Virgin Australia Supercars Championship - Archive

[Andrew R]

I think the HRT livery looks good. I't looks aggresive and I didn't like the gun metal grey rims last year so I'm happy they went back to white rims.

 

[cpl_richie]

What does everyone think of the NASCAR style race numbers? FPR ran them last year. Do they know they are illegal?

Why are they Illegal? because of the lack of background/ border around them?


So which is the best livery of the year? My favourite is probably DJR, there quite a few nice cars this year (and a few stinkers too)

 

[Schrodes]

Why are they Illegal? because of the lack of background/ border around them?

Yes. Section 22.5.3 of the Sporting regulations says "The figures of the competition numbers be black on a white rectangular background; and for light coloured cars, there must be a black line 50mm wide all around the white rectangular background"
Some research shows that that section has been deleted for this year and section 22.5.3 now says "Prior to 28th January 2005, all Teams must submit for approval to AVESCO a complete Car colour graphic illustration or photograph representing the proposed number font and colour scheme that the Team intend to use in 2005." So it seems that the NASCAR style numbers are legal this year, but they were not legal last year.

 

[Schrodes]

Some interesting news.
The "Drop your worst round" rule is back. Drivers can drop their worst round up until Round 10 at Bathurst. Rounds 11, 12 and 13 cannot be dropped. There is nothing like a bit of confusion with the points system to drive away new fans.

The Gold Caost round is now three races, The last race will be run on Sunday afternoon after the Champ Cars.

The morning warm up sessions have been cancelled as has the warm up laps the drivers could do immediatley before gridding up. Previously, drivers could exit the pits and return to pitlane after the lap and go through the pits instead of gridding up. This gave the teams a few extra warm up laps. Now, if a car exits the pits and returns to the pits instead of gridding up, they will be forced to start the race from pitlane.

Cars will be fitted with a yellow and a green light to show which of their compulsory pitstops has been made. After the stop the relevant light will be turned off. The compulsory pitstop window will now open on lap five instead of lap two and drivers cannot pit under the saftey car or until three laps have been completed after the racing goes back to green. Teams are now only able to use two air guns to change tyres instead of four but they now have the option of changing only two tyres or making a longer stop and changing all four.

All drivers are to wear the HANS device as the V8 Supercar Championship is now sancioned by the FIA.

The diff ratio has been changed for the Pukekohe and Bathurst tracks to stop the cars sitting on the rev limiter for so long.

Skaife may be selling part of HRT back to Tom Walkinshaw. This will leave Skaife to concentrate on driving while Walkinshaw runs the team.

"Team DODO" has withdrawn it's appeal to the FIA over the illegal testing charge at Woomera last year. The team will have to pay the $132,000 fine and cop the one lap down start at two rounds penalty. This penalty however, will only apply to one round as the wording in the document said "last round of the 2004 V8 Supercar championship season and the first round of the 2005 season".

David Richards has been in the country to sort out the problems with FPR. How long is he staying for? Immigration Department beware, Mr Richards may be a candidate for an overstaying visa charge. He has said they will be looking for an Australian to run the team

 

[Schrodes]

What a brave decision by Bowe and Jones to use slick tyres in yesterdays race.
Those of you who watched the races would know that Kelly Racing has been renamed HSV Dealer Team and the cars look very similar to last years HRT cars and Dodo has left Team Dynamik for the PWR Super Cheap Auto team.
The biggest news from the weekend is the news that Ambrose is moving to the USA next year with a view to getting to the NASCAR Nextel Cup.

 

[cpl_richie]

Dodo has left Team Dynamik for the PWR Super Cheap Auto team.
The biggest news from the weekend is the news that Ambrose is moving to the USA next year with a view to getting to the NASCAR Nextel Cup.

Don't you mean Dodo has left Team Dynamic for Tasman Motorsport?


I wish Ambrose wasn't leaving, now who will lead the Ford charge? Hopefully a few others step up (Bright, Lowndes, Johnson, anyone really!)

There was some great racing on the weekend, I don't think it means much for the championship but was great to see them in action again.


As for HSVDT, I think its totally ridiculous. I wonder how the guys at HRT feel having their tradtional logo used buy another team. Maybe they helped design it since they are last years HRT cars. Either way its very strange. (Even their websites use the same design! HSVDT Website HRT Website )

 

[Schrodes]

Yes I did mean Tasman. Don't know how I got that mixed up.
The AGP support races are rarely a guide to how the season will go. Most of the teams are too worried about keeping the panels straight for Clipsal in a few weeks.
As for which Ford driver will step up, I'm pretty sure Lowndes is on a one year contract with Triple8...

