Touring Cars 2020 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship

Not too early to start a new thread is it?

Calendar

Pre-Season Test Day (The Bend) February 18
Superloop Adelaide 500 February 20-23
Melbourne Super400 March 12-15
Tyrepower Tasmania Super400 April 3-5
ITM Auckland Super400 April 24-26
PIRTEK Perth SuperNight May 15-17
Truck Assist Winton Super400 June 5-7
Watpac Townsville 400 June 26-28
BetEasy Darwin Triple Crown July 17-19
Sydney SuperNight August 28-30
OTR The Bend 500 September 18-20
Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 October 8-11
Vodafone Gold Coast 600 October 30-November 1
Penrite Oil Sandown Super400 November 20-22
Coates Hire Newcastle 500 December 4-6


Grid.

DJR Team Penske: #17 Scott McLaughlin. #12 Fabian Coulthard.
Triple 8: #88 Jamie Whincup. #97 Shane Van Gisbergen
Tickford: #6 Cam Waters. #5 Lee Holdsworth. #55 Jack Le Brocq. #23 Will Davison.
Erebus: #9 David Reynolds. #99 Anton de Pasquale.
Walkinshaw Andretti United: #25 Chaz Mostert. #2 Bryce Fullwood.
Brad Jones Racing: #8 Nick Percat. #3 Macauley Jones. #4 Jack Smith. #14 Todd Hazelwood.
Kelly Racing: #15 Rick Kelly. #7 Andre Heimgartner.
Team 18: #18 Mark Winterbottom. #20 Scott Pye.
Matt Stone Racing. #35 Gary Jacobson. #34 Jake Kostecki/Zane Goddard.
Tekno Team Sydney: #19 James Courtney, #22 Chris Pither.
​

 

Nah, it's all good. Was done with 2019.

Hope KR can never competitive out the box.

The S2 drivers coming in next year, might be in a world of hurt, if their cars aren't at least as good as Hazelwood's was in 2019.

Enduro driver market will be interesting.

Less aero, tyre width, tyre compound and development of this next front upright, will probably be the big talking points.


Oh, one more thing... Support Races. Wonder if BASC will change their minds after the Grand Prix, to maybe add TCR to a bill. The Newcstle support races bombed.
V8s are supposedly replacing the SuperUte diesels, but don't know if that's enough during a race weekend.

 

If the Fullwood rumors are true. WAU showed good pace across the Enduro's and Newcastle. It's obviously going to be a learning year for Bryce but I think he could finish inside the top twenty.

Slade probably has a few messages on his phone. Especially after yesterday.

 

Yeah, Bryce will have a good yardstick with Mostert in front of him. I do hope the car is improved. Could be battling Erebus, if they get the qualifying right.

Slade and Macauley maybe?

If she's available, I wonder if RBHRT would do a wildcard with Simona.

 

Chaz at WAU confirmed with multi-year deal.

https://www.supercars.com/news/championship/wau-announces-multi-year-mostert-deal/?sf224522868=1

 

Glad that Adam DeBorre is apparently coming across with him. One thing Walkinshaw has been lacking for a while is a top flight engineer.

 

I read that he confirmed it on social media, but not being on much social media myself I couldn't find it.

 

Tickford dropping the ball again. Randlr should be in the #5. Lebrocq had to wait so long to finally get in a PRA/Tickford seat. Jacobson looks like he'll never be in a Tickford. They needed to have sorted out those drives.

We should be seeing Waters, Jacobson, Lebrocq, Randle.

 

Mostert HAS TO deliver for Walkinshaw or I will be a bit upset. Pye delivered some decent results in the last few races but never any podiums. Mostert has the speed to compete with the best of them, so hopefully the car doesn't let him down. Things have been really difficult for Walkinshaw since they lost factory backing, so here's hoping that Mostert can be successful.

 

I'm only on the Twitter. But I'm guessing it's this post on Adam's Instagram that people are talking about.

He had some strong performances this season but I'm still not totally sold on Waters as a #1 driver. And as much as I like Holdsworth. It could be a massive blunder resigning him, if it means losing out on Randle after next year.

 

Yeah. Missing out on a young talent, to keep Holdsworth, is a big No.
I rate Lebrocq over Waters. Pretty on par with DePasquale. Randle I'd say, is even with those two. Jacobson just didn't have the car beneath him.

