We’ve known for the better part of a year now that the Australian auto manufacturing front was about to undergo radical changes. Holden and Ford of Australia are closing shop, Ford has announced that they are cutting ties with the series officially after 2016 and Toyota is bowing out of production there. It’s sad enough to see, but a bigger question looms, not only for Australians but the world over: what will happen to the V8 Supercar series, one of only two racing series (NASCAR being the other) that enjoy bigger success in their home markets that F1 racing? The V8 Supercar series has been gaining traction in the motorsports world, and Some answers are starting to come out in the form of what’s known as the 2017 “Gen2” rule revamp. The biggest eye-opener is that the V8 is about to gain competition in the forms of four and six-cylinder engines, with or without turbocharging. While many will cry “heresy!”, the truth is that the series now has more manufacturers involved. Mercedes, Nissan and Volvo have all entered the racing series in recent years and this would allow the manufacturers to run engines that better represent what the road-going cars actually offer. Speaking of the cars, another long-standing rule that vehicles must be four-door sedans is going away as well. Instead, the vehicle must meet the following requirements:
- It must be a vehicle publicly for sale in Australia
- Must be front-engined and RHD
- Must be able to seat four in it’s street version
- Race version must be rear-wheel-drive and accurately reflect the appearance of the street version of the vehicle
The new rules are currently still being worked out for the final revision, in the hopes that they are completed by the end of 2015 so that testing can begin on new vehicles by 2016. While there is certainly apprehension to bringing in anything other than a V8-powered Holden or Ford, not all may be lost. Nissan will probably jam a V6 into the Altima and Volvo will probably switch to a turbo-four for the S60 Polestar. Lexus has considered throwing the RC-F coupe into the mix with a V8, and it remains to be seen what, if any, Ford or GM product will take over just yet.
What are your thoughts? Is everything going to be OK for Supercar racing, or are you nervous for the series? Let us know below!
CLICK HERE to see the official release from V8Supercars.com.au!
(Diagram photo: V8Supercar.com.au)
There goes another great series down..the sound is one of the reasons we watch this..
No Falcon, No Monaro, no series.
Shame.
Monaro? they haven’t raced them since late 60’s….. the later formula called for 4 door cars for a start off. Even during the 70’s when there were 4 door Monaro’s they weren’t raced – Toranas were….the V8 supercar formula has been getting further and further away from production vehicles anyway – I think most people gave up on it when Volvo’s and Nissans started to be added. They went through a similar thing when Group C rules ended and it went mainly production type cars. It got a little boring and people voted with their feet…I think the same will happen again unfortunately
It won’t be supercars without V8″s it will be shopping cars. They need to go back to basics, big V8 in a stripped out road car with a big safety cage in it. Cars that are cheap to build and run that sound amazing and really look like your everyday driver
Having watch almost every race for the last 30 years I just can’t wait for the Toyota Prius to enter the field, Imagine the excitement of running down conrod straight at 300, getting light over the crest and … Hello Prius!
As Dick Johnson (DJR Racing) once said of the early Volvo’s they’re a bloody mobile chicane on the track!
I will remember this year as the last of the great races.
I did also suggest they make it really interesting and put a cycleway round the edge of the track for Lycra lovers, It seems they think I was taking the piss.
It’s great that the rules are being modified to allow different manufacturers the opportunity to participate.
But what’s not cool is the idea of different engine combinations that would further complicate the parity issues.
Imagine the arguments over weight breaks & power advantages between the turbo cars vs the NA V8’s.
The concept that has worked extremely well for over twenty years in one form or another is “V8” Supercars, with the emphasis being on the V8.
I’d like to see a page or some kind of way that fans could be heard and post a tally, for and against the new engine rules for the category, and then forward it to V8 Super cars Australia.
I’m sure the V8 voices would well and truly be heard above all of the others!
After all, Marcos didn’t come home to race a 4 cylinder turbo!
It should also be noted that Roger Penske has just arrived with a force of several key members to enter in the 2015 season. Actually, they bought a 51% share of an established Ford team. (I can’t remember which one at the moment.) It stands to reason that even with the new rule package coming soon, Roger is looking at the long-term investment into the series.