 

[Cap'n Jack]

As for HSVDT, I think its totally ridiculous. I wonder how the guys at HRT feel having their tradtional logo used buy another team. Maybe they helped design it since they are last years HRT cars. Either way its very strange. (Even their websites use the same design! HSVDT Website HRT Website )

Actully, they're not really using the traditional logo, its only the 2004 one. HRT have gone "old school" with the paint scheme and it looks awesome!

 

[Schrodes]

I think cpl_richie is talking about the Lion/Racing Helmet emblem that has been appearing on HRT cars since HRT started.
The HRT logo is a variant of the HSV logo which also uses the Lion/Racing Helmet design. When Walkinshaw started HSV and HRT, it made sense to use the HSV emblem on the racing cars so that the working relationship between HRT and HSV was clearly visible to supporters and customers. It also makes sense for Walkinshaw to use his HSV logo on the team he chooses to support, the HSV Dealer Team, but I believe this is a huge slap in the face for HRT who put many hours into the development of parts and prototypes for HSV and in particular Mark Skaife, the owner of HRT, who also puts a lot of time into testing and developing the HSV products. It is also quite confusing why Walkinshaw would want to put so much support behind John and Margaret Kellys team when he is negotiating to buy back part of HRT.
Below is the HSV logo, HRT logo and a photo of the 1:18 scale model of the HRT Walkinshaw Commodore driven to victory at Bathurst in 1990 by Allan Grice and Win Percy which has the Lion/Racing Helmet logo on the side of the car, a variant of which is now appearing on the KRT/HSV Dealer Team Commodores.

 

[Schrodes]

Big accident for Ellery at turn 8. That car won't be back tomorrow.

 

[Cap'n Jack]

Woah, great weekend. Todays race was great. Yesterdays was good from what I saw of it, when you're there you don't get to see everything.
Skaifey did great today, coming from last position all the way up to 3rd.

 

[Schrodes]

Lowndes did better, last after turn one and came back to second.
Tander was not happy at all with Simon Wills. According to Tander, Wills put him into the wall at turn eight and Tander was saying that Wills shouldn't have been there after they were caught cheating last year. He was pretty pissed off.

 

[[FPV]Rusty]

every angle i saw Wills was no where near him so i dont know what the hell Tander was talking about.

 

[Schrodes]

The angle Ten showed made it look as though Wills was avoiding Tander after Tander had started heading toward the wall.
Tanders tyre had started falling apart after contact at turn 14 on the previous lap and he was limping toward the pits.

Tander:"I'd been pumping the brake pedal all the way up that straight, letting Simon know that something's gone wrong and surely he would have seen all the rubber flying off the car and he's just gone in there as normal and absolutely nailed me and put me straight in the wall".

Wills:"I had Paul Radisich who'd stuck his nose up the inside of me and I looked over to my side, when I looked straight ahead again I had chunks of rubber hitting my screen and he was on the brakes, and I ran into the back of him".

I just checked the CAMS website and there has been no investigation into the incident.

 

[Schrodes]

A new speed record for a V8 Supercar was set at Lake Gairdner last week. The Smiths Trucks team and driver Jamie Sargeant reached 313.03km/h beating Glenn Seton's speed of 301km/h set at Bathurst in the late 90's.

 

[[FPV]Rusty]

313.03km/h?! thats unbeleivable, howd they get that time, considering the tallest set of the 3 sets of gears you can use is usually almost redlining in 6th at about 295km/h to 300km/h at the end of conrod. I'd like to know if they used the normal gearing or jsut put taller gears in to beat the top speed?

 

[Lemke]

I've been looking for a V8 Supercar thread for a while and finally found it. Just recently became a fan up here in the US. I don't know much about the teams or the history or anything but I want to learn because this is a great racing series!


-Lemke-

 

[Cap'n Jack]

Theres alot of info at V8 Supercar.com

The next V8 Supercar round is at Shanghai, they won't be running on the same full course as the Formula 1, they will be driving the short circuit.

They left Australia on Monday I think, I reckon they'd get there probably this sunday, which leaves less than a week to get prepared.

