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The V8 Supercar Championship Series will receive its biggest makeover in its 12 year history after a raft of changes were made to the on track rules and overall feel of the 14 events in 2009.
A series of format changes coupled with the introduction of an 85 per cent CSR ethanol blended fuel and a dual compound tyre are the most dramatic steps taken by the sport to further build the excitement and spectacle.
The changes include:
· Two individual races, one on Saturday and one on Sunday, across 12 Championship events
· Individual victory to every race winner across 26 races in the season
· A podium to duly recognise 26 race winners across the Championship
· Qualifying determines both Saturday and Sunday grids
· The Top Ten Shootout returns for the final leg of qualifying
· The Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 and the L&H 500 at Phillip Island remain as the only single race events
· The L&H 500 will retain two Saturday qualifying races which count for Championship points but not a race result
· Removing all reference to the term ‘round’ and referring to all race weekends as events
· No compulsory pit stop window meaning that teams can stop whenever they choose
· There will be at least one fuel stop in every race
· A ‘soft’ compound tyre at select weekends that teams must use at least once during racing
· Each race, outside of the two endurance races, are worth 150 points to the winner on a sliding scale (see attached)
· Teams being free to utilise any tyre from their allocation as they see fit across an event
The emphasis of the changes is to enhance the racing, increase on-track passing opportunities, emphasise team strategy and teamwork and create a better fan experience.
“In any sport this amount of wide-ranging changes and their respective impacts are enormous,” V8 Supercars Australia CEO Cameron Levick said.
“The board has spent more than four months on this total overhaul of our racing and this is a fantastic result considering the extent of the changes.
“I applaud the board for their forward-thinking approach and an outcome that is great for all concerned.”
Separating the Championship season into 26 individual races was indicative of the intense competition and recognising that each and every victory is hard fought. Previously the Championship was based on ‘round’ victories where combined points across multiple races decided the winner.
“With the field split by hundredths of seconds winning a race and the enormous amount of hard work that goes into it should be rewarded,” Mr Levick said. “Our teams battle every single lap for the smallest of gains. A race win in itself is a remarkable team effort.”
Naming race weekend events and recognising individual race victories is designed to simplify the sport and give fans clear winners on each day. Where individual trophies are up for grabs such as at the Clipsal 500 and the Hamilton 400 first across the line on Sunday will generally be regarded as the winner.
The board debated adding an additional qualifying session for the Sunday race before determining that the Saturday session would determine both grids as the fairest and least demanding system for the teams.
Additional technical changes including removing the compulsory pit window, the use of a soft compound tyre option at select events and ‘free’ tyre allocation are designed to further spice up the on-track spectacle.
“Teams will have to refuel at least once in a 100km race and twice in a race of 200km or more so that will really mix up the field and create far more winning opportunities,” Mr Levick said.
“Some teams may choose to start a race with a full tank and other may start with a small amount of fuel, race hard and then come back in to fill the tank. Then on top of that you throw in a soft compound tyre that may be several second faster per lap than a hard compound tyre.
“That’s what we want – faster cars, slower cars, plenty of passing and more on-track drama.”
Mr Levick said the change was in direct response to fans and stakeholders who wanted more action when they are at the track or watching the telecast live on Seven and also via BigPond Sport.
“After 11 years of building itself into one of the country’s biggest sporting shows and infiltrating millions of Australian households it was time to take the next step forward,” Mr Levick said.
“The opportunity for change initially presented itself with the more environmentally friendly CSR Ethanol then morphed into a far more significant review of the entire sport and what we can do to make it better.”
The changes will be first reflected at the Clipsal 500 from March 19-22 in Adelaide. Last year the event attracted a four-day attendance of just under 300,000 people.
A series of format changes coupled with the introduction of an 85 per cent CSR ethanol blended fuel and a dual compound tyre are the most dramatic steps taken by the sport to further build the excitement and spectacle.
The changes include:
· Two individual races, one on Saturday and one on Sunday, across 12 Championship events
· Individual victory to every race winner across 26 races in the season
· A podium to duly recognise 26 race winners across the Championship
· Qualifying determines both Saturday and Sunday grids
· The Top Ten Shootout returns for the final leg of qualifying
· The Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 and the L&H 500 at Phillip Island remain as the only single race events
· The L&H 500 will retain two Saturday qualifying races which count for Championship points but not a race result
· Removing all reference to the term ‘round’ and referring to all race weekends as events
· No compulsory pit stop window meaning that teams can stop whenever they choose
· There will be at least one fuel stop in every race
· A ‘soft’ compound tyre at select weekends that teams must use at least once during racing
· Each race, outside of the two endurance races, are worth 150 points to the winner on a sliding scale (see attached)
· Teams being free to utilise any tyre from their allocation as they see fit across an event
The emphasis of the changes is to enhance the racing, increase on-track passing opportunities, emphasise team strategy and teamwork and create a better fan experience.
“In any sport this amount of wide-ranging changes and their respective impacts are enormous,” V8 Supercars Australia CEO Cameron Levick said.
“The board has spent more than four months on this total overhaul of our racing and this is a fantastic result considering the extent of the changes.
“I applaud the board for their forward-thinking approach and an outcome that is great for all concerned.”
Separating the Championship season into 26 individual races was indicative of the intense competition and recognising that each and every victory is hard fought. Previously the Championship was based on ‘round’ victories where combined points across multiple races decided the winner.
“With the field split by hundredths of seconds winning a race and the enormous amount of hard work that goes into it should be rewarded,” Mr Levick said. “Our teams battle every single lap for the smallest of gains. A race win in itself is a remarkable team effort.”
Naming race weekend events and recognising individual race victories is designed to simplify the sport and give fans clear winners on each day. Where individual trophies are up for grabs such as at the Clipsal 500 and the Hamilton 400 first across the line on Sunday will generally be regarded as the winner.
The board debated adding an additional qualifying session for the Sunday race before determining that the Saturday session would determine both grids as the fairest and least demanding system for the teams.
Additional technical changes including removing the compulsory pit window, the use of a soft compound tyre option at select events and ‘free’ tyre allocation are designed to further spice up the on-track spectacle.
“Teams will have to refuel at least once in a 100km race and twice in a race of 200km or more so that will really mix up the field and create far more winning opportunities,” Mr Levick said.
“Some teams may choose to start a race with a full tank and other may start with a small amount of fuel, race hard and then come back in to fill the tank. Then on top of that you throw in a soft compound tyre that may be several second faster per lap than a hard compound tyre.
“That’s what we want – faster cars, slower cars, plenty of passing and more on-track drama.”
Mr Levick said the change was in direct response to fans and stakeholders who wanted more action when they are at the track or watching the telecast live on Seven and also via BigPond Sport.
“After 11 years of building itself into one of the country’s biggest sporting shows and infiltrating millions of Australian households it was time to take the next step forward,” Mr Levick said.
“The opportunity for change initially presented itself with the more environmentally friendly CSR Ethanol then morphed into a far more significant review of the entire sport and what we can do to make it better.”
The changes will be first reflected at the Clipsal 500 from March 19-22 in Adelaide. Last year the event attracted a four-day attendance of just under 300,000 people.
