Virgin Australia Supercars Championship - Archive

[prisonermonkeys]

Bingo.

Crazy idea: what if we got rid of the Gold Coast 600 and replaced it with an American endurance race?

The GC600 is a horrible race; the circuit is terrible, and it is hardly a true endurance race, because it is two races that are only 50km longer than some of the normal races. So get rid of the Gold Coast and replace it with the Austin 500. And given the time it takes to prepare for an enduro, it would open up the window for a second race a little further away than if the Austin event was a sprint round.

Failing that, getting rid of Austin entirely would open up the possibilities for twinning races together. Sonoma/Laguna Seca would be popular, but I think St. Petersburg/Homestead-Miami (the road course) could also be fantastic. Or Mid-Ohio and the new Indianapolis road course that IndyCar will use (if only Indy/Watkins Glen was possible ...).

 

[Turbo_snail]

Na, I'd go a European event before a 'murican event.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Na, I'd go a European event before a 'murican event.

The series was granted "International" status by the FIA on the condition that it did not establish a European round. In order to go to Europe, the series would have to be recognised as a World Championship, which is very unlikely. For now, they cannot go any further west than Istanbul Park or Sochi (the two circuits closest to Europe that could take an International event).

 

[Turbo_snail]

Well that's a bit of a 🤬

 

[CarreraGT]

Did anyone get out to Eastern Creek and hear the Volvos? There's a couple of short vids on YouTube but nothing of good quality

 

[Paulie]

Great post, love the wheel and throttle work in the wet at around 4:10 in that video. I know some people will like the sound of the Volvo, but to me it's the worst sounding car in the field, but I'm glad it's different. My sound ranks are:
1- Ford
2- Holden
3- Nissan
4-Mercedes
5- Volvo

They only have one car this year, the #97 VIP Petfoods entry for Shane Van Gisbergen. He was sixth overall.

As for the #19 car, they shuffled things around - Van Gisbergen's car is being entered under the REC used to enter Webb in 2013. The REC used to enter Van Gisbergen last year was returned to Paul Morris Motorsport (you can only lease an REC for two years; after that, you have to buy it or return it to its owner), and Morris sold it to Dick Johnson Racing. That REC is being used to enter car #16 for Scott Pye; the #12 REC that Johnson used last year was returned to Triple F Racing, who ultimately handed it back to VESA.

They should have given the REC Ingall is using this year to Tekno for Webb, Ingall is WAY over the hill.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Well that's a bit of a 🤬

Honestly, V8 Supercars would not survive in Europe. There are a lot of competitive touring car series like the BTCC and DTM over there, and so it would be very difficult for the series to take hold. Especially when other, similar series like the Superstars Series are folding. Add to that the way Europe is twelve hours behind us, and there is no audience to watch it here.

Besides, DTM and SuperGT are setting up common rules so that they can race each other, and DTM is also looking at expanding into America. The World Touring Car Championship is also trying to grow, and new regulations are expected for some regional series. The FIA are very conscious of how quickly those series grow, and are trying to control it very carefully so that every series has the best chance at surviving.

So going to Europe would be an expensive waste of time. The real action is in America and Asia.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

EDIT: Sorry for the double-post. I thought I was editing the above post, not creating a new one.

They should have given the REC Ingall is using this year to Tekno for Webb, Ingall is WAY over the hill.

They could not afford to keep running a second car. And there was a dispute between the owners and the team management that left them with an uneasy future (which has only just been resolved). And they feel it is easier to operate one car: rather than trying to spread limited resources across two cars, they car dedicate all of their time and attention to one. Van Gisbergen will almost certainly be more competitive for it.

But I suspect VESA may have had a hand in retaining those three RECs. There has been interest from Roger Penske in setting up a team in 2015, and if Volvo and/or Mercedes have a strong season, they may want to expand (I, personally, would like to see at least four of each car). It will be far easier for them to do that by getting the RECs from VESA than from another team.

 

[GOTMAXPOWER]

Especially when other, similar series like the Superstars Series are folding.

Superstars only folded to clear the series' debt, within a couple of weeks of the death of Superstars a brand new championship (EuroV8) with the same cars, teams and tracks was created with a 16 car grid predicted.