 

[Schrodes]

I wonder which lap Ambrose will take Skaife out on. I might look at sportsbet and see what odds they are offering.
The sweeping corners should give us an idea who is on top of their car setup.
Triple 8's new colours.

 

[Cap'n Jack]

Those cars don't look ad good, but I do like the silver and blue.

 

[Schrodes]

I like it more without the yellow. The yellow makes the cars look a bit messy.

 

[Schrodes]

1st Practice Results Shanghai

1 2 Holden Racing Team Mark Skaife 1.49.8334
2 6 Ford Performance Racing Jason Bright 1:49.9560
3 51 Super Cheap Auto Racing Greg Murphy 1:50.0115
4 16 HSV Dealer Team Garth Tander 1:50.0293
5 22 Holden Racing Team Todd Kelly 1:50.1533
6 11 Team Perkins Racing Steven Richards 1:50.3438
7 328 WOW Sight & Sound Max Wilson 1:50.5677
8 3 Dodo Racing Jason Richards 1:50.5879
9 17 Westpoint Racing Steven Johnson 1:50.6329
10 888 Team Betta Electrical Craig Lowndes 1:50.7827
11 88 Team Betta Electrical Steve Ellery 1:50.8942
12 1 Pirtek Racing Marcos Ambrose 1:50.8992
13 21 Team BOC Brad Jones 1:50.9821
14 021 Team Kiwi Racing Paul Radisich 1:51.1637
15 9 Caltex Racing Russell Ingall 1:51.2384
16 50 Super Cheap Auto Racing Paul Weel 1:51.2655
17 18 Westpoint Racing Glenn Seton 1:51.4240
18 168 Team Dynamik Simon Wills 1:51.4551
19 48 WPS David Besnard 1:51.5496
20 15 Team Buick Rick Kelly 1:51.5884
21 33 Repco Valvoline Cummins Team Cameron McConville 1:51.6618
22 67 Sirromet-Life Style Wine Paul Morris 1:51.6833
23 7 Autobarn Racing Paul Dumbrell 1:51.6884
24 8 WPS Racing Craig Baird 1:51.7092
25 10 Larkham Orrcon Racing Jason Bargwanna 1:51.8176
26 12 Team BOC John Bowe 51.8576
27 5 Ford Performance Racing Greg Ritter 1.51.9290
28 20 Larkham Orrcon Racing Mark Winterbottom 1:52.1179
29 52 Fujitsu Racing Matthew White 1:52.2774
30 75 Toll Racing Anthony Tratt 1:52.4418
31 23 Dodo Racing Jamie Whincup 1:52.4587
32 34 Repco Valvoline Cummins Team Andrew Jones 1:53.3877

 

[Cap'n Jack]

Very close times, so far it looks like we'll have a close race

 

[somebody]

There should be a lot of passing going on in the first race. The Qualifying was wet to start with and dried up so not everyone would have adjusted quickly. Also, they're still taking 2 or 3 different lines in to the corners. Should be fun.

 

[Cap'n Jack]

Results are on the V8sueprcar website, I wont say them, just incase nobody wants to know yet, but I am quite suprised in the results, I can't wait to see the race tomorrow.

 

[Andrew R]

I dont get to watch the races because of stupid work. If my lazy brother can find the time to come out and visit his own mother and bring the video player with him, I shall be saved but its going to start in about 1.5 hours and his big tall mother-not-visiting ass isnt here.

 

[Schrodes]

That was some good racing from Shanghai. I think we should start calling Murphy's car the General Lee after his ride through the sand in race two.
Mark Winterbottom was very lucky to avoid injury in race one after hitting that drainage grate.

 

[Schrodes]

A few big accidents on the weekend. First was Cameron McLeans Porsche then Jason Richards in his Commodore in an identical incident on the same part of the track.
http://www.sherrinracing.com.au/Cameron McLean crash willowbank.mpg

 

[Cap'n Jack]

Pretty good racing this weekend, wasn't the best though. Not long till Sandown and Bathurst, I can't wait!

 

[somebody]

I was out at Bathurst on the weekend. The new paddock area is looking great.

There was a couple of nice Commodores and Toranas on the top of the mountain doing a few hoon laps. They must be wondering how my little Corolla caught them coming back down the mountain Power ain't everything guys.

Hopefully I'll get up there for the race this year and maybe, just maybe, Seton will finally win 👍