V8 Supercars Champ vs. WTCC serie

[I LOVE GT40- Paolo]

I love to see the australian races of V8 superstars, and if I compare those races with what I saw in wtcc serie I just can laugh.
Loooong funny races..a lot of turns, much more simpler cars, with HUGE power, and a lot of pilots of every skill..also the "sunday drivers".
If they crash 8and the always do) the cars are still made in steel and they often can go onwith half destroyed car.

In wtcc u see just plastic fragile pretty cars...with not more than 280-300hp and usually racing for 10 rounds, all this at an incredible price.

I dunno the cost of a V8car in the champioship (falcon or Holden), but surely is lower than a full carbon fiber body wtcc vehicle.

I think V8 champ is the way the tourism races should be.
It is too fun to see those races.(and from what I am looking now in tv a lot of people there looking at the race)

Great australians

Paolo

[ChrisL]

Paolo,

This formula of racing has taken the profile of Australian motorsport from the fringe to the third most popular sport in Australia. It has its critics but you can’t ague against its popularity and commercial appeal. The next race on the calendar is the Bathurst 1000 endurance race. Not to be missed.

Incidentally, it has just been announced that the winner’s trophy at this race will be known as the Peter Brock trophy in honour of the nine time Bathurst winner who passed away last week in a tragic motorsport incident.

Just curious Paolo. How is it that you know about the V8 Supercar championship? Is it televised up your end of the world?

[I LOVE GT40- Paolo]

Hi Chris,
mostly due to my deep love and interest to everything racing I try to follow races all around the world, cause I dont think all is around Formula One and Ferrari.
The australian v8 challenge is in tv here usually after one day (just with a too humoristic italian comment I dont like..that always agrees in HOW races should be).
Think that is very very nice and competitive, even more now after my experience inside a WTCC team,racing at the highest level of this serie.

Nowadays there are too few places to see REAL races.In europe think absolutely only events in UK and some ones in Germany (first of all the 24hours of Nurburgring at the Nordschleife..230cars starting in the last edition june2006 ,think the nicest event at all)

I liked also Nascars, but think anyway V8 are simpler, cheaper and a LOT more fun than "sleeping ovals" fired at 400km/h.
And..from what I heard in my times at Jas Honda Motorsport seems they all wellknow what is "the way" to follow for tourism races.

And I am so happy to see the way is australian

Paolo

[Keith Hardy]

Always shown by Motors TV on Uk satellite channels... The best thing is that they repeat it all during your winter (our summer) so we never miss a round....

Enjoying the resurgence of Craig Lowndes & Jason Bright at the moment, and wondering - did Marcus Ambrose make the right move? We get the Busch Series also on TV over here but have never heard a mention of him or did he go straight into Nextel?

[TimOz40]

Ambrose is driving the Craftsman Truck sreies. For the life of my, i can't understand his motives in leaving the top Aus team to do THAT. I guess $$$$$$$ has a role.
Agree that Lowndes is a cut above the resst. Good in all areas.

[brianstewart]

I avidly follow the V8 suercars too, but a quick question for the Aussies. Should it be opened up to allow other marques with V8 sedans to compete? I reckon it's be great to see a few Lexus (Lexi?), Audis and BMWs in there too.

[TimOz40]

It's been suggested before Brian. Generally gets the big NO from Holden & Ford. They put a LOT of $ into the series, and don't like the idea of sharing the sandpit with anyone. The Aus public are also very much red or blue. It's just the way it is.
We had Group A, and "2L Supertourers" here a few years back: Sierras, M3's, A4's, etc. Just didn't hit it with the Aus punters. We likes our V8's down 'ere.

[brianstewart]

Hi Tim,

Is the V8 Chrysler 300C available over there? Could get back to the three way fights when the Chargers were the cars to beat....

[TimOz40]

Dunno about the chrysler. We do have some big ugly chrysler thing as the pace car for V8's. Maybe its one of them? Mitsubishi dropped a V8 into a Magna and converted a rear wheel drive system a year or two ago, with a view to going V8 racing. Most punters were horrified. Politics probably got the better of it.

[Russ Noble]

It's the Ford/Holden marketing thing. Not sure what it proves though.

I don't follow it all that much but aero aids make the cars look pretty much the same. As I understand it (but could be wrong) Hollinger 6 speed dog boxes and Ford 9" live axles in both cars. Windsors in the Falcons haven't been produced in Oz for decades. US Chev motors in the Holdens. Really theres not much in common with any showroom models other than some of the base sheetmetal. But plenty of hype. Win on Sunday, sell on Monday.

Cheers

[Jac Mac]

Originally Posted by Russ Noble

It's the Ford/Holden marketing thing. Not sure what it proves though.

Win on Sunday, sell on Monday.

Cheers

Probably something similar to an annual event in france, which a lot of people on this forum have become just a little biased toward one of the participants of the 1964 onwards era.

Personally I would like to see the Chrysler 300c in amongst it, be interesting to see the aero package for it!
The motor is probably running in Nascar right now in a truck series @ 305 cu in.