As for other European touring car series' nobody watches WTCC (Seems like a lot of attention is from Eastern Europe), DTM isn't touring cars and Europe has better GT Series' so nobody in Britain watches that. The only touring car series people here watch is BTCC even when WTCC had a British champion.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

The FIA still doesn't want another series competing there. They were quite clear about that when they gave V8 Supercars "International" status, even though doing so puts the series ahead of a lot of those other championships. If a "World" championship is the top tier, "International" is only one step down. I don't think DTM, the BTCC or SuperGT have it (if they do, they don't advertise it, which is odd, because it is a mark of prestige).

 

[Wilbur]

Crazy idea: what if we got rid of the Gold Coast 600 and replaced it with an American endurance race?

The GC600 is a horrible race; the circuit is terrible, and it is hardly a true endurance race, because it is two races that are only 50km longer than some of the normal races. So get rid of the Gold Coast and replace it with the Austin 500. And given the time it takes to prepare for an enduro, it would open up the window for a second race a little further away than if the Austin event was a sprint round.

Failing that, getting rid of Austin entirely would open up the possibilities for twinning races together. Sonoma/Laguna Seca would be popular, but I think St. Petersburg/Homestead-Miami (the road course) could also be fantastic. Or Mid-Ohio and the new Indianapolis road course that IndyCar will use (if only Indy/Watkins Glen was possible ...).

I have been saying since they came to Austin that they should have had it as an enduro period because A. America is used to longer races period in most series B. the track there didn't really allow for much of racing if you were upfront at the start so it takes away from what people assumed it would be. I'm a huge fan of the enduros and possibly try to plan it around something so maybe we could have some international co-drivers too, I think that would be huge for the series to bring in Nascar guys or even some sports car/Indy drivers. I ALMOST would say Indycar and V8's should get together to setup a deal of the May Indy road course race!

Glad someone else brought up Indy too, I think with the fact of the history it holds in motorsports (regardless of the racing itself) would be somewhere looked at. Granted I really have no clue what exactly their plans are but there isn't alot close to Austin in terms of keeping the cars close to everything. Either way my goal is to see both races "if" they hold 2 in 2015 period.

Only reason I don't see GC leaving is because of where the homebase is for the series, sad to say most series the home track is never the best track but seems to get elite status.

 

[05XR8]

If Nismo win more than 2 races, I think Darren Cox will put more Altimas on the grid for 2015. Probably as NISMO/GT ACADEMY cars.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

A. America is used to longer races period in most series B. the track there didn't really allow for much of racing if you were upfront at the start so it takes away from what people assumed it would be.

Last year's four-race format seemed to be intended to give everyone their money's worth by having as many races as possible.

I'm a huge fan of the enduros and possibly try to plan it around something so maybe we could have some international co-drivers too, I think that would be huge for the series to bring in Nascar guys or even some sports car/Indy drivers.

The Gold Coast used to do that, and it was seen as a gimmick. Teams put their international driver on the car at the start of the race, ran the minimum lap requirement, and swapped them out. Any endurance race would be a part of the Endurance Cup, so teams would want to keep their regular enduro driver.

I ALMOST would say Indycar and V8's should get together to setup a deal of the May Indy road course race!

The two series had a good relationship in the past, back when CART raced on the Gold Coast. And there is also the Roger Penske connection.

Glad someone else brought up Indy too, I think with the fact of the history it holds in motorsports (regardless of the racing itself) would be somewhere looked at. Granted I really have no clue what exactly their plans are but there isn't alot close to Austin in terms of keeping the cars close to everything. Either way my goal is to see both races "if" they hold 2 in 2015 period.

The plan is to go back to Austin in 2015, but the Powers That Be want a second race to off-set the cost. They are believed to be looking at a race in Southern California, with the Auto Club Speedway put forward as a potential venue, but they are open to ideas.

Only reason I don't see GC leaving is because of where the homebase is for the series, sad to say most series the home track is never the best track but seems to get elite status.

It's the home track for the management, but not for any of the teams. It will probably stay because Queensland (like much of the country) is being run by a pack of idiots.

 

[Spacegoat]

They only have one car this year, the #97 VIP Petfoods entry for Shane Van Gisbergen.

