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With the debut of the revolutionary Gen3 package delayed till 2023, Supercars will be giving one last hurrah to the current Gen2 regulations in what could finally be a multiteam assault on the championship.
Since its introduction in 2018 as the successor to ‘car of the future’ the Gen2 supercar has seen the sport taken in a stranglehold by powerhouses in Dick Johnson Racing – nee DJR Team Penske – and Triple Eight, who are the reigning champions with Shane van Gisbergen.
Prominent outfits Tickford and Walkinshaw, meanwhile, have endured difficult seasons under the Gen2 regulations thus far, while former frontrunners Brad Jones Racing and Tekno regressed into the depths of the midfield and rear.
But this extra season for the current-spec Ford Mustang and Holden ZB Commodore affords the likes of Tickford and Walkinshaw a chance to close the gap to both Red Bull and Shell V-Power Racing in what could be an intriguing 2022 title race.
Shane van Gisbergen (Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images)
Walkinshaw Andretti United came out in force for the 2021 season-ending Bathurst 1000, with Chaz Mostert and Lee Holdsworth commanding the pace throughout the weekend. Having spent several seasons in the wilderness since losing their factory status as the Holden Racing Team, this victory was a warning that this sleeping giant is ready to awaken.
Their move to secure the services of former Holden Racing Team Bathurst winner Nick Percat to partner Mostert in the new year also signals their intent of pursuing the teams championship – said without slighting the efforts of young Bryce Fullwood, who has found himself asylum at Brad Jones Racing, where Percat had spent five years, to complete a straight swap.
The need for two alphas is an absolute must for the teams championship and when going head to head with the likes of DJR and Triple Eight. It remains to be seen what dynamic Mostert and Percat will create, and the team will be alert to butting heads.
Shell V-Power Racing, despite being the prominent force since 2018, did endure a dip in its fortunes following the departure of Team Penske as well as their three-times champion Scott McLaughlin at the end of 2020.
(Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images)
Anton De Pasquale’s raw speed and potential was met with bad luck at the start of his DJR career, though with some finesse when the championship resumed at Sydney Motorsport Park following the COVID outbreak the 26-year-old was the form driver.
Had this purple patch come earlier, De Pasquale could’ve easily been fighting the excellent Van Gisbergen, who spent the first half of 2021 winning races left, right and centre. Perhaps that’ll play out this year given all the anticipation around De Pasquale’s potential.
There is the question of their teammates too, with the luckless Will Davison still without a win since his Bathurst triumph in 2016. However, the two-time Great Race winner was consistent, appearing on the podium on ten occasions in his first year with Shell V-Power Racing.
Van Gisbergen has the company of a new teammate following the retirement of seven-time champion Jamie Whincup, who is now the team manager. Reigning Super2 champion Broc Feeney will make his anticipated main-game debut, though the question remains over how quickly he’ll acclimatise to the title-winning ZB Commodore.
Then there’s the curious case of Tickford and Cameron Waters, who appears to be of championship-winning calibre but in recent years hasn’t been able to replicate the year-long consistency seen by the likes of Van Gisbergen and McLaughlin.
The Victorian Ford team will once again have four cars, with the addition of Jake Kostecki and Thomas Randle to their stable. However, the onus will be on nailing a consistent setup that can see them always qualifying and racing towards the sharp end of the grid.
So while Gen2 has seen largely one-sided results in the Supercars championship, the final year under this rule set could see a close title fight, and it all commences this weekend at Sydney Motorsport Park with the Sydney SuperNight.
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