MOTORSPORT: Eseries digital Supercars revealed

Supercars fans starved of racing can get their fix when the V8 Ford Mustang and Holden Commodore field roars into action in a digital version of the championship in just over a week.

Featuring all 25 regular championship drivers, the Supercars All Stars Eseries is a replacement for the real-world action postponed until at least June because of the COVID-19 Coronavirus.

To be televised live in Australia between 7:00pm and 9:00pm AEST on April 8 on Fox Sports 506, Ten Play and the Kayo streaming service, the opening round of the 10-round series will be conducted at the Phillip Island GP circuit in Victoria and the legendary Monza Autodrome in Italy.

In New Zealand the Eseries will be telecast on Sky Sports and internationally via Supercars Twitch and Facebook and Supercars teams pages.

To illustrate what fans can expect to see, Supercars has issued images of several Holden Commodore ZBs, including the Red Bull Holden Racing Team Commodore of championship heavyweight Shane van Gisbergen.

An expert simulator racer, the Kiwi is expected to be one of the stars of the Supercars Eseries, along with fellow Kiwi and arch-rival Scott Mclaughlin, who finished fourth in the opening round of the equivalent eSports series for the US IndyCar championship last weekend.

Most of the Commodores and Mustangs on the digital grid are expected to reproduce their real-world liveries, but there are hints some may change.

We can also expect some interesting and even radical formats to spice up the action.

“This series is about giving fans an opportunity to cheer for their favourite drivers from anywhere in the world,” Supercars general manager television and content Nathan Prendergast said.

“Drivers have really embraced the opportunity to continue racing via this All Star Series and we expect tough and exciting competition across the board.

“To bring fans more insights, we will have drivers chatting mid race and interacting with the broadcast, like the Supercars championship.

“We’ll be using webcams throughout the series, so fans watching at home can see their drivers mid-race.”

Supercars is scheduled to resume real-world competition at the June 5-7 Winton Super400.