Mobil 1™ Racing is going retro for this weekend’s Sandown 500, as we round out the season of endurance around the corner from home, at Sandown Raceway.

Our livery for this weekend will be revealed tomorrow morning, but before then, let’s have a look at what the weekend holds.

We head into Round 14 with confidence after the first two enduros, which included a podium and a further two top-5 finishes, which has left Scott Pye and Warren Luff fourth in the PIRTEK Enduro Cup standings, and James Courtney and Jack Perkins fifth.

There is positive momentum behind both cars, but this weekend is not a task we take lightly.

At 3.1kms in length, it’s a short but busy lap around Sandown. If you can get a good run onto the main straight turn 1 is a passing opportunity, with the fastest part of the track located at the end of the back straight.

Like Bathurst, it will be a 161-lap journey on Sunday, with three compulsory stops throughout.

The format for this weekend is quite unique. Saturday morning will host a 20-minute qualifying run, which sets the starting order for the first of two 60km ‘races for the grid.’ Those races, for the first time, will be worth 50-championship points each.

The co-drivers race the first part, and wherever they finish, is where the main drivers start the second part.

Wherever JC and Scotty finish that one, is where the cars will start the 500km race on Sunday. Different, but exciting!

Sunday’s race is one where everyone expects the unexpected. Sandown always has a funny way of throwing a few curveballs at the field.

In typical Victorian fashion, there is rain expected across the weekend on all days, so the crew will be watching the sky as much as they will be watching the track.

All running will be done on the SuperSoft tyre this weekend, with on-track action getting underway on Friday at 10:40am AEDT for the first practice session of the weekend.

You can catch every lap on Fox Sports, while Sunday will also be shown live on Channel 10.

Scott Pye

“Our weekend on the Gold Coast was a positive one, the car was great, and it was a lot of fun to drive.

“The work hasn’t stopped though, everyone was straight back into it trying to continue to move forward.

“We had good car pace across the entire weekend here last year, so I’m really looking forward to getting back out there with Luffy for the final time this season.

“The cars look unbelievable, can’t wait for you guys to see them soon.”

Warren Luff

“It’s great to be headed back to Sandown this weekend, especially off the back of a positive weekend on the Gold Coast.

“It’s the last race for us co-drivers this year, so we will be pushing to end it on a high, and walk away with a trophy.

“Top three in the Enduro Cup is definitely within reach, so that’s what we are targeting.”

James Courtney

“It’s always a lot of fun this weekend. Saturday is a really unique day and great for the fans, and then we get to strap in for 500kms on Sunday.

“Things just didn’t fall our way on the Gold Coast, but the car speed was really good, as it was at Bathurst, so we are confident of a result this weekend.

“Jack has done a great job all year, so we wouldn’t mind adding another trophy to the collection.

“Our cars look amazing, everyone will love them, and I can’t wait until we roll out on Friday.”

Jack Perkins

“I love this weekend, Sandown is a great place, and the Retro Round makes it even better.

“The car was good at the Gold Coast, we just didn’t have luck on our side to push us further up, but we are still in a strong position in the Enduro Cup and, with another good weekend, can move up even further.

“This endurance campaign has been a lot of fun but we’re not done with yet. It would be great to finish on a high and stand up there on the podium on Sunday afternoon. Everyone in the team has been working extremely hard, so it would be a great reward for them all.”