91-608: Triple Eight Race Engineering , branded as Red Bull Ampol Racing in Supercars, is an Australian motor racing team competing in the Supercars Championship . The team has been the only Brisbane -based V8 Supercar team since its formation, originally taking over and operating out of the former Briggs Motor Sport workshop in Bowen Hills during the 2003 season before moving to Banyo in 2009. The team has won
182-519: A Holden ZB Commodore under the banner Supercheap Auto Racing and was driven by 3x Supercars champion and 7x Bathurst 1000 winner Craig Lowndes and current Supercars driver Declan Fraser . For the 2023 season they ran a single Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Zane Goddard at the Darwin Triple Crown and with Craig Lowndes for Sandown and Bathurst. For the 2024 season they ran a single Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Cooper Murray at
273-498: 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 ,
364-699: 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
455-623: A 1-2 finish with Craig Lowndes, Mark Skaife and Jamie Whincup, Steve Owen respectively. Whincup finished the year in 2nd, with Lowndes in 4th. In 2011 , Whincup regained the championship from Lowndes with the team winning the Teams Championship. During the 2012 season, Triple Eight dominated, winning 19 races including the Sandown 500 (Lowndes and Warren Luff ) and the Bathurst 1000 (Whincup and Paul Dumbrell ) with Whincup won
546-420: 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
637-569: 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 ,
728-663: 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
819-545: 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
910-507: A massive crash on the opening lap of the first race, forcing him to the rear of the grid for the next race. He recovered, but he lost the series lead to Rick Kelly , who took a handy 73-point lead. At the next round in Bahrain , Lowndes stormed back into contention as Kelly encountered problems of his own. The stage was set for a spectacular finale at Phillip Island , with the two contenders separated by just seven points. Lowndes qualified on
1001-516: 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
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#17327879825751092-576: A minority shareholding. In late 2015, Dane sold approximately a 30% shareholding in the team to Paul Dumbrell , Tim Miles and Trinette Schipkie. In 2021 Scottish millionaire Tony Quinn bought a 40% share of the team. Triple Eight Race Engineering was formed in 1996 in the United Kingdom, running Vauxhall 's program in the British Touring Car Championship before expanding into Australian V8 Supercars , purchasing
1183-440: 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
1274-590: 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
1365-475: 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
1456-481: 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
1547-1171: Is a list of drivers who have driven for the team in the Supercars Championship, in order of their first appearance. Drivers who only drove for the team on a part-time basis are listed in italics. The following is a list of drivers who have driven for the team in the Super2 Series, in order of their first appearance. Drivers who drove for the team on a part-time basis are listed in Italics 1 Brodie Kostecki 9 Jack Le Brocq 2 Ryan Wood 25 Chaz Mostert 3 Aaron Love 7 James Courtney 4 Cameron Hill 10 Nick Percat 6 Cam Waters 55 Thomas Randle 8 Andre Heimgartner 14 Bryce Fullwood 12 Jaxon Evans 96 Macauley Jones 11 Anton de Pasquale 17 Will Davison 18 Mark Winterbottom 20 David Reynolds 19 Matthew Payne 26 Richie Stanaway 23 Tim Slade 31 James Golding 87 Will Brown 88 Broc Feeney Supercars Championship The Supercars Championship currently known as
1638-603: Is broadcast in 137 countries and has an average event attendance of over 100,000. With over 250,000 in attendance annually, 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
1729-541: Is contracted until the end of 2017 , and Whincup until the end of 2018 . In 2016, a third car was added for Shane van Gisbergen , with the team purchasing a Racing Entitlement Contract that was last used in 2014 by James Rosenberg Racing . Van Gisbergen won the 2016 championship. In 2016 and 2017, Lowndes raced under the banner of Team Vortex, with Whincup and van Gisbergen under the Red Bull Racing Australia banner. In 2018, Lowndes raced under
1820-765: 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 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
1911-684: 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
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#17327879825752002-545: Is very hard on brakes. The banking at the hairpin is a unique opportunity to overtake. The other overtaking opportunity is the left hander at the end of the back straight. The circuit has hosted rounds of the Australian Touring Car Championship and Supercars Championship since 1969. The circuit was left off the V8 Supercar calendar in 2000 before returning in 2004 after the upgrades were completed. From 1980 to 2021, Alfredo Costanzo held
2093-461: 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
