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Stadium Super Trucks

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The Stadium Super Trucks ( SST ), formerly known as Speed Energy Formula Off-Road , is an American short course off-road racing series created by off-road racer and former IndyCar and NASCAR driver Robby Gordon in 2013. Sanctioned by the United States Auto Club (USAC) in America with title sponsorship from Gordon's Speed Energy brand, the series utilizes identical off-road trucks that originally competed primarily in American football stadiums , but in 2014 began racing mostly on street circuits and road courses , often in conjunction with the IndyCar Series race schedules.

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93-671: From 2015 to 2021, the series also raced in Australia in support of the Supercars Championship . In 2020 and 2021, SST operated the Boost Mobile Super Trucks championship, which was sanctioned by Motorsport Australia and promoted by Boost Mobile . As of 2023, Gavin Harlien is the most recent SST champion . Matthew Brabham has the most titles with three, while two-time champion Sheldon Creed

186-498: A compression ratio of 10:1. The Holden teams had the option of using the Group A -developed 5.0-litre Holden V8 engine , although this was restricted to the second-tier privateer teams from 1994 onwards, forcing the major Holden runners to use the more expensive Chevrolet engine. The V8s were first eligible to compete in the endurance races of 1992 . The distinctive aerodynamics package, consisting of large front and rear spoilers ,

279-699: A new street race on a shortened version of the Adelaide Grand Prix Circuit became one of the first festival-style events, which would become common in later years. Australia's capital city, Canberra , hosted its first event on the Canberra Street Circuit in 2000 . In 2001 , a championship round was held in New Zealand for the first time, at Pukekohe Park Raceway . In 2002 , the V8 Supercar support event at

372-598: A 20-year-old. Gordon compared the concept of SST to that of the International Race of Champions ; drivers and/or sponsors could take over a team for a year but the series provided everything else. The trucks held an exhibition race at Crandon International Off-Road Raceway after the conclusion of the World Championship races on September 2. The Stadium Super Trucks began with a twelve-race season in 2013 . The series held their first official race at

465-399: A 2017 interview that the transition to street circuits "brings [the trucks] to a completely different fan audience." On the street courses, aluminum ramps are placed on the track; the ramps are 17 feet, 6 inches long and 2'8" high, and trucks enter them at speeds of 70 miles per hour (110 km/h). In June 2017, the series made its debut on an oval track at Texas Motor Speedway , running as

558-767: A 40 percent stake in the series. In 2015, the series entered a partnership with all-terrain vehicle manufacturer Arctic Cat , which led to the creation of the Arctic Cat Stadium Side-by-Side (SXS) Racing Series as a support series to the SST. Although stadiums were gradually phased out in favor of street courses, SST returned to the former in December 2017 with the inaugural Stadium Super Trucks World Championship Finals in California's Lake Elsinore Diamond baseball park. Although he did not compete in

651-420: A 60% share and TEGA the other 40%. A new board of directors was appointed, with two TEGA representatives and two AMRP representatives. In 2011, Archer Capital purchased a 65% shareholding in the series with the teams owning the other 35%. In December 2021, both Archer Capital and the teams sold their shareholdings to Race Australia Consolidated Enterprises. In the middle of 2008, a project led by Mark Skaife

744-483: A 600 hp (450 kW) Chevrolet LS V8 engine , the trucks weigh 2,900 pounds (1,300 kg) and are built with a steel-tube frame and fiberglass body. The trucks are 13'5" (4.09 m) long and 5'2" (1.57 m) high, feature a three-speed transmission and can reach speeds as high as 140 mph (230 km/h). A portion of the frame protects the driver from rolls. Next to the driver is a 5-US-gallon (19 L) jug that catches fluids which may have spilled from damage that

837-569: A 75% share in AVESCO, with SEL owning the other 25%. TEGA was responsible for the rules and technical management of the series and the supply of cars and drivers, while SEL was responsible for capturing and maintaining broadcasting rights, sponsorship, licensing, and sanction agreements. The expansion of the series began in 1998 , with the first round to be held in the Northern Territory taking place at Hidden Valley Raceway . In 1999 ,

930-663: A Ford and Holden duopoly in 2020 with the departure of Nissan, while Ford replaced the Falcon with the Mustang in 2019. Holden announced its final year of competition in 2022, to be replaced by the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for the 2023 season. Starting in 2026, Toyota will make its debut in the championship, competing with the GR Supra . The concept of a formula centred around V8-engined Fords and Holdens for