Still a small chance they could have two cars. According to this article , Tony D'Alberto is still trying to get a deal done to be able to run his REC through Tekno. Seems highly unlikely to happen though because he doesn't have any sponsor's lined up and not to mention it's less than two weeks to the start of the season.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

His best bet would probably be Tony Quinn. They could have two cars in VIP colours, or keep the second car in the Darell Lea livery.

Also, Quinn owns the Highlands Motorsport Park circuit in New Zealand. It's a great facility, and could easily take V8 Supercars. If the series were to look at an international enduro - and they should - then HLMP would be an excellent choice.

 

[Wilbur]

Last year's four-race format seemed to be intended to give everyone their money's worth by having as many races as possible.


The Gold Coast used to do that, and it was seen as a gimmick. Teams put their international driver on the car at the start of the race, ran the minimum lap requirement, and swapped them out. Any endurance race would be a part of the Endurance Cup, so teams would want to keep their regular enduro driver.


The two series had a good relationship in the past, back when CART raced on the Gold Coast. And there is also the Roger Penske connection.


The plan is to go back to Austin in 2015, but the Powers That Be want a second race to off-set the cost. They are believed to be looking at a race in Southern California, with the Auto Club Speedway put forward as a potential venue, but they are open to ideas.


It's the home track for the management, but not for any of the teams. It will probably stay because Queensland (like much of the country) is being run by a pack of idiots.

I will address what I know or my opinion of each of these so bare with me.

1. The 4 race deal was nice but if you want to split it up then have just 2 races each day; 4 races was a little confusing to anyone who wasn't up to par on the series and it was really short races at that which never really gives people much of a chance to kind of figure out what really is going on or anything. I enjoyed the race itself in person BUT it lacked some follow through in terms of showing drivers working through traffic like other events.

2. I can see how it is a gimmick and that was why I brought it up BUT to get folks in the States to possibly gain some idea of the series or go to it, you are going to need to do something like that to get people to open their eyes because heck most have no earthly idea. For example, Rolex 24 has a list of drivers from all sorts of backgrounds which I think is a huge reason it gets so many fans compared to other sport car races (not to say they don't get a good fan base but you see my point). They could even bring over a few cars if they can get teams to commit to allow one off entries like at Bathurst; You have a way to get Roger Penske to get a true taste using possibly his Indy/Tudor based teams with drivers or Kurt Busch with Haas who seems to have some ideas of other series he wants, there are some endless options if they actually start planning and talking to teams.

3. You hit the nail on the head and why I brought up Indycar, it seems to me to make perfect sense logically from a few standpoints.

4. Auto Club seems like a horrible idea but if they are willing to pay then by all means! There are a few tracks out west that could work but I'm a little biased with tracks I prefer like Mid-ohio, Indy, Waktins Glen, Road Atlanta or America to name a few. I know Laguna Seca would be another pretty good choice even if it's on the top of my list, I just think they need a track that flows (I think COTA doesn't flow for them, it's too man made so to speak instead of some random idea someone had like other tracks).

 

[CodeRedR51]

If they don't pair a weekend with another race series, then my vote would be Laguna Seca, hands down.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

I still reckon it will be Sonoma, as an undercard to the NASCAR Sprint Cup. I don't know what NASCAR fans generally think of road courses, but it makes sense to run it in front of an existing audience. I'm sure the series could sway more than a few NASCAR fans.

If it was down to me, I would go for an Indianapolis Road-Watkins Glen double-header, and try to work in conjunction with both IndyCar and NASCAR to support each series. Maybe open the grids up to local wildcards.

 

[ukfan758]

I still reckon it will be Sonoma, as an undercard to the NASCAR Sprint Cup. I don't know what NASCAR fans generally think of road courses, but it makes sense to run it in front of an existing audience. I'm sure the series could sway more than a few NASCAR fans.

If it was down to me, I would go for an Indianapolis Road-Watkins Glen double-header, and try to work in conjunction with both IndyCar and NASCAR to support each series. Maybe open the grids up to local wildcards.

Those would be really good circuits to race at. I hope that if they ever return to COTA, they use the full GP circuit instead of that awful short circuit because very few overtakes occurred since they didn't use the long straight. Also for some reason, I have always wondered what V8 supercars would be like on an oval like Talladega....