2184-408: The 2013 Bathurst 1000 , running under the banner of Xbox One Racing and driven by Andy Priaulx and Mattias Ekström . They qualified in 18th and finished in 10th. For the 2021 Bathurst 1000 the team ran a Supercheap Auto backed Holden ZB Commodore which was driven by former Super3 Champion Broc Feeney and former Supercars champion Russell Ingall . For the 2022 Bathurst 1000 they ran
2275-464: 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. Symmons Plains Raceway Symmons Plains Raceway is a motor racing circuit in Australia , located about 30 km (19 mi) south of Launceston, Tasmania . Since the closure of
2366-601: 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
2457-588: The Bathurst 1000 with Whincup. Having led the championship to Round 11, Lowndes lost the series lead at the Symmons Plains weekend. Having seen a big chunk of his lead evaporate at the previous round on the Gold Coast following two penalties for dangerous driving approaching the starting grid, the pressure was on Lowndes to perform at the Tasmania event. Unfortunately for Lowndes, he was caught in
2548-755: The Briggs Motor Sport team in September 2003. The sale included a custom-built facility in the Brisbane suburb of Bowen Hills , and a staff of 35 people. Engineers in Brisbane worked closely with the Triple Eight staff in the UK to build two new Ford BA Falcons , while the team principals managed to attract substantial financial support from Ford . The team debuted at the 2003 Sandown 500 . 2004
2639-603: The Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 after General Motors shut down the Holden brand. Shane van Gisbergen and Broc Feeney continue to drive. For 2024, Shane van Gisbergen announce his move away from V8 Supercars and will move to NASCAR with Trackhouse racing and will compete in all three national series as well as the ARCA Menards series. Will Brown was brought on to replace him (with the car number changing to 87) and will partner with Broc Feeney . The team entered an extra car at
2730-480: The Darwin Triple Crown and will be teaming up with Craig Lowndes at Sandown and Bathurst. Triple Eight have previously entered cars in the Development Series for Andrew Thompson in 2011 , Scott Pye in 2012 and Casey Stoner in 2013 , winning the series in 2011. Since 2014 Triple Eight has provided technical assistance to Eggleston Motorsport . For the 2019 season Triple Eight re-entered
2821-477: The Holden brand being retired at the end of 2020. This was the first time that Triple Eight raced without factory support from Holden since joining the brand in 2010 and only the second time in its V8 Supercars history without any factory support (the last time being 2009). Ampol , formerly known as Caltex Australia, replaced Holden as one of Triple Eight's major sponsors alongside longtime partner Red Bull. Despite
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2912-513: 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
3003-783: 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 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
3094-476: The Sandown 500 and a third placing for Ellery and Adam Macrow at the Bathurst 1000 . Lowndes won a further three rounds and qualified on pole position four times (including Bathurst). 2006 saw a continuation of this strong form, with new recruit Jamie Whincup replacing Ellery, and making an instant impact in the form of a win at the Clipsal 500 . Lowndes scored four round wins, including sharing victory at
3185-428: 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
3276-625: 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
3367-705: 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
3458-671: 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
3549-773: 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
3640-518: 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,
3731-470: 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
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3822-511: The Ford logos on the front of the cars were replaced by a stylised pink pig's head, referring to Hog's Breath Cafe , one of the team sponsors. The team ran new FG Falcons . Triple Eight Racing won fifteen of the twenty-three races staged during the championship, with Whincup winning eleven races and the championship and Lowndes taking four wins at Winton, the Gold Coast and Barbagallo, finishing
3913-405: 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
4004-624: 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
4095-639: The Longford circuit in the 1960s it has been Tasmania's premier motor racing facility. The circuit is one of the longest serving circuits of the combined history of the Australian Touring Car Championship and the V8 Supercar Championship Series. Since 2005 it has hosted the Falken Tasmania Challenge for V8 Supercars. In 2004, the facility received a A$ 3 million upgrade which included some modifications to
4186-612: 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