1023-602: A co-sanctioned weekend together at Adelaide. The Boost Mobile Super Truck operations were based at Paul Morris Motorsport's Norwell Motorplex in Norwell, Queensland . Supercars was acquired by Race Australia Consolidated Enterprises in 2021, and the new ownership failed to reach an agreement with the Boost Mobile Super Trucks to continue supporting the series for 2022. Boost Mobile head Peter Adderton, who attempted to buy Supercars, criticized RACE and claimed

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1116-545: A front spoiler and splitter ,and a rear wing . The aerodynamics package for each manufacturer is homologated after a series of tests which ensure that the different body styles produce near-identical downforce and drag numbers. By modern racing vehicle standards, Supercars have relatively low amounts of downforce. This is intended to make it easier to follow other cars, and make the handling more similar to road cars. The Gen 3 cars were originally reported to produce about 140 kg of downforce at 200 km/h, similar to

1209-516: A mid-mounted gearbox; the repositioning of the fuel tank to in front of the rear axle to improve safety; replacing the windscreen with a polycarbonate unit; and a switch from 17 inches (430 mm) to 18 inches (460 mm) wheels. In 2011, it was announced that the Car of the Future would not be introduced until 2013 . In February 2012, Nissan confirmed that they would enter the series under Car of

1302-440: A road-registerable Porsche 911 GT3 RS . Revisions in 2024 are stated to produce about 20% more downforce. The minimum weight of each car is 1,335 kilograms (2,943 lb) including the driver and excluding the fuel, with a minimum load of 725 kg over the front axle. The minimum weight for the driver is 95 kg and includes the driver dressed in a full racing suit the seat and seat mountings and any ballast needed to meet

1395-590: A second round held at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi . In November 2010, the series was granted international status by the FIA for the 2011 season , allowing the series to race at up to six international venues each year. As a result, the series name was changed to the 'International V8 Supercars Championship'. 2008 saw the separate boards of directors of VESA and TEGA merge into a single board that

1488-475: A six-piston caliper, while the rear discs are 355 millimetres (14.0 in) diameter and have a four-piston caliper. The cars use 18-inch (460 mm) control wheels, produced by Rimstock and supplied by Racer Industries, and control tyres from Dunlop. Supercars are provided with Soft, Supersoft, and Hard slick tyres as well as grooved wet tyres for each event, The requirement to use varying compounds and how many tyres need to be changed per race are dependent on

1581-526: A standalone points race. Matthew Brabham ended the season with his first series championship. In March 2021, SST partnered with the newly formed Great American Shortcourse (GAS) series to organize a championship weekend and the Off Road Race of Champions (ORROC), the latter of which was to take place at King of the Hammers ; ORROC intended to have GAS class champions compete in stadium trucks with

1674-657: A support event for IndyCar's Rainguard Water Sealers 600 . Although stadiums decreased in hosting races over time, SST continued to occasionally race in such venues. For instance, in July 2017, the first Chinese-based SST event was held with Monster Jam at Beijing National Stadium . The series' Australian racing began in 2015 with rounds at the Adelaide Street Circuit as a support for the V8 Supercars ' Adelaide 500 . Further Australian events were held at

1767-534: A three-year partnership with Boost Mobile to keep the series in Australia beyond 2019. As part of the agreement, the series' Australian operations were handled by Cayzer and Morris' Paul Morris Motorsport . However, in September, the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS, now known as Motorsport Australia) revoked their license over safety concerns, a decision particularly spurred by an incident in

1860-506: A winning car. All cars currently use either a 5.4L or 5.7L Naturally aspirated V8 engine . Originally only for Ford Falcons and Holden Commodores , the new generation V8 Supercar regulations, introduced in 2013, opened up the series to more manufacturers. Nissan were the first new manufacturer to commit to the series with four Nissan Altima L33s followed briefly by Erebus Motorsport with Mercedes-Benz E63 AMGs and Garry Rogers Motorsport with Volvo S60s . The series returned to

1953-481: Is a "parity formula" which attempts to ensure that competitors using any of the available car models compete on an equal basis. In this aspect, it is similar in philosophy to the NASCAR Cup Series .The category's current rules, and the charter between organisers and teams state that "..to the extent that it is possible, Competition will take place between the different makes and models of Cars as equalised by

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2046-684: Is intended to extend to aerodynamics, engine performance, and handling characteristics. In practice, achieving technical parity has proven difficult and contentious, with a number of changes for the 2023 and 2024 season to aerodynamics and engines. The body of each car is based on its corresponding production car in Right Hand Drive and with homologation requirements. The bodies of both models are aerodynamically balanced through these homologations requirements, along with general balancing upon entering Composite and Exotic materials are generally not permitted. The tail lamps are carried over from

