2016 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship - Results and TalkTouring Cars 

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Ford factory support gone, Volvo factory support gone, Holden slimming it's effort, NISMO - who know....throw in the limited FTA coverage in Australia and the reasons to follow it are getting less and less sadly.
 
Nissan can jump on a good opportunity here. "In a surprise move, Nissan Motorsport have dumped Kelly Racing and signed a three year contract with Garry Rogers Motorsport. James Courtney will leave Walkinshaw racing to race side by side with James Holding for 2017 and beyond." :sly:
 
05XR8
Nissan can jump on a good opportunity here. "In a surprise move, Nissan Motorsport have dumped Kelly Racing and signed a three year contract with Garry Rogers Motorsport. James Courtney will leave Walkinshaw racing to race side by side with James Holding for 2017 and beyond." :sly:
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Ha ha ha. Kelly Racing has been DUMPED by Nissan. About time!
 
Sad times. Followed HRT since I was a kid, such an iconic figure of the sport. The series seems like it's on a pretty steep downhill slide.
 
CLowndes888
Ha ha ha. Kelly Racing has been DUMPED by Nissan. About time!
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That was just speculation on his part. Nissan hasn't made their decision yet...


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Also, why is it every time something big happens, Inside Supercars is on hiatus? Murphy's Law much?

And whilst not related to V8SC much, with Holden withdrawing the HRT name from Walkinshaw, that's gonna force some changes with the JC Kart/HKT Driver Program.
 
LumpiestFish
Don't act like you're the only one who called it. It was inevitable and most people knew that.
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It's sheer common sense. If you can't beat em, join em.
888 have proven time & time again that if you want to drive a Holden to victory lane, you make a cheque out to Mr.R.Dane.
To do otherwise is like trying to push a giant cart of it up a steep hill while wearing roller skates
 
All sports have their ups and downs. Though, Super GT seem like they are always on the level.

ATCC, V8SC, VASC. I doubt any major teams would jump ship if they all had to race Holdens in 2018. Sure, AGT is strong but, like many racers say, they can't race these types of "super" cars anywhere else.

Andrew R
The series seems like it's on a pretty steep downhill slide.
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NW48
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Also, why is it every time something big happens, Inside Supercars is on hiatus? Murphy's Law much?

And whilst not related to V8SC much, with Holden withdrawing the HRT name from Walkinshaw, that's gonna force some changes with the JC Kart/HKT Driver Program.
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I noticed that when I saw all this bike racing stuff listed.

I wonder about JC and Monster.

Another thing, what sponsor does Garth bring? Just seems like he shows up to work to get a paycheck.
 
Just to clarify on the T8/ HRT situation currently, seeing as I've seen some people totally fail read all the details of news articles,

*HRT is a brand by Holden on its own, the current team the brand is on is Walkinshaw racing, next year will be on T8 cars,

*this is not a merger! Walkinshaw racing are committed to running 2 cars next year, T8 are also remaining the same, THE GRID IS NOT LOSING CARS!

*Craig Lowndes will remain driving under the Caltex racing banner, until further notice of otherwise, meaning he will not be returning to HRT colors, again, until further notice!

*any achievements made by 'T8HRT' will be accredited to T8, not to HRT, same as achievements made by HRT under Walkinshaw Racing, Skaife Racing and Tom Walkinshaw Racing, will remain as accolades to the teams, not HRT!

*James Courtney and Garth Tander's contracts expire at the end of this current season, those contracts belong to Walkinshaw Racing not HRT, so they wont be renewed under the T8HRT banner, unless signed by T8 for next year,

I hope this clarifies the entire situation for everyone,

I find it amusing how the last of the Ford factory money went to T8, when that stopped they jumped ship, I wonder how long the Holden money will last, and if they will stay after that money leaves,
 
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Mike Rotch
Ford factory support gone, Volvo factory support gone, Holden slimming it's effort, NISMO - who know....throw in the limited FTA coverage in Australia and the reasons to follow it are getting less and less sadly.
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I had to chuckle at James Warburton coming out yesterday and saying that Holden's decision reinforces the strength of the series.

