2017 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship - Results and TalkTouring Cars 

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Fun fact. The last time a team not named T8 won the first race of a season? HRT with Todd Kelly back in 2007.
 
I see Taz Douglas has got a few sponsor decals. Reminds me of Dean Fiore, when Triple F used to be sponsored race-by-race by local plumbers.

Honestly, LDM are a joke. How can you perpetually mis-manage a team like this?
 
prisonermonkeys
I see Taz Douglas has got a few sponsor decals. Reminds me of Dean Fiore, when Triple F used to be sponsored race-by-race by local plumbers.

Honestly, LDM are a joke. How can you perpetually mis-manage a team like this?
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I'd much rather the grid be missing two cars than having them on the grid really. They are just so unprofessional and it brings down the image of the whole series.
 
LumpiestFish
They are just so unprofessional and it brings down the image of the whole series.
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They do occasionally get their act together, but they're just so ill-equipped to run two cars.
 
Going to be very interesting to see where Whincup and McLaughlin land after all the pit stops.
prisonermonkeys
They do occasionally get their act together, but they're just so ill-equipped to run two cars.
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This is their 100th event. Odds of them making to 200? Very little chance, I reckon.
 
Well that was a good three way battle between three different teams.
 
Percat helping Slade off the track. Awkward.

Also, good thing JC has pace because Pye is nowhere. :indiff:
 
Spacegoat
Percat helping Slade off the track. Awkward.

Also, good thing JC has pace because Pye is nowhere. :indiff:
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Pye did well with DJR originally but he pretrt much has always been outshined by other drivers in his team. It's not that surprising imo
 
Tak[TEC]
Pye did well with DJR originally but he pretrt much has always been outshined by other drivers in his team. It's not that surprising imo
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Thought he'd be in the ten, at least. Given he got pole last year and how strong the Walkinshaw cars are at Adelaide.

Oh well.
 
Pit lane penalty for McLaughlin
 
Oh well, at least the first half of the race was entertaining.

Looks like T8's streak of winning the first race of the year will remain intact.
 
Spacegoat
This is their 100th event. Odds of them making to 200? Very little chance, I reckon.
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Apparently they called Douglas (or possibly Rullo; I missed the name, but I think it was Douglas) in because he had a coolsuit failure and was sprouting gibberish over the radio. That's fair enough, but they sent him back out less than ten minutes later.
 
A Safety Car would close things up and make it a little more interesting. Oh well, at least the opening segment of this race was great to watch. The ending, so far, not so much
 
Damn Waters has been a massive quiet achiever over this race. I had no idea he was so high up
 
Erubus guy summed it up perfectly imo. One race in and the new rules are already looking pretty ****
 
Let's not do another 15 second win tomorrow...

Off to bed for me.
 
The idea of "play on" is fair enough. Nobody likes racing that is over-patrolled by the stewards. While Barry Ryan has a point that Whincup went unpunished for turning Winterbottom around and Reynolds took a drive-through for a kerb strike, relaxing the rules on kerb strikes is a bad idea because we'll end up having the same arguments about track limits that dominated Formula One throughout 2015 and 2016.

There are only really two places on the calendar where kerb strikes are a problem: Adelaide and Surfers' Paradise. Looking at the offending areas on Google Maps, there's plenty of space in the area. Are those chicanes really necessary? You could easily move the first corner at Adelaide back, cut the current second corner entirely, and still have plenty of space for run-off.
 
In Carrera Cup drivers were given a 5 second penalty for each kerb hop after their last warning. That's exactly how it should be.
 
prisonermonkeys
You could easily move the first corner at Adelaide back, cut the current second corner entirely, and still have plenty of space for run-off.
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You'd imagine that would require a bit of run off, and the council would probably be reluctant or face opposition from the residents of the area who are very protective of "their" parklands.
 
Cap'n Jack
You'd imagine that would require a bit of run off, and the council would probably be reluctant or face opposition from the residents of the area who are very protective of "their" parklands.
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Behind the gravel trap is some sort of pavillion erected for the race, then a wide road, and then the parklands. There's plenty of space.
 
I'm curious and have been for a few seasons, but are the T8 chassis that good and above and beyond. It's just their cars always seem too far above the rest for people to think it's a spec series. I'd say they've monopolized the field better than the rest, but they were doing this even before Holden joined their group.