2139-403: Is named the overall weekend winner; ties are broken based on wins followed by the best finish in the final event. The Boost Mobile Super Trucks had their own points system that provided just one bonus point to the fastest qualifier. If a race was suspended after 50–75 percent of the duration had been completed, half points were to be awarded. A full payout would be given if more than 75 percent of

2232-498: Is the all-time leader in race wins with 39. By 2011, there was speculation that after his NASCAR career was over, Robby Gordon would bring back the concept of stadium off-road racing that Mickey Thompson had invented. Gordon announced the formation of the Stadium Super Trucks (SST) on May 29, 2012, modeling the series after Thompson's MTEG stadium series; early in his career, Gordon won the 1989 MTEG championship as

2325-518: Is used to begin a race, while restarts utilize rolling starts . American SST races are sanctioned by the United States Auto Club (USAC), with racing decisions being overseen by a race control unit. Radio communication between the two and drivers is one-way, which allows for messages from the former to be available for all drivers, though competitors cannot respond to Race Control nor USAC. In Australia, Motorsport Australia served as

2418-507: The 2005 V8 Supercar Championship Series , began competing in the trucks in 2018. Drivers from the support level include Aussie Racing Cars ' Matt Nolan and the Super2 Series ' Jake Kostecki . In 2016, motocross rider Sara Price became the first female driver in series history when she made her debut at Toronto. During its first season, the series raced predominantly in football stadiums, such as University of Phoenix Stadium ,

2511-461: The 2012 season . The plan was publicly unveiled in March 2010 and was shown to incorporate several key changes to the internal workings of the car. The chassis and the cooling, fuel and electronics systems would all be changed to control parts, with changes to the engine, drivetrain, rear suspension, wheels and the control brake package. The safety of the cars was also to be reviewed and improved. While

2604-737: The 2023 Bathurst 1000 , the fastest Supercars qualifying lap recorded was 2:04.664 by Brodie Kostecki . On the same race weekend, the fastest qualifying lap recorded by the Carrera Cup cars was 2:04.6672. 2019 Race of Champions The 2019 Race of Champions was the 30th running of the Race of Champions , and took place on 19–20 January 2019 at Foro Sol inside the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico . The competition saw local rally driver, Benito Guerra Jr. take

2697-530: The Adelaide 500 is the most attended Supercars race in Australia . The vehicles used in the series are loosely based on road-going cars. Cars are custom made using a control chassis, with only certain body panels being common between the road cars and race cars. The cars are controlled for "technical parity" - ensuring that teams and drivers using any of the homologated cars have a chance to build and drive

2790-502: The Australian Grand Prix . Race formats vary between each event, with sprint races between 100 and 200 kilometres (62 and 124 mi) in length, street races between 125 and 250 kilometres (78 and 155 mi) in length, and two-driver endurance races held at Sandown and Bathurst . The series is broadcast in 137 countries and has an average event attendance of over 100,000. With over 250,000 in attendance annually,

2883-630: The Australian Touring Car Championship had been established as early as mid-1991. With the new regulations set to come into effect in 1993 , Ford and Holden were both keen to know the details of the new formula by the end of 1991, putting pressure on the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS) to provide clarity on the matter. However, CAMS was waiting to see what the FIA did with its proposed international formula for 2.5- and 2.0-litre touring cars. The new rules for

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2976-571: The Indy 300 on the Gold Coast became a championship round, having been a non-championship event since 1994. Major format changes were made for 1999, with the incorporation of the endurance races into the championship. Control tyres were used for the first time, with Bridgestone selected as the supplier. The series was also renamed from the "Australian Touring Car Championship" to the "Shell Championship Series", by virtue of Shell's sponsorship of

3069-758: The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum , and the Edward Jones Dome , with a dirt track laid out on the field while also running on street circuits as a supporting event for the IndyCar Series. The trucks also ran a race at Crandon International Off-Road Raceway . Eventually, SST focused almost exclusively on street courses like the Long Beach Grand Prix , Honda Indy Toronto , Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix , and Grand Prix of St. Petersburg . Gordon explained in

3162-986: The Surfers Paradise Street Circuit with the Gold Coast 600 , the Valvoline Raceway for the Ultimate Sprintcar Championship , and the Homebush Street Circuit for the Sydney 500 . In 2017, SST ran at Barbagallo Raceway as an undercard for the Perth SuperSprint , marking the first time the series raced on a permanent circuit. Later in the season, the series raced at the Hidden Valley Raceway in Darwin as part of

