MOTORSPORT: Maximum 28 cars for Bathurst 1000

Even though V8 Supercar racing has five marques participating in it now, its major event in October, the Bathurst 1000, will have a smaller field than last year's already shrunken 29.

V8 Supercar organisers are considering three applications for wildcard entries to add to the full-time grid which is only 25 this season following the shelving of three racing entitlement contracts (RECs or franchises).

Times are tough in V8 Supercar land and none of the wildcard applications are from regular teams. One, to campaign a Ford Falcon, is from New Zealand outfit Super Black, while Dragon Racing – a new and part-time team in the V8 Supercar development series – wants to field two Holden Commodores.

Super Black is fronted by Kiwi former world touring car champion and one-time V8 Supercar racer Paul Radisich, in association with 40-year-old new-media millionaire Tony Lentino and its FG Falcon would be prepared by reigning Bathurst 1000-winning team Ford Performance Racing.

Super Black has ambitions of competing full-time in V8 Supercar racing next year by picking up one of the three shelved RECs now up for tender for next season. It has a raft of NZ drivers to choose from but its first preference is understood to be Andre Heimgartner, with Matthew Halliday, Daniel Gaunt and Jonny Reid among prospective co-drivers.

Dragon Racing only entered the V8 Supercar development series in April but has acquired two new-generation – formerly called Car of the Future – Holden Commodore VFs from Garry Rogers Motorsport, which is now campaigning Volvo S60s.

Dragon, owned by Melbourne entrepreneur Tony Klein, wants to run one of the Holdens in Melbourne's Sandown 500 in mid-September and then both at Bathurst a month later.

V8 Supercar officials will decide on the three wildcard applications over the next few days, with an announcement anticipated next week.

Last year, when the regular field was 28 cars, the sport's now long-dominant Triple Eight Race Engineering fielded a wildcard Holden entry for international aces Mattias Ekstrom and Andy Priaulx, which led the race briefly and finished a creditable 10th.

Several teams entertained thoughts of wildcard applications this year but did not proceed, while nothing has been heard from iconic American team owners Roger Penske and Richard Childress – both of whom reportedly have been eyeing entry to V8 Supercars.

However, V8 Supercar chief executive James Warburton said: "The interest was significant. Numerous parties contacted us to express an interest in joining the Bathurst grid this year.

"Some had great desire but not the technical backing and personnel required for this year but are putting together plans for next year.

"We also had keen interest from teams in the Dunlop [development] series, however the commission resolved that only current-specification cars [introduced last year] would be eligible to ensure the race continues to set the benchmark of technical parity and competitiveness.

"It is a substantial commitment to race at Bathurst and the three being considered certainly appreciate the significance.

"This event sits comfortably alongside Le Mans, the Indianapolis 500 and the world's greatest motorsport events. It is also every drivers' dream to win at Bathurst in the Great Race."

At a maximum of 28 cars this October the Bathurst 1000 field will be barely 60 per cent of that of February's lower-profile Bathurst 12-Hour in which exotic GT brands now predominate.

A clash looms between the two categories with V8 Supercars flagging it intends to bring forward its pre-season test at Sydney Motorsport Park next February to coincide with the 12-Hour, which would preclude V8 Supercar stars like Craig Lowndes, Shane Van Gisbergen, Jason Bright and Rick Kelly from competing in the GT event.

TV politics are at play there, with the 12-Hour to be telecast next year by the Seven network which has lost V8 Supercars beyond this season to pay TV's Fox (with six of next year's V8 Supercar rounds to be simulcast on the Ten network).

Incidentally, a peace settlement has been quietly agreed in the 18-month dispute between Betty Klimenko's Erebus Motorsport V8 (and its predecessor Stone Brothers Racing) over Van Gisbergen's switch to Tekno Autosports last season when it seemed he was going to take time off from the sport.