 

[Spacegoat]

V8's set to confirm 2015 free to air TV details.

Confirmation that just six V8 Supercars events will be broadcast live on free-to-air television in 2015 is expected to take place before the end of the month.

V8 Supercars announced a new six-year media right deal last December, spruiking a successful $241 million three-way bid from Foxtel, Fox Sports and the Ten Network.

The category confirmed that the pay TV station would show ”every minute of practice, qualifying, support categories and the championship races live and in HD”, but has yet to reveal details on Ten’s involvement.

It is expected that Ten will have live rights to only the Adelaide, Darwin, Townsville, Bathurst, Gold Coast and Sydney races, five of which are expected to include twilight races. The remainder of the season would likely be shown by Ten on a delayed basis.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

I'm not too bothered by that - I only really watch the marquee events.

I hope that if they ever return to COTA, they use the full GP circuit instead of that awful short circuit because very few overtakes occurred since they didn't use the long straight..

I hope they do, too, if only because they missed out on some of the good turns. But the rules state that circuits may not be more than 3.5km; there are a few exceptions, but only where the existing circuit is longer. If a configuration exists that is within the rules, they will use it. The only way I can see the full circuit being used is if it hosted an endurance race, and they wanted more space for the cars to spread out.

 

[Paulie]

I don't mind too much if they're not live, so long as we get all quali and racing on free TV I'm happy. The delays before live races can be agonising anyway.

 

[PAPAPEPE123]

Not too happy about this. I love sitting down and watching the V8's and was annoyed that the qualifying was delayed last year. don't know how I'm going to cope with the races.

 

[05XR8]

And here me and my wife were happy V8s were back on Ten and they go and sell more than half the races. Other than me attending the AGP, Bathurst and Phillip Island this year, it's not fair when I can watch all the NASCAR races for free on ONE HD.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

it's not fair when I can watch all the NASCAR races for free on ONE HD.

I can guarantee you that they would have gotten the NASCAR rights for a bargain, but V8 Supercars charge them top dollar, making it do expensive that they can only afford it with the help of a pay television provider.

Besides, the article makes it clear that Ten will show all of the races, but most will be on a delayed telecast.

 

[Cap'n Jack]

While I don't think a major domestic series (or sporting event in general) should be exclusive to pay TV, it does work out for me. I'm usually up to something on the weekend sleeping in well past midday. Now I probably wont miss a thing unless I'm going out but that's what TiVo is there for! At least we should be getting delayed coverage, over nothing at all.

 

[Wilbur]

I wonder if they are going to offer streaming again? I didn't catch it in the articles but I hope so. Hell I'm already pricing how much it would cost to get to Cali for a race there.

 

[CodeRedR51]

I wonder if they are going to offer streaming again? I didn't catch it in the articles but I hope so. Hell I'm already pricing how much it would cost to get to Cali for a race there.

I'd be surprised if they don't. Their website just says that the scheduling hasn't been finalized.

 

[05XR8]

http://www.speedcafe.com/2014/02/18/nissan-eyeing-mid-year-engine-upgrades/

I remembered, this is another reason why they probably split the race on Saturday. The fuel issue. Even though the Sunday race is 250km, I thnk the twin 125's will at least give the new teams a chance to be competitive on day one.

 

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

I still reckon it will be Sonoma, as an undercard to the NASCAR Sprint Cup. I don't know what NASCAR fans generally think of road courses, but it makes sense to run it in front of an existing audience. I'm sure the series could sway more than a few NASCAR fans.

If it was down to me, I would go for an Indianapolis Road-Watkins Glen double-header, and try to work in conjunction with both IndyCar and NASCAR to support each series. Maybe open the grids up to local wildcards.

go to the thread for it and you'll see they want more of them on here and in general they tend to enjoy them due to the close technical racing (oval has it just different), and how much the side by side racing gets where you have two cars sliding around the same corner trying to get position.

I doubt you can get the Glen on the list considering it probably doesn't have nearly enough run-off for the FIAs liking and would probably need to be updated. There are plenty of other tracks that the NASCAR circus goes to that isn't raced by cup but is a road course that the V8s would do great at.