Car of the Future released
With the release of Car of the Future today (Monday), the future of V8 Supercars has been secured while the door has been left open for more manufacturers to join the category.
At Melbournes Crown Casino this morning, V8 Supercar Executive Chairman Tony Cochrane and head of the Car of the Future plan, Mark Skaife, unveiled what is set to ensure the sport continues its impressive growth.
An outline of the primary targeted areas under Car of the Future (CoF) was released, covering chassis, engine, suspension and steering, wheels, tyres, brakes, cooling, fuel system, electronics, aero and safety.
The CoF will consist of a control floor plan and roll cage with minor variation to accommodate various bodywork. It will be easier to produce and come in a flat pack kit form.
As V8SA has stated numerous times in the past, powerplants must be normally aspirated V8 configurations.
V8SA is currently finalising the details of an Engine Equalisation Program for any variant from manufacturers that could co-exist with the current V8 Ford and Holden engines.
While front suspension and steering is generally unchanged from Project Blueprint, CoF features control independent rear suspension and uprights and 18 inch wheels.
The Holinger mid mounted gearbox remains unchanged but the move from a spool to Detroit locker rear differential will be investigated.
Brakes, cooling and fuel system will all be controlled along with the chassis loom, control engine looms control ECU and logger.
The control ECU will allow for reduced fuel consumption during pitstops and yellow flag periods which is in line with new technology in road cars.
Body work must be substantially representative of the production car model, with aero parity maintained and bio composites will be introduced.
In terms of safety, V8SA is working with the FIA on improving the driver seat and position, glass will be banned and polycarbonate windscreens used instead, the fuel tank will be shifted from the car boot to in front of the rear axle for improved safety and fire resistant coatings on selected composites items has been flagged. The target vehicle mass sits at 1200 to 1250 kilograms.
Cochrane described this mornings launch as a history making moment.
For a long time V8 Supercars has been regarded as the most prestigious and admired touring car category in the world, he said.
The motorsport and motoring worlds have been watching this announcement very closely as it a massive opportunity for our sport to step up on several levels and attract a wider audience.
Marks plan is a collaboration of future building, business analysis, SWOT planning, common sense and a serious look at how we make the sport more cost effective for our major stakeholders, teams, but retain the very core of our success terrific and exciting V8 Supercar racing.
Skaife said CoF was about protecting the DNA of the current competition as well as expanding horizons in a changing industry landscape.
This means redefining regulations to promote what we believe is Australias greatest motorsport category in ensuring that our drivers and teams continue to excel and provide a competitive and entertaining Championship Series, he said.
Our open shopfront policy will be based on potentially attracting additional manufacturers. We want to open the door to genuine high volume production, four-door sedans which will be configured as V8 rear wheel drive race cars under strict parity arrangements to compete equally against Falcons and Commodores.
Any V8 engine can potentially be used where a manufacturer can modify one of its family V8 power-plants or utilise an existing category V8 Supercar engine. Who knows, this may open the door to teams fielding Nissans, Toyotas, Hyundais, Mazdas
whatever!
Skaifes master plan compliments the Project Blueprint parity system designed to maintain equality amongst the current Ford and Holden-based Series but also enables numerous other manufacturers to consider using the V8 Supercar Championship Series as a racing and marketing platform.
This is evolution, not revolution, Skaife said.
Parity is something we are very good at in V8 land to ensure technical equivalency between vehicles and it has not been an issue with our Ford and Holden teams.
The Triple Eight teams successful switch between makes from last year to this year with minimum fuss is a classic example.
Skaife said like NASCAR and Formula One, cost containment is also a vital aspect to ensure the future health of the category.
We now have in place a plan to reduce the cost of a rolling chassis by around 25 per cent and further control costs of vehicle running, repair and engine development, he said.
Everybody knows that motorsport is an expensive business but we cant afford to price ourselves out of our own market.
The nature of motorsport has long been that if the money is there it can, and will, be spent. Controlling those costs is a critical path forward.
As such, a comprehensive component evaluation matrix has been formulated for implementation over specific target dates.
We have applied a proper business case analysis in an effort to curb dollars spent, as the cost of winning a Championship has roughly doubled in the last 15 years.
The big picture here is that we already have a very successful sporting product that nonetheless must make headway in the future by remaining relevant to stakeholders, the car industry, team sponsors and our legion of fans as well as do what we do best, put on a great show for the fans and our worldwide viewers.
All teams and the V8 Supercars Australia Board have rubber stamped the Car of the Future plan, with the majority of the component changes to be introduced either by or in 2012.
This is interesting, Greg Murphy could, if the record doesn't drop this or next year, hold the lap record for V8 Supercars as they are now for ever and a day.
It's a shame we don't know which manufacturers might enter. I don't think Mazda will, they don't have a sedan big enough to stretch over the control chassis and roll cage.