4277-583: The Supercars drivers' championship eleven times, the teams' championship twelve times and the Bathurst 1000 ten times. The team currently runs two Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s for Broc Feeney and Will Brown . Additionally, the team provides technical support to PremiAir Racing . The team performs its testing at Queensland Raceway . Originally affiliated with champion British Touring Car Championship race team Triple Eight Racing and owned by Peter Butterly, Roland Dane , Ian Harrison and Derek Warwick , Dane later took majority ownership, with Harrison maintaining
4368-498: The V8 engine in the future, all without the guidance of former technical director Ludo Lacroix . However, in April 2018, Holden announced it had chosen to halt the development of the turbocharged V6 engine and that it would be sticking with its V8 layout for the time being. This meant that the scheduled wildcard entry the team was planning to enter never happened. For 2021 and beyond, Triple Eight rebranded to Red Bull Ampol Racing due to
4459-555: The banner of Autobarn Lowndes Racing, with Whincup and van Gisbergen under the Red Bull Holden Racing Team banner. From 2017 until 2020, Triple Eight was the factory Holden team being rebranded as the Red Bull Holden Racing Team. The team was responsible for developing the ZB Commodore that debut in 2018 . They also lead development for the expected V6 twin-turbo engine that was to be the replacement to
4550-456: 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
4641-667: 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
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#17327879825754732-411: 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
4823-466: The championship, and Lowndes and Whincup won their third Bathurst 1000 crown. During the 2008 Season, it was announced at the Hidden Valley round that Ford would withdraw its support from all but two teams (Ford Performance Racing and Stone Brothers Racing) on the Supercars grid from 2009 onwards. Triple Eight was one of the Ford teams to be effected by the decision, despite proving that they were
4914-465: 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
5005-736: The development series, Super2. Fielding two cars for Brenton Grove and Kurt Kostecki . For the 2020 season they scaled the team down to one car driven by 2019 Australian Formula Ford Champion Angelo Mouzouris . For the 2021 season they went back to a two car operation with Angelo Mouzouris being joined by ex-Tickford Super2 driver Broc Feeney . As well as building cars for its own use, Triple Eight has also built cars for other teams. It has provided chassis for Dick Johnson Racing (2009–2012), Paul Morris Motorsport (2010–2012), Tekno Autosports (2010–2021), Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport (2012–2017), Team 18 (2016–2022), Matt Stone Racing (2018–2022), and PremiAir Racing (2022–present). The following
5096-469: 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
5187-467: The end of the 2012 season. The team celebrated the first race of the year with a 1-2 finish with Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes respectively. Jamie Whincup won both races in Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, and Hamilton, but lost the championship lead after troubled races at Queensland Raceway and Winton, while teammate Craig Lowndes finished on the podium several times. They also had a great result at Bathurst with
5278-584: 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
5369-603: 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
5460-428: 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
5551-399: 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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#17327879825755642-560: The homologated cars have a chance to build and drive 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
5733-434: The layout of the track, including moving the start/finish line back to a more conventional location opposite the pits. It had previously been on a curve (which is now located just after the first corner), unusual for a road course. Symmons Plains is also known for its extremely tight hairpin bend , known as Brambles Hairpin , at the end of the old front straight. Symmons Plains Raceway is 2.411 km (1.498 mi) long and
5824-475: 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 )
5915-436: 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
6006-426: The name change, Triple Eight continued with Holden Commodores for both 2021 and 2022. The Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 made its debut in 2023 along with Gen3. Jamie Whincup retired after 2021, his 16th and final full time season with Triple Eight, and was replaced by Broc Feeney. Shane van Gisbergen continues to drive for the team. For 2023 and the new Gen 3 cars, Triple Eight along with all other Holden teams switched to
6097-426: The outright race lap record by setting a time of 50.16 seconds with Lola T430 Formula 5000 . The closest anyone had come since 1980 was British driver James Winslow who set a time of 50.5036 seconds on 1 April 2012 while driving a Dallara F307 . Then, that outright lap record was broken in 2021 by driver Joey Mawson . Driving a Ligier JS F3-S5000 , the Australian driver set a time of 0:49.7242 seconds. In 2022,
6188-412: 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
