2017 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship - Results and TalkTouring Cars 

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2017 Calendar

The 2017 season will mark of the end of Supercars as we know it, before the Gen 2 regulations come into effect in 2018. Last year of the Falcon, last year of the Aussie built Commodore and the last year of exclusively using V8 powerplants for the series.

So what are your thoughts on 2017? Can SVG make it two championships in a row? Or will Whincup claim his seventh? Can anyone at all topple the all dominant Red Bull Racing Australia?
 
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Is it really the last year of the V8s, I mean people can still run them, and Nissan still haven't decided if they'll go V6tt. It's just likely they will because of what they produce.
 
It's certainly going to be an interesting year. There's a few key changes I'm interested to see - how Walkinshaw rebrand themselves, interesting driver changes such as McLaughin at DJRTP, Percat at BJR and De Silvestro's full time drive.
 
It's certainly going to be an interesting year. There's a few key changes I'm interested to see - how Walkinshaw rebrand themselves, interesting driver changes such as McLaughin at DJRTP, Percat at BJR and De Silvestro's full time drive.

I think the biggest interest for me is much of what you've said, but also if GRM will get to keep running Volvo for one more year and then hopefully bring in KIA.
 
Is it really the last year of the V8s, I mean people can still run them, and Nissan still haven't decided if they'll go V6tt. It's just likely they will because of what they produce.
Unless Japan gives them permission to use the 3.0L TT V6's from the now defunct LMP1 program, I'd bet on them using the current V8 through 2018. Especially considering the fact that Nissan's future is uncertain past that point. No reason to develop a new engine if they don't know if they are sticking around.
 
You're right it's been a mess.
I suspect that it's because certain personalities in the paddock wield far too much political power - power that they never should have been able to acquire in the first place - and Bargwanna hasn't had the backbone to stand up to them.

After all, how many times has Roland Dane effectively held the sport hostage to try and force through a more favourable result for his team?
 
I suspect that it's because certain personalities in the paddock wield far too much political power - power that they never should have been able to acquire in the first place - and Bargwanna hasn't had the backbone to stand up to them.

After all, how many times has Roland Dane effectively held the sport hostage to try and force through a more favourable result for his team?

Well that's obvious, but then again when the series doesn't do much to spread interest and the only people that keep it afloat are the people in the garage, it becomes all too easy to see who wields the power.
 
I guess we'll all be following Simona's progress. She'll get coverage galore.

LeBrocq & Jacobson. Two drivers in waiting. Do they both dominate DVS for another year? Do PRA have a trick up their sleeve? Remember, AGT mentioned a Mustang GT4 has been ordered for the series. Will they be steering that? Do they have to wait all the way unto the enduros to drive in the main game?

Bright. Oh, well. He's in it another year. Some of us feel Todd should step down, but minus his dramas, he steered well in '16. Maybe Bright in the #56 will have some pep I'm his step.

Walkinshaw. Pye gets his first win at Clipsal. I think he's coming out swinging. His future is secure and the Walky VFII has proved itself at Clipsal and the second half of the season. I think Ryan Walkinshaw should move to Australia for the next two years. 1- to be around for the fans, 2- to gauge people's jntwrest in a Walkinshaw(HSV) NG Commodore. Are they going to give the public a successor to the R8/GTS/Grange/R8 wagon?

Nissan said in their press conference, they will make a decision what they'll run in 2019. The Altima stays unto then. Contracts are locked in til then. Does Simona come good to be as quick as Premat by then, just when Nissan are about to bring a new car to the game?

Newcastle. Does it become the Monaco of the series? Will it tank? Will residents protest?
I may have some insider info on testing of the proposed course. I won't know until next year though.

Whincup is about to know how Lowndes felt for the next few years. Giz is learning, driving everything he cam to stay sharp and loves what he's doing.
I'd say Giz has more skill in placing the car and going for the gap and anticipating what a driver ahead will do. Giz does video game moves when overtaking. I can see Giz earning the #1 again.
 