3255-563: The University of Phoenix Stadium on April 6, 2013. The race was won by Rob MacCachren , Justin Matney finished second, and Gordon passed the flipped-over truck of P. J. Jones on the final lap for third. Gordon and MacCachren battled throughout the 2013 season, and Gordon won the championship by seven points. As support events, the series scheduled monster trucks , quad bikes and Side by Side UTVs . On December 11, 2013, Gordon announced

3348-428: The final drive ratio are fixed with drop gears at the front of the transaxle allowing the teams to alter the overall transmission ratio for different circuits. The cars use a triple plate clutch. The cars run on E75 fuel with a fuel tank capacity of about 130 Litres An electronic control unit (ECU), provided by MoTeC, is used to monitor and optimise various aspects of the engine's performance. Numerous sensors in

3441-678: The 2.0-litre class cars competed in a separate race to the V8s. This was changed for the second round of 1993 after only nine entrants were in the 2.0-litre class for the first round at Amaroo Park . With the new regulations intended to be a parity formula, protests by the Holden teams indicated that the Fords had an aerodynamic advantage after they won the opening three rounds, beating the Commodores comprehensively. After round five at Winton , Holden

3534-477: The 2014 game Forza Horizon 2 . In 2020, the SST was included in Project CARS 3 . A race weekend is three days long, with qualifying on the first and two races on Saturday and Sunday. Races are split into either 12 laps or 20 minutes depending on which is completed first, while competition cautions are used at the halfway point to group the drivers together for closer racing to the finish. A standing start

3627-592: The AMRS banner took place nine days later at the Sydney Motorsport Park . On August 20, 2019, CAMS and SST announced they had reached an agreement to lift the ban and form a three-year commercial rights contract. Six days later, Adelaide 500 officials confirmed the series would make its return at the 2020 edition in February with safety improvements like smaller ramps. SST's first race in Australia since

3720-705: The ATCC were announced in November 1991 and indicated that the V8 cars would be significantly faster than the smaller-engined cars. In 1992, CAMS looked at closing the performance gap between the classes, only to have protests from Ford and Holden, which did not want to see their cars beaten by the smaller cars. In June 1992, the class structure was confirmed: Both the Ford Falcon EB and Holden Commodore VP ran American-based engines, which were restricted to 7,500 rpm and

3813-671: The Australian Touring Car Championship. They did not contest the endurance races at Sandown and Bathurst, leaving these open solely to the 5.0-litre Ford and Holden models. The Australian Vee Eight Super Car Company (AVESCO) – a joint venture between the Touring Car Entrants Group of Australia (TEGA), sports promoters IMG and the Australian Motor Sports Commission – was formed in November 1996 to run

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3906-773: The Car of the Future moniker was dropped in favour of the name "New Generation V8 Supercar". The series continued its international expansion in 2013, with the first event in North America held at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin , Texas . In 2015, five drivers took part in a series of demonstration races at the Kuala Lumpur Street Circuit as part of the KL City Grand Prix . This

3999-573: The Class C cars eligible for 1993 only, the German manufacturer's attention switched to the 2.0-litre class for 1994. Cars from all three classes would contest the 1993 Australian Touring Car Championship , as well as non-championship Australian touring car events such as the Bathurst 1000 . However, for the purposes of race classification and points allocation, cars competed in two classes: Originally,

4092-470: The Falcon, rather than the MacPherson struts used previously, and a Watts link at the rear rather than a Panhard. The aerodynamic packages were comprehensively tested and revised and differences in the porting of each of the manufacturers' engines were also removed. The performance of the new Ford BA Falcon and Holden VY and VZ Commodores was fairly even for the next four years, with Ford winning

4185-405: The Future regulations with Kelly Racing . Later in 2012, Australian GT Championship team Erebus Motorsport announced they would be running Mercedes-Benz cars in the championship, taking over Stone Brothers Racing . In June 2013, Volvo announced it would enter the series in 2014 in a collaboration with its motorsport arm, Polestar Racing and Garry Rogers Motorsport . In November 2013

4278-624: The Gen 3 regulations were introduced for the 2023 Supercars Championship . The main aim was to create closer racing, to reduce costs and to increase road-relevance for the manufacturers. To do this, sweeping aerodynamic changes were made to cut the generated downforce . This reduced the amount of "dirty" air created, and made the cars more challenging to drive. The regulations continued previous changes to ensure technical parity between cars, helping to keep power, downforce and drag levels identical. Engines were also changed, to increase longevity and decrease

4371-516: The May race at Barbagallo Raceway in which Matt Nolan 's truck's wheel came off during a wreck and hit a spectator bridge. A court hearing overseen by the Supreme Court of Victoria took place a month later. The series' defense, led by Queen's Counsel barrister Stewart Anderson, said new wheels would be built with forged billet aluminium that makes them heavier and less likely to detach than