Really? Only one manufacturer has (so far) committed to the series beyond this year and that manufacturer has just decreased it's commitment from two teams to one. Hardly seems like the series is going gangbusters to me.

Maybe I'm just a bit bitter at all this though lol.
 
Spacegoat
that manufacturer has just decreased it's commitment from two teams to one
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I'm pretty sure Holden provide funding to all Holden teams; how much varies depending on their performance. It's a way of protecting their presence on the grid. The other manufacturers don't provide support, which makes Holden more attractive - and means that there are less teams and drivers who can win races for someone else.
 
prisonermonkeys
I'm pretty sure Holden provide funding to all Holden teams; how much varies depending on their performance. It's a way of protecting their presence on the grid. The other manufacturers don't provide support, which makes Holden more attractive - and means that there are less teams and drivers who can win races for someone else.
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Let's not forget that Triple8 will be the only suppliers of the new cars. If you want to race a Holden, you have to get it from them.
 
Spacegoat
I had to chuckle at James Warburton coming out yesterday and saying that Holden's decision reinforces the strength of the series.

Really? Only one manufacturer has (so far) committed to the series beyond this year and that manufacturer has just decreased it's commitment from two teams to one. Hardly seems like the series is going gangbusters to me.

Maybe I'm just a bit bitter at all this though lol.
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Warburton will spin anything into a positive. The guy is delusional :rolleyes:
R1600Turbo
Let's not forget that Triple8 will be the only suppliers of the new cars. If you want to race a Holden, you have to get it from them.
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Maybe I'm reading it wrong but, as I understand it, you get your car from 888 but I think you still have the option of assembling it yourself if you're a BJR or similar and currently construct your own cars.
I don't think your only option is a 'turn key' race car.
 
R1600Turbo
If you want to race a Holden, you have to get it from them.
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That's not necessarily a bad thing, considering that they're incredibly well-built and the alternative is an oil tanker from Walkinshaw.
 
You can go to any fabricator and build a car..

You can also go to T8 and get them to build you any other branded car....
 
prisonermonkeys
That's not necessarily a bad thing, considering that they're incredibly well-built and the alternative is an oil tanker from Walkinshaw.
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But I haven't read any guarantee on spec. Plenty of Triple Eight cars in the field right now, but only a few of them have all the goodies.
 
legatoblues
But I haven't read any guarantee on spec. Plenty of Triple Eight cars in the field right now, but only a few of them have all the goodies.
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All the goodies are available for a set price but that's not necessarily the critical item(s). Having an engineer on the same page as the driver is the vital ingredient in this game.
 
Pete05
All the goodies are available for a set price but that's not necessarily the critical item(s). Having an engineer on the same page as the driver is the vital ingredient in this game.
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I agree, strategy is paramount in this game.

Regarding parts, BJR have been winning races with bits and pieces from everyone.
 
05XR8
I agree, strategy is paramount in this game.

Regarding parts, BJR have been winning races with bits and pieces from everyone.
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Yep, strategy is definitely important but can go right out the window with a Safety Car at any time.
I was really referring to the driver/engineer combo working together to make a quick & balanced car that won't eat it's tyres in 10 laps.
Do that on both tyre compounds, as well as in the wet & you should be smiling more than frowning.
 
Pete05
Yep, strategy is definitely important but can go right out the window with a Safety Car at any time.
I was really referring to the driver/engineer combo working together to make a quick & balanced car that won't eat it's tyres in 10 laps.
Do that on both tyre compounds, as well as in the wet & you should be smiling more than frowning.
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Absolutely. Setup is so critical in these cars, especially given that they're often fighting tooth and nail to make gains measured in hundreths of seconds, not tenths.

Great example of that was the discussion surrounding 888 and Tekno, in that they have exactly the same spec car and that 888 share the baseline setup, but that's all and the difference is quite significant.

