The announcement of the Gen2 Supercar regulations is the next step in V8 Supercars’ journey to better reflect the ever-changing automotive landscape.
The Gen2 Supercar template opens the door to different body shapes and engines, in addition to the current four-door sedans and V8 engines, from 2017.
Manufacturers can run the likes of a turbo-charged six or four-cylinder in addition to a V8, while two-door coupes will be allowed in too. Basically, anything goes so long as the cars feature front engine, rear-wheel drive and four-seat configurations.
For a series that had, until the end of 2012, remained the exclusive domain of Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore V8s, the Gen2 Supercar is a significant development and acknowledgement that the series had to adapt to stay relevant.
Ford’s announcement that it will withdraw funding for its teams from the end of 2015 only reinforced the need to rewrite the regulations to entice other makes, while the Blue Oval could be tempted back with the Falcon-replacement, the Mustang, now eligible to race in the series.
So V8 Supercars faces the following key questions as it approaches 2017.
Will manufacturers be tempted by the Gen2 Supercar?
Lexus and Hyundai have been linked with entries, current competitors Holden, Nissan and Volvo will be well served by the flexibility of the rulebook, while the likes of Ford can race their coupes.
The current V8 regulations posed a big dilemma for incoming manufacturers, who increasingly didn’t have V8s in their line-up. Volvo and Nissan had to use engines not sold in the cars they were racing, while no manufacturer took up the unbranded engine option on offer from V8 Supercars.
Time will tell if new manufacturers enter, but the options available make it a lot easier for those tempted by an Australian racing tilt.
How will V8 Supercars maintain parity?
V8 Supercars will answer this question in the new year. The control chassis currently in use will remain, while all cars will be subject to engine and aerodynamic parity rules.
But the different body shapes and engine technologies present a huge test to maintain the parity that even now is hard to achieve. Remember, the competitiveness of the series is vital to attract and maintain manufacturers let alone fans.
While V8 Supercars is unlikely to see a repeat of the final years of the Group A regulations, when the Nissan Skyline GT-R distorted the competition, the Gen2 Supercar requires a significant investment in parity testing and manufacturers willing to play to the rules in order to work.
Will V8 Supercars morph into a GT series?
The Gen2 Supercar brings V8 Supercars closer to the GT sportscar rulebook than some touring-car fans may like, though the front engine, rear-wheel drive and four-seat configuration retains that important touring car DNA.
GT racing is booming around the world and features a strong manufacturer presence, catering for the variety of performance cars on the marketplace.
News emerged last week that V8 Supercars is in talks to buy the Australian GT Championship. While some claim it’s a way of locking in an important support category, who is to say it’s not an attempt to morph the two categories into one?
It would at least help solve the ongoing unrest over V8 Supercars stopping its drivers from competing at the Bathurst 12 Hour GT event.
How will the fans react to the Gen2 Supercar?
The foundation of V8 Supercars was Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore V8s, so this move may disenchant fans – particularly if there are no Fords on the grid from 2016.
But judging by how the fan-base has been converted by the arrival of Volvo, Nissan and co, supporters can adapt. And unless they are living under a rock, they will understand why V8 Supercars had to move with the times. After all, V8 Falcons and Commodores are doomed… and the series couldn’t be expected to race with extinct technology.
Can V8 Supercars survive into this new era?
Yes, but there are some big challenges to face.
In addition to the Gen II Supercar change, there is the transition into the new media rights deal and the move across to pay-television (still with a significant free-to-air presence) and the challenging economic conditions which has cost the series entries and thus talented drivers.
The run-in to 2017 will be a fascinating gauge of how V8 Supercars can sustain itself before the door is swung open to all types of cars and manufacturers.
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