4464-612: The Mustang) is a 5.4L V8 with four camshafts and 4 valves per cylinder. These engines were designed to be cheaper and have a higher longevity compared to previous engines, along with being more road-relevant. The Toyota engine (for use in the GR Supra) introduced in 2026 is a 5.0L V8 with DOHC with 4 valves per cylinder. Power is transferred from the engine to the rear wheels through a six-speed sequential transaxle with an integrated spool differential . The individual gear ratios and

4557-620: The Supercars' Darwin Triple Crown weekend. In 2020, the trucks joined the Supercars' Auckland SuperSprint round at Pukekohe Park Raceway , their first time in New Zealand. SST has also supported NASCAR events. In 2017, they began racing at Road America alongside the Xfinity Series' Johnsonville 180 , while they supported the NASCAR Cup Series ' O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 weekend at Texas Motor Speedway in 2019. Powered by

4650-655: The ban's conclusion took place in October 2019 with the Gold Coast 600 weekend at Surfers Paradise Street Circuit . Following the series' return, the trucks' identity in the country became known as the Boost Mobile Super Trucks . As part of the new branding, starting in 2020, SST split into American and Australian championships called the Speed Energy Stadium Super Trucks and Boost Mobile Super Trucks, respectively. While both divisions had their separate standings and champions, they also conducted

4743-456: The car collect information which is then transmitted to the team, allowing them to monitor things such as tyre wear and fuel consumption and find potential problems with the car. The ECU is also used by officials during the scrutineering process. During the race it can also serve functions such as to automatically limit a car's speed. All cars are required to use a double wishbone setup for the front suspension and independent rear suspension. Both

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4836-544: The category. Reverse-grid races were introduced for multiple rounds in 2000 before being confined to just the Canberra round for 2001. Also in 2001, compulsory pit stops were introduced at certain rounds and the Top Ten Shootout was used at all rounds. The control tyre supplier changed from Bridgestone to Dunlop in 2002 and the series name was changed to the "V8 Supercar Championship Series" after Shell discontinued their sponsorship. Discussions about parity had returned in 2000, with 100 millimetres (3.9 in) trimmed from

4929-411: The championship in 2003, 2004 , and 2005 and Holden winning in 2006 . Reverse-grid races were used at certain events in 2006 before unpopularity with the drivers, teams, and fans saw them abolished halfway through the season. The Holden VE Commodore caused controversy when it was introduced in 2007 . The production model was longer, wider, and taller than the rival Ford BF Falcon and outside of

5022-444: The consortium saw little value in the trucks despite their popularity. 12 stadium trucks were returned to the United States on January 19, 2022. Conversely, new Supercars CEO Shane Howard told Auto Action in February that he believed the trucks were sent back due to ATA Carnet import laws, but he was open to bringing them back in 2023. A return was secured for the 2024 Adelaide 500. SST and Motorsport Australia clashed again during

5115-401: The cost of a rebuild. The current Gen 3 regulations are a complete refresh of the previous generation, with the cessation of volume car production in Australia being a major factor. The current cars are the Ford Mustang GT and the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 . The full list of regulations, Sporting and Technical, can be found on the Supercars website in the operations manual [1] . Supercars

5208-427: The current cast alloy. Retired Supercar driver Larry Perkins also gave his support after inspecting them earlier in the year, comparing the trucks' safety to the Supercars. Anderson further stated CAMS and SST had formed an agreement in February in which the former expressed satisfaction at the series, yet CAMS made the decision to suspend the series in May and did not inform SST officials until July, which Gordon stated

5301-469: The driver in the event of a crash. The fuel tank is positioned in front of the rear axle to prevent it from being damaged or ruptured in a rear end impact. The driver is seated towards the centre of the car and extra reinforcement is used on the roll cage on the driver's side to lessen the risk of injury in a side-on collision. The cars also feature a collapsible steering column and a fire extinguisher system. All cars have an aerodynamics package consisting of

5394-410: The event The highest speed recorded in a Supercar of any generation is 300.5 km/h on the (downhill) Conrod Straight on the Mount Panorama Circuit , by Shane van Gisbergen in qualifying for the 2023 Bathurst 1000. 2024-spec cars are expected to be about 10 km/h slower. Supercar lap times are similar to the 992 GT3 Cup cars running in the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia Championship . At