6279-471: The race. The stewards, after deliberation, dismissed the appeal, saying that the drive-through penalty was sufficient punishment for Kelly. Furthermore, Lowndes and Triple Eight accused the HSV Dealer Team and the Holden Racing Team for bad sportsmanship – Mark Skaife was given a bad sportsmanship flag in Race 1 for blocking Lowndes, while Kelly's teammate Garth Tander was given a drive-through penalty for blocking Lowndes in Race 2. Some days later, Lowndes
6370-470: The rear bumper while in the high-speed section between Turns 3 and 4, sending Lowndes into a spin, eventually cleaning out both Lowndes and Todd Kelly (Rick's older brother). Rick Kelly was given a drive-through penalty and finished 18th. Lowndes' car was extensively damaged and was only able to salvage 29th place. Rick Kelly had won the championship. However, Lowndes and his Triple Eight team protested, claiming that Kelly had deliberately taken Lowndes out of
6461-496: The record was improved again by himself, by setting a time of 0:48.5598 seconds. The 'Tassie Tin Tops' category included below is a combined closed car category not built to any specific set of regulations, it usually runs at major national meetings bringing together a collection of vehicles that usually compete in specific categories at Tasmanian State Championship race meetings, it usually includes Sports Sedans, Improved Production and Sports GT category vehicles. As of August 2024,
6552-629: 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
6643-471: 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
6734-536: 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
6825-420: The team. Lowndes in particular was a catalyst for change, which along with powerful and reliable Stone Brothers Racing sourced engines saw a massive improvement in the team's performance. Lowndes finished second in the championship, finishing the year strongly and narrowly missing out on snatching the title from Russell Ingall . Ellery came 13th. The year's highlights included a win for Lowndes and Yvan Muller at
6916-468: 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
7007-419: The third row of the grid, while Kelly was further back on the fifth row. However, Kelly fought back in the first race to be right on Lowndes' bumper at the conclusion of the race – Lowndes was fourth, Kelly fifth. In the second race, Lowndes came third while Kelly was fourth – again close behind. The points going into the final race of the year were tied. On the second lap of the final race, Kelly pushed Lowndes on
7098-411: The title from Lowndes. In June 2012, Vodafone announced it would not renew the sponsorship. In August 2012, Red Bull took over the naming rights for the 2013 V8 Supercars season onwards. In the 2013 season, the new Car of the Future specification cars were introduced with Triple Eight racing the new Holden VF Commodore . Whincup and Lowndes finished first and second in the championship. Lowndes
7189-449: The top Ford team that year and would go on to win their third Bathurst 1000 and first drivers championship as well as being the head developers of the new FG Falcon which was to be introduced in 2009. It was estimated that due to the decision by Ford, Triple Eight lost $ 2 million from their budget annually. In 2009 , following Ford's decision to withdraw support from all teams other than Ford Performance Racing and Stone Brothers Racing ,
7280-519: 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
7371-451: The year in fourth. Due to the loss of factory support from Ford for the 2009 season. Triple Eight announced prior to Bathurst that the team would be controversially switching to arch rival Holden for 2010 onwards. In 2010 the team switched to racing Holden VE Commodores in response to the withdrawal of Ford's support, after signing a three-year deal with Holden. The team also re-signed with major sponsor Vodafone for another three years until
7462-558: Was Triple Eight's first full season in V8 Supercars. It was a disappointing year for all involved, with both cars dogged by mechanical problems. Paul Radisich came 19th in the championship, while Max Wilson finished a lowly 28th. The team's car speed, however, was certainly up with the front-runners for many weekends. 2005 saw a massive form reversal for Triple Eight. Craig Lowndes and Steve Ellery were signed as drivers and Stone Brothers Racing engineer Campbell Little joined
7553-543: Was awarded the prized Barry Sheene Medal , which was some consolation. In 2007 , the team retained the services of Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes. Vodafone replaced Betta Electrical as the title sponsor. Whincup narrowly missed out on the Drivers Championship by 2 points, with Garth Tander and Toll HSV Racing Team winning the last race of the season in Phillip Island. In 2008 , Whincup won
7644-654: 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
7735-402: 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
7826-426: 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
7917-454: 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
8008-521: 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
8099-414: 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
8190-646: 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,
8281-430: 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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