I just find it hard to understand year after year how they're so much better. I mean sure Frosty beat them a few years back but only barely and that was with full financial arm of Ford behind them.
 
LMSCorvetteGT2
I'm curious and have been for a few seasons, but are the T8 chassis that good and above and beyond. It's just their cars always seem too far above the rest for people to think it's a spec series. I'd say they've monopolized the field better than the rest, but they were doing this even before Holden joined their group.

I just find it hard to understand year after year how they're so much better. I mean sure Frosty beat them a few years back but only barely and that was with full financial arm of Ford behind them.
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Thing is, Supercars isn't a spec series at all. The rules are heavily restricted, but there are still just enough areas of open development to result in teams finding sizeable advantages over the rest of the field, cars from one team having totally different handling characteristics to the same model car from another team.

This is what I refer to when I talk about Supercars not being very appealing to potential new manufacturers.
 
legatoblues
Thing is, Supercars isn't a spec series at all. The rules are heavily restricted, but there are still just enough areas of open development to result in teams finding sizeable advantages over the rest of the field, cars from one team having totally different handling characteristics to the same model car from another team.

This is what I refer to when I talk about Supercars not being very appealing to potential new manufacturers.
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Well that's my point too, I mean overall it is a spec series, but like many other series there are ways to find and exploit small portions in the rules that aren't really spec. So why would KIA or Alfa want to join a series, that really isn't that spec to the point the same team, is obviously exploiting a loop in the rules for years that others can't figure out.

Unless they think they can figure it out. It's interesting, but I agree with you, not something that entertain long term ideals of racing.
 
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LMSCorvetteGT2
Well that's my point too, I mean overall it is a spec series, but like many other series there are ways to find and exploit small portions in the rules that aren't really spec. So why would KIA or Alfa want to join a series, that really isn't that spec to the point the same team, is obviously exploiting a loop in the rules for years that others can't figure out.

Unless they think they can figure it out. It's interesting, but I agree with you, not something that entertain long term ideals of racing.
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Triple 8 build a lot of the Holden chassis on the grid, I believe they build the BJR cars and LDM cars, assuming they're built identical is what I doubt,

But Triple 8 have been insanely great in most series they enter, they were extraordinarily good with the Astra in the BTCC, their Z4 GT3 program wasn't so good, but if they did build and run a GT3 car from scratch I'd expect that to spank after 2 seasons of R&D
 
TDZdave
I believe they build the BJR cars and LDM cars
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They don't build the BJR cars. BJR is certified as a chassis constructor, although Holden would generally prefer it if all Holden teams used a Triple Eight-built chassis. Once Gen2 comes into full effect and Triple Eight start running the twin-turbo V6 Commodore NG, Holden teams may not have much choice if they want to keep running a Holden chassis.

As it is, only Triple Eight, Tekno and LDM run Triple Eight-built chassis. Walkinshaw and BJR definitely build their own cars, while Erebus build their own for Reynolds and run a Walkinshaw-built for Wood (they'll probably build a second chassis for Wood eventually). I don't know what GRM or CSR are doing.
 
TDZdave
Triple 8 build a lot of the Holden chassis on the grid, I believe they build the BJR cars and LDM cars, assuming they're built identical is what I doubt,

But Triple 8 have been insanely great in most series they enter, they were extraordinarily good with the Astra in the BTCC, their Z4 GT3 program wasn't so good, but if they did build and run a GT3 car from scratch I'd expect that to spank after 2 seasons of R&D
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If, as you suspect, Triple 8 don't build their customer's chassis to the exact same level as their own team chassis, then they've got a lot of highly intelligent people up & down pitlane totally fooled.
 
prisonermonkeys
Behind the gravel trap is some sort of pavillion erected for the race, then a wide road, and then the parklands. There's plenty of space.
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I think I misunderstood - if you're suggesting turning the section into somewhat of a double spec corner, then that might work. That pavilion is one of the most sought after corporate boxes, which could be moved but it probably wouldn't be so popular if the section wasn't so crash prone. It is a great bit of track though, a little bit of me misses sitting in the grandstand there (as opposed to Turn 8) the track limits issue seems to be more of a modern issue so I'm not sure what's changed.

prisonermonkeys
I don't know what GRM or CSR are doing.
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GRM build their own chassis', although I think they got a bit of help from Erebus or Walkinshaw this year due to the whole Volvo fiasco not being resolved until very late. CSR run a Triple 8 car for Holdsworth.
 
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