5487-603: The first time. The series travelled to the Shanghai International Circuit in China in 2005, originally on a five-year agreement, however the promoter of the race dropped their support and the series did not return thereafter. 2006 saw the series travel to the Middle East , with an event held at the Bahrain International Circuit in Bahrain . Multiple new street circuits appeared on the calendar in 2008 and 2009, with new events held in Hamilton in New Zealand , Townsville in North Queensland and at Sydney Olympic Park . The series' Middle East expansion continued in 2010 with

5580-428: The front and rear suspension systems feature adjustable shock absorbers and an anti-roll bar which, as of the introduction of the Gen 3 regulations, can not be adjusted from inside the car The cars use disc brakes supplied by AP Racing on the front and rear, with the master cylinders provided by AP Racing or former control brake supplier Alcon. The front discs have a diameter of 395 millimetres (15.6 in) and

5673-399: The front spoiler of the Commodore after Holden, in particular, the Holden Racing Team , had dominated in 1998 and 1999. This was in response to the 300 millimetres (12 in) removed from the Falcon in previous seasons, and coincided with a 10 millimetres (0.39 in) trim from the Falcon's rear spoiler. The small reduction for the Holden teams was quickly addressed with both cars receiving

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5766-475: The limits set by Project Blueprint. As a result, the VE race car was granted custom bodywork – namely shortened rear doors and a lowered roofline to meet the regulations. Despite this, the VE was approved for use in the series, along with the BF Falcon, after several months of preseason testing. Sequential gearboxes were introduced in 2008 and became compulsory by the end of the year. In 2009 , E85 (a fuel consisting of 85% ethanol and 15% unleaded petrol )

5859-436: The minimum weight. Some other components also have a minimum weight, such as the engine and the front uprights All cars must be front-engine, rear-wheel-drive , and powered by a V8 engine designated by Supercars for use in the respected model of car, and balanced in power and weight. Currently, the GM engine (for use in the Camaro) is a 5.7L V8 with a single camshaft and two valves per cylinder. The Ford engine (for use in

5952-430: The most laps and finished second in his SST debut, has seven wins. When racing in Australia, SST and Boost Mobile Super Trucks events also feature those from the Supercars Championship and its support series. SST's first race in the country at Adelaide in 2015 saw Supercar driver Nathan Pretty make his series debut, while 2014 Bathurst 1000 victor Paul Morris won the SST championship in 2017. Russell Ingall , winner of

6045-412: The plans were well received by all of the teams, Holden Motorsport boss Simon McNamara warned potential new manufacturers to stay out of the championship just hours after the plans were released, claiming that they would "gain nothing" from entering the series. Major changes were revealed to include a switch from a live rear axle to independent rear suspension ; the use of a rear transaxle instead of

6138-473: The race had been completed. Figures correct as of the 2024 Stadium Super Trucks race weekend at the Adelaide Street Circuit (November 14–17, 2024). Supercars Championship The Supercars Championship currently known as the Repco Supercars Championship under sponsorship, is a touring car racing category in Australia and New Zealand, running as an International Series under Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) regulations, governing

6231-503: The road car, while the windscreen is replaced by a polycarbonate unit. The cars also carry cameras for broadcasting. The bodies are built around a chassis provided by official accredited builders, including certain race teams. Currently, Triple Eight Race Engineering homologate the Chevrolet Camaro and Dick Johnson Racing homologate the Ford Mustang . The new for 2026 Toyota GR Supra will be homologaged by Walkinshaw Andretti United . Many safety features are utilised to protect

6324-414: The same front splitter shortly afterwards, but the Falcon's rear wing remained trimmed. Ford had threatened to withdraw from the series, but nothing came of this. After Holden again dominated in 2001 and 2002, a new set of regulations, dubbed "Project Blueprint", was introduced in 2003 to close the performance gap between the Commodore and the Falcon, thus creating closer, fairer racing. Project Blueprint

6417-629: The same vehicle for each race, but they may swap with others if they are unsatisfied with their current one. Gordon, who departed NASCAR with the belief that the top teams had a large advantage over the smaller teams due to the amount of money spent, designed the trucks as such as he wanted SST to be a "drivers' series". He described the stadium trucks as resembling Monster Jam trucks for their size and NASCAR and IndyCar vehicles for their ability to handle in corners. The 2013 SST events were televised tape-delayed on NBC and NBC Sports Network ; seven were televised on NBC and five on NBC Sports Network. Most of

6510-399: The sanctioning body. Points are awarded based on finishing position, with bonus points given for the fastest qualifier, heat race winner, the driver who leads the most laps in the main event, and for each position gained in a race. A driver may also earn points on behalf of another by racing with their number plate. At the end of a race weekend and season, the driver with the most total points

