Surfers Paradise is a fast temporary road course adjacent to Queensland's Gold Coast, which holds a V8 Supercar event each year. Its origins date back to 1991 and the first Champ Car race to be held outside the Americas – John Andretti scoring his only such victory that day. The Gold Coast Champ Car Grand Prix incurred the FIA’s wrath at the time and prompted a retrospective ruling from Paris that the series could only expand further on ovals. That ruling was later rescinded but the Champ Car World Series was eventually absorbed into the rival IndyCar championship after the 2007 season. V8 Supercars have been the headline act at Surfers Paradise ever since, star drivers imported for the popular event each year. The original circuit was essentially a series of long straights interrupted by chicanes; the close proximity of concrete barriers has led to many incidents, including the 1997 crash in which Christian Fittipaldi broke his leg. The layout was cut in half in 2010 with the circuit now measuring 1.85 miles.
