MOTORSPORT: Gen2 V8 Supercars detailed

On the eve of the Townsville round of the V8 Supercars championship this weekend the category has unveiled the draft guidelines for the Gen2 technical structure that could see cars like the Nissan GT-R and Ford Mustang join the grid from 2017.

Gen2 will allow engines other than V8s and body styles other than sedans such as coupes and wagons. It should also mean the category simply becomes ‘Supercars’ from 2017.

Gen2 is being pitched as a further widening of the technical basis of the category, which was an exclusive Ford Falcon v Holden Commodore 5.0-litre V8 sedan domain from 1993 to 2012 and then expanded to allow other brands with the introduction of Car of the Future (now known as NewGen) from 2013.

While it hopes to attract a couple of new manufacturers with Gen2, V8 Supercars insists the primary motivation is to retain the current group of entrants despite the fundamental changes to the Australian automotive industry with local manufacturing due to cease by late 2017.

“The far more complex Car of the Future program was the first step in opening the garage door and as a result we now have Nissan, Erebus and Volvo as a very important part of our sport,” V8 Supercars CEO James Warburton said.

“Gen2 is another option for manufacturers and our race teams should they choose at a time that suits them, if at all. It is not a new direction or wholesale change.”

While Ford Australia is stating emphatically that it has no interest in continuing on, Holden, Volvo and Nissan have yet to make a concrete commitment either way. Privateer Erebus Mercedes-AMG runner Betty Klimenko appears keen to continue.

The Mustang is being lobbied for by legendary US motor-racing team owner Roger Penske, while Nissan Australia has talked about the chances for the GTR to join the category once V6 turbos become eligible. The Volvo V60 has also been mooted as a potential future Supercar.

The base Gen2 guidelines stipulate an eligible car must be publicly available for sale in Australia, be front-engined, right-hand drive and a full four-seat configuration in the road going version.

It must also accurately reflect the look of the road car. All cars will use the existing Car of the Future chassis and control components, and be subject to current engine and aero parity rules.

The regulations state the model must have a minimum production volume of 5000 cars of the same body shape worldwide.

It must be powered by an engine configuration — be that four-, six- or eight-cylinder (or other) — that does not exceed the category’s accumulated engine power output and weighted average.

Significantly, the manufacturer homologation guidelines mandate a maximum accumulated engine power output and weighted average that remains at the same range it is today.

The draft regulations were prepared with extensive input from former F1 engineer Steve Hallam, legendary former team owner Ross Stone, former Volvo motorsport and powertrain chief Derek Crabb, V8 Supercars engine consultant Craig Hasted and led by the category’s sporting and technical director David Stuart.

The document has been reviewed by the V8 Supercars Board and the V8 Supercars Commission. The regulations will be finalised by the final quarter of 2015.

The Gen2 announcements simply add to a Townsville meeting already stuffed full of headlines and happenings.

There has been widespread and basically accurate speculation this week that V8 Supercars is negotiating to take over the promotion rights to the Bathurst 12-Hour. However, a deal has not yet been done and the suggestion that the V8 Supercars test day would transfer to that venue and date appears wide of the mark.

Instead, the plan appears to be for the test day to remain a separate event and – importantly and unlike 2014 — be conducted on a different weekend, allowing V8 regulars such as Craig Lowndes and Shane van Gisbergen to race in the 12-Hour.

Various V8 teams are also said to be interested in entering the event.

The lead-up to Townsville has also seen major changes in the Red Bull garage of usually dominant driver Jamie Whincup. Former engineer Mark Dutton has been reunited with the six-time champ who languishes only eighth in the points. Whincup’s current engineer David Cauchi has been demoted to data engineer.

Whincup has more wins than any driver at Townsville with seven wins. But thanks to his faltering start to 2015, he told the official v8supercars.com.au website that a top 10 finish in Townsville “would be great”.

Whincup gets two shots at that goal with 200km races on both Saturday and Sunday at the Reid Park street circuit. His perennial rival Mark Winterbottom leads the championship by 95 points in his Prodrive Racing Australia Ford Falcon from Whincup’s teammate Craig Lowndes.