6603-474: The series expand outside the United States and Canada by participating at the Race of Champions in Barbados . In 2016, SST held the Mike's Peak Hill Climb Challenge at Mike's Sky Rancho in Baja California . Beyond North America, the trucks had demonstrations in the Mongolian desert in 2016 and 2019, while the 2017 schedule included a race in China at Beijing National Stadium . On September 23, 2014, sponsorship marketing company The Elevation Group purchased

6696-441: The series include Casey Mears , the son of off-road and stadium truck racer Roger Mears , and Greg Biffle . Gordon's other former discipline IndyCar has also seen crossovers into SST. In addition to those with experience in stock cars like Jones, Champ Car veteran Max Papis and 2003 champion Paul Tracy have run races; the 2016 Honda Indy Toronto round featured all three drivers. Former IndyCar driver E. J. Viso , who led

6789-666: The series include Dakar Rally champion Toby Price . Like Gordon, other NASCAR drivers have competed in the series. At X Games Austin 2015 , among the NASCAR competitors were 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Series champion Rusty Wallace , road course ringer Boris Said , and former Nationwide Series driver and eleven-time X Games medalist Travis Pastrana . P. J. Jones also made starts for Gordon's Robby Gordon Motorsports team in NASCAR, while Justin Lofton raced in NASCAR with Speed Energy sponsorship. Other NASCAR veterans who have raced in

6882-547: The series would be among the events held at the X Games Austin in 2014. On March 4, 2014, the series was renamed to Speed Energy Formula Off-Road presented by Traxxas with the trucks retaining the SST name, though the Formula Off-Road branding was quietly reverted by 2016. The series' X Games final was held at Circuit of the Americas on June 8. Apdaly Lopez won the gold medal; Sheldon Creed and Gordon earned silver and bronze, respectively. The 2014 season also saw

6975-588: The series. This set the foundation for the large expansion of the series during the following years. The category also adopted the name 'V8 Supercars' at this time, though the cars themselves were much unchanged. A new television deal with Network Ten and Fox Sports was organised, although this had follow-on effects for the Bathurst 1000 later in the year. In February, Tony Cochrane and James Erskine left IMG. Together with David Coe, they formed Sports and Entertainment Limited (SEL) in April 1997. TEGA would have

7068-801: The sport. Supercars events take place in all Australian states and the Northern Territory , with the Australian Capital Territory formerly holding the Canberra 400 . Usually, an international round is held in New Zealand, with events previously being held in China, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States. The Melbourne SuperSprint championship event is also held in support of

7161-468: The technical parity mechanisms enshrined in the Rules.". However, the rules go on to state that "The Category is not about equalisation of the abilities of participating Drivers and/or Teams (such equalisation could be, and is in some categories, defined as sporting parity). It is up to individual Drivers and/or Teams to Compete to the best of their abilities under the principle of technical parity." Parity

7254-443: The top spot in the individual category beating Loïc Duval in the final. The Stadium Super Trucks held their 2018 season finale at the event, racing as a standalone series and fielding trucks for ROC competitors. Like ROC, SST used a head-to-head knockout system in which two drivers competed against each other, with the winner advancing to the next round; should a driver lose in the first two rounds, they may proceed if they were

7347-505: The truck sustains. Each truck may race with tires from Toyo Tires or Continental Tire , while Hawk Performance provides brake pads . During the series' inaugural season, Toyo was one of three tire brands alongside Pro Comp and Yokohama . The trucks are identical to each other, though drivers are allowed to change some aspects of their trucks, such as the spring rates , ride heights and camber . Drivers receive their trucks on race weekends via random draw, which ensures they do not have

7440-594: The twelve races in 2013 were televised on Sunday afternoons. In 2014, NBCSN returned to broadcast the season's races, but was later replaced by CBS Sports Network in September. The X Games events were aired nationally on ABC . Races are streamed live on the series' website and Facebook page. When the series races in Australia, viewers in the country and New Zealand are prohibited from watching online and instead watch on Fox Sports . The trucks have been featured in various video games as playable vehicles. Gordon's No. 7 Speed Energy truck appears in an expansion pack for

7533-519: The use of two-door coupé body styles and turbocharged four- or six-cylinder engines. However, no teams elected to build cars to these alternate engine specifications. Cars were still required to be based on front-engined, rear-wheel drive, four-seater production cars that were sold in Australia. The chassis and control components were carried over from the New Generation V8 Supercar regulations, while engine and aerodynamic parity

