Australia's premier motorsport category, V8 Supercars, are preparing to commence another season with their prestigious Clipsal 500 at the unforgiving Adelaide street circuit. Holden vs Ford. Red vs Blue. Bragging rights up for grabs again. Fantastic!
However, 2013 sees Japanese giant Nissan rejoining the fray with Kelly Racing. There are also whispers that Chrysler are considering entering V8 Supercars as well. Will the sport benefit from other manufacturers entering? Some people will say that the very foundations have been rocked, and the series just doesn't have the same flavour or feel. Others will say that it's purely a marketing exercise to raise brand awareness in the interest of selling more road cars. Others will argue that it will bring in more fans, sponsors and maybe competitors. Others will say that it is a case of back to the future, reminding them of the 80s and 90s when the touring car grid had numerous combatants. Who will ever forget Jim Richards and Mark Skaife being "booed" in 1992 when they won the Bathurst 1000 in a Nissan? V8 Supercars are purpose built racing cars, but that takes on a new dimension with the impending introduction next year of the Car Of The Future. Numerous standardised components including same chassis, brakes, driver position, engine position, fuel cell, drive shaft, 18'' wheels and tyres. About the only things different are the body panels (which would translate to different aero characteristics), the engine, and of course badges. This is all designed to reduce costs across the board. So, with the arrival of a new manufacturer/s and the introduction of the Car Of The Future, will this give V8 Supercars a completely new flavour or feel? Or will it feel like back to the future? Send us an email at greenflag@formulafrontrow.com, or simply leave a comment. For formulafrontrow.com we know the racing will be just has intense and frenetic. Spicing it up with the use of two different tyre compounds will reveal intriguing race strategies. Also, the V8 Supercar Development Series welcome Dunlop as their title sponsor. Who will be the next young superstar to emerge from this highly competitive series? A big year looms. Roll the transporters.....
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With their 2012 challengers revealed, winter pre-season testing in full swing, it's merely a blink of an eye before the world's Formula One teams descend Down Under to Melbourne's picturesque Albert Park to recommence hostilities.
And what a mouth-watering prospect this season beckons to be. It'll be fascinating to see who will be crowned 2012 F1 World Champion. An unprecedented six world champions line up on the grid. Will seven-time champion Michael Schumacher continue to improve and once again challenge for wins? Or will he be outscored again by his Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg, who incidently is still hungry for his first win? 2007 champion Kimi Raikkonen returns to an F1 cockpit after a two year sabbatical, but will he and his newly renamed Lotus team have the package to fight for the title? Will double world champion Fernando Alonso and his beloved Ferrari team elevate themselves to where they think they rightfully belong; number one? Not to mention it's a make or break year for his Ferrari team mate, Felipe Massa. The McLaren partnership of 2008 champion Lewis Hamilton and 2009 champion Jenson Button is a hugely competitive one. Will their seemingly amicable working relationship still be evident if they're both going for the title by the time the season washes up in Brazil? Will Bruno Senna help propel the illustrious Williams team back to the sharp end? What about the exciting pairing of Paul di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg at the ever improving Force India? Two Australians on the grid is something formulafrontrow.com is extremely excited about. Will Daniel Ricciardo be a regular point scorer for Scuderia Toro Rosso? Red Bull Racing's Mark Webber still has a thirst for the title, but can he quench it? All this begs the question. Can 2010 and 2011 world champion and Red Bull Racing's Sebastian Vettel do what only Juan Manuel Fangio and Michael Schumacher have done? That is, win three Formula One world championships in succession? Mouth watering isn't it? Lights out. Let's race! |
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