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Supercars 2018 to be a tale of redemption, reinvigoration and rookies

The 2018 Supercars season is about to get underway. (Photo: Red Bull content pool)
Roar Guru
1st March, 2018
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Still vivid are the events of the Newcastle 500 from last November, in which the final race of the 2017 Supercars championship produced a dramatic conclusion.

We saw Jamie Whincup enter the history books as a seven-time series champion, leaving his rival Scott McLaughlin in tatters.

It was a title that many claim the young Kiwi lost, having been the benchmark driver all season and not having had a single blemish on his campaign until that dying moment, in which seeming desperation outweighed all his achievements.

Though as vivid as those events were, the page has turned, and the two Holden and Ford heavyweights prepare to clash once again, as a new season reaches its dawn upon the streets of Adelaide.

With the coveted #1 back on the side of his Red Bull Holden following two-long years deprived of it, Whincup arrives at the twentieth edition of the Adelaide 500 as the hunted. Not only is the 35-year old reunited with his favourite numeral but is also equipped with Holden’s latest weapon in the ZB Commodore.

jamie-whincup-bathurst-1000-v8-supercars-motorsport-2016

(AAP Image/Edge Photographics)

Replacing the outgoing VF, the ZB will make its debut in Adelaide with 14 cars rolling out for the seven Holden teams and the weight of expectation to be as successful as its predecessor.

However, it may not be immediately that the new Commodore shows its potential which leaves the door open to the Blue Oval competitors to continue building upon the phenomenal year they had in 2017, as well as allowing Nissan to show progress on their stagnating Altima project in what is a crucial year for the Japanese manufacturer.

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Little is it doubted that DJR Team Penske and McLaughlin will be in pursuit of redemption, though with the form shown last time out, it would be remiss to dismiss the credentials of Fabian Coulthard in the sister Shell V-Power Racing car.

Having returned to their roots and rebranded themselves from Prodrive to Tickford, the four-car assault from the Campbellfield Ford faithful will be fierce too – having homed in on their Falcon FG X by season’s end in 2017.

The addition of Kiwi sensation Richie Stanaway, to an already bustling lineup consisting of Chaz Mostert, Cameron Waters and 2015 Supercars champion Mark Winterbottom makes Tickford an appealing prospect for the title.

Impressive too, have been Erebus Motorsport who have boldly shaken off the tag of ‘underdog’ for the new season – in favour being the ‘dark horse’. The black livery of the reigning Bathurst 1000 winner in David Reynolds’ Penrite Commodore may reflect that moniker, though nothing short of victories will vindicate them.

Change has pleasantly been afoot throughout the Supercars pit-lane and the beleaguered Walkinshaw operation has undergone the most significant, welcoming international icons Andretti and United Autosports to their family, in quest of returning to the Supercars throne.

Instant success is not expected for the former Holden Racing Team, though with the financial and technical injection from their new partners, both James Courtney and Scott Pye can hope to enjoy a better year to last.

There is the addition of two new team names on the grid too, with Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport having ceased under that trademark and having reformed as 23Red Racing; employing dual-Bathurst 1000 champion Will Davison and defecting from Holden to Ford.

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The familiar Matt Stone Racing outfit from the Super2 development category will debut in the main game, also with a Ford Falcon FG X. Reigning Super2 champion in Todd Hazelwood who is one of five rookies on the grid, will steer the Big-Mate sponsored car.

Along with Stanaway and Hazelwood, Supercars welcomes Super2 graduates in Jack Le Brocq and James Golding, who’ve had previous main game experience as Enduro co-drivers, and Anton de Pasquale for Erebus – whose talent previously saw the 22-year attempt to pursue an open-wheel career in Europe, before returning to Australia to race Supercars.

New drivers, new teams and new events in The Bend SuperSprint and Sydney SuperNight, brings welcome excitement for what will be another enthralling championship contest in the Supercars category.

It will all start on the gruelling and unforgiving streets of Adelaide, where all face an immediate challenge and often the unprepared are left ruing in the rubble of their hubris.

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