7626-623: The weekend due to a rib injury, Paul Morris clinched the 2017 championship with Jerett Brooks driving his No. 67 truck. During the 2018 season, SST organized the Robby Gordon Off-Road World Championships at Glen Helen Raceway from November 30 to December 2. To close out the season, SST returned to the Race of Champions in 2019 , now held in Mexico City, as both a competing category for ROC drivers and

7719-854: The weekend when two accidents in practice led to a hearing with the federation. The series was eventually cleared to proceed with the round, though with its four-race slate reduced to two. The series typically features drivers who are familiar with off-road racing; during the inaugural season, off-road racers included Robby Gordon, Championship Off-Road Racing driver Rob MacCachren , TORC driver Sheldon Creed and motocross rider Jeff Ward . The 2013 season also featured those from other disciplines, like Arie Luyendyk Jr. and Paul Tracy (IndyCar), Nick Baumgartner (Olympic snowboarding ) and Traxxas owner Mike Jenkins . Two-wheel riders such as Moto X biker Jeremy Stenberg and four-time AMA Supercross Championship winner Ryan Villopoto also have experience in SST, while other off-road competitors who have dabbled in

7812-629: The winner receiving a full-time seat in SST for the 2022 season. However, neither took place due to scheduling conflicts such as Gordon racing in the Baja 1000 and running his Speed UTV company. With the support of driver Craig Dontas and former Adelaide 500 general manager Nathan Cayzer, SST expanded into Australia for the 2015 season. In May, the trucks were invited to the Goodwood Festival of Speed in England. In May 2018, Gordon formed

7905-569: Was a breach of contract. On October 11, judge John Digby ruled in favor of CAMS. Six days after the ruling, the series aligned with the Australian Auto Sport Alliance 's Australian Motor Racing Series (AMRS) to remain in the country. The AASA, which is not affiliated with CAMS, and the NSW Sport and Recreation approved SST for competition in AMRS events following a risk assessment. The trucks' first race weekend under

7998-654: Was designed partly with this in mind, to give the new cars a better chance of beating the Nissan Skyline GT-Rs in those races. The new rules meant that cars such as the turbocharged Nissan Skyline GT-R and Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth were not eligible to compete in 1993, while cars such as the BMW M3 were. However, the M3 received few of the liberal concessions given to the new V8s and also had an extra 100 kilograms (220 lb) added to its minimum weight, so with

8091-402: Was developed by Paul Taylor and Wayne Cattach, who spent two years designing a formula which would eliminate most of the differences between the Fords and Holdens. Project Blueprint had the chassis pick-up points, wheelbase , track , and driving position become common across both manufacturers. The Holdens were now able and required to use double-wishbone front suspension, similar to that of

8184-426: Was granted a new front and rear wing package. The BMWs were also allowed new splitters and full DTM-specification rear wings. Disparity between the Fords and Holdens continued to be a talking point during the next few years, with various concessions given to each manufacturer to try to equalise the two cars. From 1995 , the 2.0-litre cars, now contesting their own series as super touring cars , became ineligible for

8277-454: Was intended to be a precursor to the series holding a championship event at the circuit in 2016, in a push from CEO James Warburton to build series exposure in Asia. The event was later cancelled due to legal issues affecting the circuit. In December 2014, Supercars released details concerning the future of the category. New regulations, dubbed Gen2 Supercar, were introduced in 2017 to allow

8370-521: Was introduced in an effort to improve the environmental image of the sport. Carbon dioxide emissions decreased by up to 50%, but fuel consumption was increased by 30% to produce the same power as before. 2009 also had the introduction of a soft compound tyre at certain events to try to improve the quality of the racing and create different strategies. In 2005, AVESCO changed its name to V8 Supercars Australia (VESA). The series continued to expand during this time, with races held outside of Australasia for

8463-414: Was organised by V8 Supercars to investigate future directions for the sport. The project had the primary objective of cutting costs to $ 250,000 per car through the use of control parts and to create a pathway for new manufacturers to enter the series, provided that they have a four-door saloon car in mass production. The new formula, called "Car of the Future", was scheduled to be introduced before or during

8556-646: Was reviewed In April 2016, the series reached an agreement with Virgin Australia to rename the series to the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship on 1 July. For the 2021 season, this changed to the Repco Supercars Championship on a 5-year deal, extended to an 8-year deal at the end of 2022. After being first announced in 2020, and after being delayed for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic,

8649-491: Was solely responsible for the administration of the category. The new board of directors was composed of four TEGA representatives, two members from SEL and two independent directors. In 2011, TEGA and SEL entered a sale agreement with Australian Motor Racing Partners (AMRP), which had significant financial backing from Archer Capital . This agreement saw SEL lose its 25% stake in V8 Supercars, with Archer Capital taking up

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