Don't know who is managing Randle, but they shouldn't wait for Tickford to call.

 

Pretty much. Unless Davison moves on, there isn't any room for him with the other three on multi year deals. Kind of feels similar to David Reynolds in 2015.

 

I’ve seen and heard comments here and there that the manufacturer WAU has been in talks with is BMW. I wonder if that is what has drawn Mostert there, with his relationship with them through their GT program?

 

I like that. For sure they(WAU) had to entice him with something. I bet BMW would run the inline-six as well.

 

Good.
https://www.speedcafe.com/2019/11/27/youlden-calls-time-on-supercars-career/

 

Surprised by that actually. Luke didn't have the best Bathurst but he's still one of the better co-drivers out there. The co-driver market is going to get busy now.

 

Hazelwood confirmed at BJR. Guessing by the Alliance Truck Parts hat he's wearing, that Freightliner are gone as the primary sponsor for that car?

 

Maybe, maybe not. It could be shared between both... It is BJR after all . But I'm glad Hazelwood got a seat

 

Didn't think of that. Fair point.

Most definitely. He deserves it.

 

I guess Betty won't be calling Simona to co-drive in the #9.

Yeah, cool stuff for Hazelwood. They're going to be the new GRM, with all these young Thundercats on the team.

 

Le Brocq confirmed to replace Chaz at Tickford.

https://www.supercars.com/news/cham...iYp2piQeNbZfdErIgw-8fKQdoGcXDNQKzaQNjanA6qjn0

 

Has Le Brocq ever had a new car before? This is going to be a novelty for him.

 

Maybe the Erebus SLS?

 

Well, it's been a while then.

Fullwood could be announced tomorrow.

 

I missed this one https://www.speedcafe.com/2019/11/28/kellys-altima-can-race-against-own-kind-in-super2/

 

Another great video from the Kelly's in this article.

https://www.speedcafe.com/2019/11/29/video-kelly-racings-road-to-mustang-part-2/

@Pete05 I think I remember something about you mentioning comments being deleted on speedcafe. I hadn't posted there in ages but I had a strange one deleted today in the article about Todd Hazelwood. After it was deleted I wrote another comment which was a scathing attack at the mods asking why they'll allow blatantly false accusations aimed at drivers in their click-bait articles but not my comment that was factually true (which I mentioned they were welcome to check) and was actually not nasty at all. No surprise, that comment was deleted too .

About two hours later my original post reappeared . I think they got they may have got the message .

Spoiler: This is what was deleted

I wish this young man all the best at BJR and I hope he has a long and successful career... it gives me an extra reason to go to the local hardware store and buy a sausage in bread from his delightful parents to support him ;-)

 

Supercars to reduce aero by 12% for 2020 ahead of next weeks homologation process.

I know bugger all about aerodynamics but 12% doesn't seem like much. Still I'm all for it, as long as it produces better racing.

 

Yeah, I actually saw your post, read it & didn’t see anything wrong with it. Certainly nothing worthy of censorship

Now on Speedcafe, I read the story & scroll down to have a laugh at what the brainstrust of our motorsport community have to say. I usually don’t make it far before I’m rolling my eyes & hitting the X to close the page.

Speedcafe has gone down hill in my view. There’s a distinct drop in editorial standard & if they had a proofreader, they’d be doing overtime. As for the forum, I think you know where I’d like to insert that.

I don’t profess to be an aerodynamicist either but, I’m glad they’re doing tests in relation to ride height as well.

If teams are allowed, they’ll just set the cars up with massive rake a la Red Bull F1 team & gain back those lost degrees of angle.

Of course it won’t be as easy (it might not work at all ) & they’ll have to reinvent a lot of their setup but that’s the easiest way to regain angle

Bottom line: I was hoping for a lot more reduction than 12%.

 

Would that be the same place I told them?

Yeah, me too. Especially if that's only from what they have now, which is rumoured to be as much as 20% more than the original 350kgs they were allowed. If it's from the original 350kgs it might be okay.

 

In the same general location, yes.

That 350kg has definitely moved. There is no way any driver or any team could make an FG Ford or VE Holden on current rubber, lap at the times we saw this year & that is purely down to the aero effect. From what they've said & how I read it, it'll be a 12% reduction on current spec.