V8 Supercars set for change. Again!

The V8 Supercars return to action this weekend after a six week hiatus for the final round before its showpiece event, Bathurst. And this time the traditional 500km endurance race is being held at Phillip Island rather than Sandown.

But the different location isn’t the only change on a weekend when the V8 Supercars not only tried a different format for the Bathurst curtain raiser, but also announced significant changes for 2009 in the hope of spicing up the racing.

Gone are the three sprint race formats in favour of two longer races along with an option tyre, adding an extra strategic element in addition to the abolishment of specific pit windows.

Other changes include the return of the Top 10 shootout in qualifying for all rounds and the implementation of a cleaner 85 per cent E85 ethanol fuel.

This follows criticism that the current sprint race format has failed to deliver exciting racing.

“I think that any product that has been around as long as ours needs to be critically looked at from time to time and obviously freshened up,” said V8 Supercars chief executive Wayne Cattach.

“We looked back from a clean sheet of paper and from the bottom up we are trying to build more entertainment for the fans.”

The new regulations for 2009 will help improve the spectacle. They have been tried and tested successfully in other categories.

But it isn’t the first time organisers have drastically altered how the sport is run in the name of entertainment.

The last few seasons has seen numerous changes to the points scoring system, qualifying format, and reverse grids.

They have been hit and miss.

For example, the qualifying races used to determine the grid for today’s enduro were successful as a spectacle, giving fans extra reason to tune in yesterday, while giving an opportunity for each driver to shine individually on a weekend all about partnerships.

But it was confusing to follow, especially with each pair having to make a compulsory stop in either of the two races.

There needs to be a settling of the regulations, which are easy to follow, if V8 Supercars intends to grow its fan base. Otherwise casual fans will be left behind by the constant alterations.

Organisers will also be hoping today’s 500km race delivers an exciting race and that Victorians make the trek south.

When it was announced at Bathurst last season that the 500km event would move from Sandown, in Melbourne’s suburbs, to the Island, a two-hour drive from Melbourne, the media questioned whether it was a wise move.

Why move the event further away from the city centre at a time of year when Melbournians are transfixed by another sport?

So far this weekend the grandstands have been visibly empty at PI, with two AFL Semi Finals in Melbourne this weekend not only detracting Victorian fans but also media coverage.

And V8 Supercars needs media coverage, not just to fight for attention in the increasingly fierce battle between sporting codes, but also to educate fans about its change in rules.

V8 Supercars needs to settle on race formats and regulations.

As they say, a golden rule in entertainment is that you should never confuse your audience.

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