And thanks for clarifying regarding the spec question. It's still worth pointing out that because Supercars have never committed to being a parity series (their single biggest flaw IMO - parity or competition, what are we trying to do?), there's nothing to say that all cars have to have the same spec. So in theory, 888 can make a car, sell it to whoever is buying, then keep the further developments to themselves to stay ahead of the pack.
 
legatoblues
Absolutely. Setup is so critical in these cars, especially given that they're often fighting tooth and nail to make gains measured in hundreths of seconds, not tenths.

Great example of that was the discussion surrounding 888 and Tekno, in that they have exactly the same spec car and that 888 share the baseline setup, but that's all and the difference is quite significant.

And thanks for clarifying regarding the spec question. It's still worth pointing out that because Supercars have never committed to being a parity series (their single biggest flaw IMO - parity or competition, what are we trying to do?), there's nothing to say that all cars have to have the same spec. So in theory, 888 can make a car, sell it to whoever is buying, then keep the further developments to themselves to stay ahead of the pack.
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But that's the point I was making before.
888 aren't allowed, by the rules, to develop new go faster bits, fit them to their own cars and then not make them available to any other team.
 
Remember the old "Darth Vader, your car is ready." ads with the Impala SS?(damn, I'm showing my age :D ) This thing is sweet! Black rims too!

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2016-Erebus-4-V8SC-08.jpg
 
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I'm disappointed that Betty herself isn't on the car. Maybe someone should remake Rolls Royce's Spirit of Ecstacy hood ornament in her image ...
 
Some insight
http://www.speedcafe.com/2016/08/18/jones-t8-holden-deal-wont-impact-bjr/
Brad Jones is confident Holden’s decision to award Triple Eight the exclusive rights to manufacture the 2018 Commodore Supercars won’t affect his operation.

Brad Jones Racing has constructed its own Commodores since the beginning of the Car of the Future era started in 2013, having previously raced Walkinshaw cars.

Announcing on Tuesday that Triple Eight has been awarded the contract to develop the next-generation Commodore, Holden Motorsport boss Simon McNamara explained that “any team will be able to run a Holden that will be prepared and manufactured by Triple Eight.”

BJR has enjoyed a successful period since it took its car building in-house, scoring more race wins than the Holden Racing Team since 2013.

Faced with a change for 2018, Jones envisages that the team will continue to construct its own cars.

The outfit already purchases components from Triple Eight for its three cars.

“I don’t think it will have an impact on us one way or another,” Jones told Speedcafe.com.

“We will still be using our own chassis and stuff. I don’t know what the fall-out of that is, but I’m not expecting to go and buy cars off anyone.

“The reason we survive is (because) we manufacture our stuff. The way I read it was that we will be buying body kit parts off them (Triple Eight).

“At the moment we buy body parts off Triple Eight and build our own cars.

“The way I interpret it is that it won’t be any different from the way it is now.”

Pleased by Holden’s commitment to the sport, Jones believes the manufacturer was always going to remain in the sport in some guise.

The former race driver also feels that Holden’s decision to switch the Holden Racing Team moniker to Triple Eight was inevitable.

“I fully expected that there would be a Holden there of sorts (in the future),” added Jones.

“Australian touring car racing wouldn’t be the same without some sort of Holden involvement.

“We will still get some support from Holden and that doesn’t look like it is going to change.

“I think that the Holden Racing Team changing hands is just a sign of the times to be honest.

“It is probably a sad day for a lot of Holden fans and they will go one way or another.

“The commercial reality is that Holden couldn’t support two teams. It is just the way of the world.”

BJR is at Winton Motor Raceway today, undertaking its second test day of the season ahead of Sydney Motorsport Park on August 26-28.
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If they have to buy everything from Triple Eight, I bet they'll go to someone else.
 
I'm not entirely sure that Brad know what exclusive means.

I thought the announcement was pretty clear. If you want to run a Holden in 2018 and beyond, you have to buy a T8 built car. You can't build your own.
 
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