Sandown International Motor Raceway

Sandown International Motor Raceway at a glance

Location

Springvale, Victoria

Type

road course

Length

3.104 km (1.929 mi)

Turns

13

Direction

counter-clockwise

Surface

asphalt

Opened

1962

Owner

Melbourne Racing Club

Address

591-659 Princes Highway, Springvale VIC 3171

Website

sandown.net.au

Track map and layout

Sandown is a flat, fast "power circuit" built around the outfield of the Sandown horse racing track and its ornamental lake in suburban Springvale, about 25 km south-east of Melbourne. The 3.104 km, 13-turn lap is defined by two long straights - roughly 900 m each - joined by a mix of sweeping and tighter corners, with Dandenong Road Corner at the end of the back straight one of the circuit's best-known braking zones after a very fast entry out of the esses. Because Sandown predates most of Melbourne's surrounding suburbs, it now operates as an island of motorsport hemmed in by housing, which limits it under council permit to a handful of major event weekends a year with strict noise limits. Despite its compact scale, the long main straight and big grandstand give it one of the most old-school, spectator-friendly atmospheres of any circuit on the Supercars calendar.

Named corners and sections

• Dandenong Road Corner. A very fast-entry corner at the end of the back straight, one of the most demanding braking zones on the lap.
• Shell Corner. A corner named for a long-time circuit sponsor, relocated closer to the start line during past circuit modifications.
• Peters Corner (Torana Corner). An older-generation corner name from earlier eras of the circuit's history, still used informally by regulars.
• Coates Bend. A sweeping bend named for another historic circuit sponsor.

Configurations

Events and race weekends

Sandown has been a fixture of the Australian touring car and Supercars calendar since the 1960s and has hosted more Australian Touring Car Championship rounds than almost any other circuit. Its best-known modern date, the Sandown 500, was a long-running endurance-format Supercars round that acted as a Bathurst 1000 warm-up; from 2025 the event was reformatted as the shorter Sandown SuperSprint, and Sandown's place on the Supercars calendar has been reviewed year to year amid the broader uncertainty over the venue's future. Historic and club racing meetings, run under a council permit limiting the venue to a handful of major weekends a year, fill out the rest of the calendar.

Getting there and parking

Sandown Raceway is in Springvale, about 25 km south-east of the Melbourne CBD, and is reachable in roughly 30-40 minutes by car via the Monash Freeway/Princes Highway, or by train to nearby Sandown Park or Springvale stations. Melbourne Airport is on the opposite side of the city, so allow closer to 45-60 minutes by road depending on traffic.

• Melbourne Airport (MEL) · about 50 min drive

Parking

General on-site parking is available for most events; because Sandown sits in a built-up suburb, organisers advise using the train where possible on the Sandown 500/SuperSprint weekend when the surrounding streets and car parks fill quickly.

Sandown's proximity to central Melbourne means most visitors treat it as a day trip rather than needing accommodation, even for the biggest Supercars weekend of the year.

Hotels and camping near Sandown International Motor Raceway

Because Sandown sits inside metropolitan Melbourne, almost nobody needs to book special accommodation to visit; the vast majority of visitors live in or are staying in greater Melbourne already and drive or train in for the day. There is no camping or on-site accommodation at the raceway itself, which is hemmed in by residential streets.

Where to look

Visitors wanting to stay overnight typically choose Melbourne CBD or the south-eastern suburbs near Dandenong and Springvale, both a short drive from the circuit, though most locals simply drive home the same day.

Track days, driving experiences and lap records

Sandown's council permit limits it to a small number of major motorsport weekends a year, but the circuit still runs driver education days, motorcycle training, a 4WD training facility, limited car club days and corporate drive days, plus commercial hot-lap and self-drive experiences in performance cars through third-party operators.

Who runs days here

• Fastrack Experiencescar

Typical cost: Passenger hot laps from around A$79 for 2-3 laps; self-drive experiences in cars such as Lotus, Ferrari, Lamborghini and Mustang from around A$299 up to A$999 for longer sessions

Lap records

Spectator guide

Sandown's long, permanent grandstand along the main straight is one of the biggest and best-regarded in Australian motorsport, giving a clear view of the start-finish line, pit lane and the run down to the first corner. The circuit's compact, flat layout means fans can walk between several vantage points overlooking the back straight and Dandenong Road Corner without losing sight of much of the lap.

Seating

A large permanent grandstand runs along the pit straight; general-admission areas cover much of the rest of the lake-side infield and back straight.

Best places to watch

The main grandstand gives the best view of starts, pit stops and the run to Turn 1; the back straight and Dandenong Road Corner are favoured for watching cars under brakes after the fastest part of the lap.

Weather

• September (Sandown SuperSprint/500): Melbourne spring conditions, mild and changeable with highs typically around 16-19°C and a real chance of rain or wind

History of Sandown International Motor Raceway

Australia's oldest permanent circuit

Sandown traces its motorsport roots to Australia's first car race in March 1904, held on the grounds later occupied by the Sandown horse racing complex in Springvale. The purpose-built motor racing circuit was constructed around the outside of the horse track and its lake, with construction starting in 1961 and the circuit opening on 11 March 1962. It quickly became one of the most important circuits in the country, hosting the international Tasman Series from 1964 to 1975 and World Sportscar Championship rounds in 1984 and 1988.

A touring car heartland

Through the 1960s to 1990s Sandown hosted more Australian Touring Car Championship rounds than almost any other venue, and its endurance race, the Sandown 500, became a traditional Bathurst 1000 warm-up on the Supercars calendar. Suburban growth gradually surrounded the circuit with housing, and a local council permit has long restricted Sandown to a handful of major motorsport weekends a year with strict noise limits.

Development threat and present day

Since 2019 the Melbourne Racing Club, which owns the site, has pursued plans to rezone and redevelop large parts of the 112-hectare property into housing, reportedly citing multi-million-dollar annual operating losses on the racing side of the business; the proposal has repeatedly resurfaced and been paused amid Supercars' own scheduling reviews and changes on the Melbourne Racing Club board. The Sandown 500 was reformatted as the shorter Sandown SuperSprint from 2025, and while the circuit has continued to host Supercars and historic racing, its long-term future remains an open question that Victorian motorsport followers watch closely each year.

Frequently asked questions

Other tracks nearby

• Albert Park Circuit · 21 km · street circuit
• Calder Park Raceway · 48 km · road course & oval (Thunderdome dormant)
• Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit · 62 km · road course
• Winton Motor Raceway · 179 km · road course
• Symmons Plains Raceway · 449 km · road course
• Wakefield Park · 532 km · road course