Can SVG make it two championships in a row? Or will Whincup claim his seventh? Can anyone at all topple the all dominant Red Bull Racing Australia?
For the sake of everything in the series, hopefully they do have a challenger. I'll take absolutely anyone.
 
LeBrocq & Jacobson. Two drivers in waiting. Do they both dominate DVS for another year? Do PRA have a trick up their sleeve?

[...]

Bright. Oh, well. He's in it another year.
I wonder if PRA are deciding to hold back on LeBrocq for another year, and so acquired the Britek REC while selling the Super Black Racing REC on. That struck me as a strange do-se-do at the time; why go to the trouble of buying two RECs and selling one if you only wanted to acquire one in the first place?

My guess is that PRA are afraid of repeating the Waters saga with LeBrocq. Waters was extraordinarily competitive in the DVS, and on paper was ready to join the top tier of the championship - but once he got there, he demonstrated that he wasn't up to the task. LeBrocq is similarly quick, but the back end of his DVS title bid was fraught with errors. I suspect PRA wanted to promote LeBrocq for 2017, but then thought better of it and recruited Bright in the interim so as to give LeBrocq more time to develop.
 
I wonder if PRA are deciding to hold back on LeBrocq for another year, and so acquired the Britek REC while selling the Super Black Racing REC on. That struck me as a strange do-se-do at the time; why go to the trouble of buying two RECs and selling one if you only wanted to acquire one in the first place?

My guess is that PRA are afraid of repeating the Waters saga with LeBrocq. Waters was extraordinarily competitive in the DVS, and on paper was ready to join the top tier of the championship - but once he got there, he demonstrated that he wasn't up to the task. LeBrocq is similarly quick, but the back end of his DVS title bid was fraught with errors. I suspect PRA wanted to promote LeBrocq for 2017, but then thought better of it and recruited Bright in the interim so as to give LeBrocq more time to develop.
I can see that. He made some bad moves this year.
Waters has matured. He's just had a bad string with the car. Wasn't quite their as Edwards alluded to.
 
Yeah, fair enough.

It was only a few weeks ago that Larko was on the box in front of his whiteboard telling us all that parity is not an issue anymore. Besides the fuel mileage of the pushrods versus the quad cams, I'd say that's correct.
Now that Supercars are going to completely shuffle the deck chairs with these new Gen2 regs, it's going to become a bigger issue than they've ever faced since the Group A days. Trying to balance all the performance parameters of a twin turbo V6 against the current V8 options is going to be a nightmare.
Which is why I can see someone proposing a few changes to the regulations.
It'll be interesting. What if Kia or someone else, decide to run a 2.0T? That would throw a bigger monkey-in-the-wrench.
 
http://www.speedcafe.com/2016/12/10/clipsal-appearance-superutes-prototype/
“From the point of view of performance, the initial testing of the turbo diesel engine has been a lot more impressive than the average person might think.

“The Utes will be fairly quick and they will maintain their ride height they will have a bit more ability to jump kerbs a bit.

“They won’t be slow and they will certainly be entertaining.
Higher center of gravity over curbs? We'll see.
 
I've saved a whole bunch of the classic Bathurst races from this year's broadcast for use this off-season.

Good move. There are plenty of great races that are still well worth the watch. '94, '95, '98, '99, '00, '07 are all great Bathurst races.

Away from the Mountain, there are many more that I'd highly recommend.

Lakeside '84
Calder '86
Oran Park '87
Winton '89
Mallala '90
Phillip Island '94
Mallala '94
Phillip Island '95
Eastern Creek '97
Hidden Valley '98
Phillip Island '00
QLD 500 '01

And on from there...

Pretty sure all those races are available on youtube, so happy off season to all!
 
That's a great one. I've got a DVD called Group A Touring Classics, with that on it. Awesome wet weather racing.
I've got that DVD too but I can also remember watching it live.
Gricey versus Longhurst and the fallout that followed...
Not a dull moment in that one.
 
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