Jac Mac

[I LOVE GT40- Paolo]

Dunno if try introduce BIG european or extra - aus company there inside will be a good idea.
Surely costs will increase too much (and all will take the direction of WTCC..or worst..the old DTM-ITC serie).

If cost start growing up..all the serie will die and loose enthusiasm and fun.

Consider Jas Motorsport was the real builder of Alfa Romeo 155V6Ti and the price for a finished car was higher than a Formula one car.

Paolo

[ChrisL]

Originally Posted by Russ Noble

It's the Ford/Holden marketing thing. Not sure what it proves though.

I don't follow it all that much but aero aids make the cars look pretty much the same. As I understand it (but could be wrong) Hollinger 6 speed dog boxes and Ford 9" live axles in both cars. Windsors in the Falcons haven't been produced in Oz for decades. US Chev motors in the Holdens. Really theres not much in common with any showroom models other than some of the base sheetmetal. But plenty of hype. Win on Sunday, sell on Monday.

Cheers

The series is a parity sport and not really a production car series. The only thing that remains from the production cars is the body and this is what most of the critics seem to complain about. A lot of effort has gone into making these cars equal though and they have got it pretty right. I think the current consensus is that the Fords have it in the HP stakes whereas the Holdens have it in the aerodynamics (but even that fluctuates from time to time). Cries of foul mainly come from the one eyed supporters.

As far as introducing another make is concerned, I think you have to understand the tribalism culture that exists here in Australia between Ford and Holden supporters. There is nothing that even comes close to the passion for those two makes in motorsport. It goes all the way back to the 60’s and 70’s when some of the most memorable duels between these two makes took place. In those earliest days they were true production cars and the manufacturers were building affordable fire-breathing race cars just to win at Bathurst, but could also be registered on the road They were exciting days when passion ruled and allegiances were formed. Even the government of the day with its eventual regulations to halt the spiraling performance increases couldn’t stop this rivalry. The rules were simply changed allowing competitors to effectively bolt on any performance component that was available to the public.

Its probably worth mentioning though that in those very early days there were many other makes racing in the series, including Valliant’s, Minis, Jaguars, Triumphs and more, but none attracted the same following (although the Valliants came close).

PS. Windsor’s did exist in the production Falcons this decade.

[Pete.]

Hey Paolo, go here and get all the news..http://www.v8supercar.com.au/.

[I LOVE GT40- Paolo]

yeah yeah...finally a GREAT mod for a great game:

http://www.rfactorcentral.com/series...fm?ID=V8Factor

so i finally can make online some falcon /holden fightings

Paolo

[Lynn]

We get to watch a lot of V8 Supercars here in the US on the Speed channel as the season is somewhat opposite of most of our racing seasons. I enjoy watching them and wish that somebody (even NASCAR if it has to be) would develop a similar series here. The few road courses that NASCAR runs are proving to be popular even with the sports car crowd. There just aren't enough of them. As Paolo said, the roundy-rounds are just to boring. The closest thing we have are the Pontiac GTO-Rs (Holdens) running in the GrandAm series and they have done really well by taking it to the Porsches. The driver crossovers between the series have gone a long way towards creating crossover fans as well.

I am afraid the Ford must see the Falcon as in too much direct competition with the Mustang (and I believe GM has cancelled the GTO anyway.) Given the financial straites of both Ford and GM, I don't think we are likely to a re-emergance of Trans Am or the development of a V8 SC like series here.

Regards,
Lynn

[ChrisL]

It’s a pity that the manufacturers refuse to see the obvious. Motorsport at this level is a dollar spinner, not a dollar drain. Ford Australia failed to recognize this for almost two decades and saw their sales and customer loyalty plummet. Not at the start, and not in the middle term, but much later. Ford Aus dropped support for motorsport because their market research showed that “win on Sunday, sell on Monday” was a myth, and it was, but they failed to recognize that winning a fan when he is young means that you have his loyalty for life. Motorsport only pays when the fan is older and can afford a new car. Their current return to motorsport (about ten years ago now) is only just starting to show dividends. It’s no longer just those oldies who can remember the glory days of the 70’s that are Ford fans now. There are now far more young people running around with Ford jackets, and far more young(ish) people driving the sports versions of the Falcon.

PS. The Falcon is not marketed in the US because it’s seen as a direct competitor to the Victoria. Watch this space though… this may soon change.

[I LOVE GT40- Paolo]

late monday evening in Italy now ..they are showing now the last 500 miles of v8supercar champ.

A lot of fun fun fun..and really a too nice exhibition (meanwhile yesterday saw my friends of the wtcc in Istambul getting simply crazy to complete 9 shitty rounds in Istambul track,under some monsonic rain.....my god)

No way to compare this australian masterpiece to other series...so many cars..a lot of fun and colors. I definitely love that.

..and I love also the last rfactor mod, deicated to v8 superstar (all the mod is dedicated to the memory of Peter Brock, the mountain king, and think that was a great thing to do...).
Bathrust track is simply awesome ( I run now in 2.22, in my Falcon..LOL)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57O1H...elated&search=


Paolo