Car Of The Future Heralds New V8 Supercar Era.

Nissan Altima COTF. V8 Supercars.

    At the recent 2012 Sydney 500, V8 Supercars had a display showcasing the new Car Of The Future (COTF) entrusted to contest the V8 Supercar championship from 2013 onwards. Whilst the Erebus Motorsport/ Stone Brothers Racing Mercedes-Benz AMG E-Class was kept closely under wraps, Kelly Racing were displaying their new Nissan Altima COTF, Triple Eight Racing their Holden COTF, and Ford Performance Racing their Ford COTF. These purpose built racing cars are designed with numerous standardised components including chassis, brakes, driver position, engine position and fuel cell position. This all translates to vastly improving safety, part compatibility and simplicity of part manufacturing, therefore reducing costs across the board.
    Rest assured to fans fearing that progress means the end of tradition. After witnessing these cars up close and on circuit with a few demonstration laps at the Sydney 500, their apprehension can be relieved. They look and sound like a V8 Supercar. Drivers are already suggesting that their improved, softer handling will be conducive to closer racing, as they feel that the front end is willing to find an apex, rather than being forcefully monstered towards a corner. They are a snazzy piece of kit.
    This season also sees the introduction of six events with a 60/60 race format, whereas a 120km race is broken into a 60km race, followed by a 15min. break, and then a rolling start for the remaining 60km. This means that teams will not have to adopt fuel conservation modes to reach the chequered flag, rendering drivers free to race as hard as they can. Not only that, V8 Supercars have mirrored Nascar and Indy by decreeing that all restarts be double file. Double file restarts will inevitably raise both drivers and fans' heart rates, as once the Safety Car pulls into the pitlane, half the field will be trying to get the power down offline on the tyre marbles. Exciting times ahead. Ford vs Holden battle will still simmer away with a few Mercedes and Nissan wildcards mixed in for spice. Let us know what you think. Leave formulafrontrow.com a comment or send us an email at: greenflag@formulafrontrow.com.  
    The official V8 Supercar test day at Sydney Motorsport Park is lurking closer than you think. Let the new era roll on....
                               Best wishes for 2013. Cheers.

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