this weekend when we roll out of the truck.

“This round always throws a surprise or two up, so hopefully we are on the right end of it, and can have some luck!”