V8 Supercars have released the 2014 calendar whilst simultaneously announcing three specific race formats to determine the championship. The Pirtek Enduro Cup remains, encompassing the Sandown 500, Bathurst 1000 and Gold Coast 600 events. Gone is the 60/60 format with the remaining events being either SuperStreet or SuperSprint formats. V8 Supercars also bursts into prime time TV with a potential five events embracing twilight Saturday races. In fact, a first twilight race is scheduled for this year's Sydney 500 on the Saturday starting at 5.10pm.
    Which leads us to Sydney. Three events are slated for the harbour city in 2014, and Sydney punters must be rubbing their hands together in anticipation already. The immensely popular Official Test Day returns to Sydney Motorsport Park on Feb. 15th. A great day which allows the fans to get up close to the teams and cars, and grab a photo and a chat with the drivers. August 22-24 sees V8 Supercars return to Sydney Motorsport Park for a SuperSprint format event, whereas 2 x 100km races on Saturday and a 200km race on Sunday are contested. In what's rapidly becoming a tradition, the championship once again winds up with two gruelling 250km races around the tight confines of Sydney Olympic Park for the Sydney 500 on December 5-7. Not only do Sydneysiders have the good fortune of three events next year, but the Sydney 500's contract has been extended for a further three years with an option for a another two. Well done to the event organisers, V8 Supercars and the NSW Govt. for brokering a deal which perpetuates such a great event. Sydney punters will need a decent supply of earplugs in 2014.
    The 2013 Bathurst 1000 looms larger than Mt Panorama itself. It's the event win they all want on their CV. Let us know your tip and why for the Great Race. Will Mercedes or Nissan spring a surprise? Can FPR haul in the Holdens of Red Bull Racing Aust.? What about the vastly improving HRT who are definitely starting to compete back where they rightfully belong? Maybe Bathurst may crown a completely unexpected winner? Send us an email at: greenflag@formulafrontrow.com or simply leave a comment. 1000km/161 laps around the intimidating Mt Panorama circuit? Who knows? We certainly don't. Enjoy the race. Cheers....

    The first half of the 2013 V8 Supercar season is now consigned to history, and with the season's endurance races lurking just over the horizon, it would be safe to conclude that the new V8 Supercar "Car Of The Future" (COTF) has to date been a resounding success.
    Success can be measured from a number of perspectives. Common components improves manufacturing turnover, quality control and replacement techniques. Driver safety has no doubt also improved. Both these points are reinforced by the fact that we've seen drivers walk away relatively unscathed from some horrific shunts, and majority of the time, their car is ready for the next day's hostilities. The teams are simply turning the cars around quicker between sessions, allowing them to focus more on set up and strategy. 
    Parity across the field regarding downforce levels, horsepower and the like has also been achieved, as evidenced by there regularly being little more than 1 sec. after qualifying across the entire grid. 
    New manufacturers were encouraged to join the traditional Ford vs Holden rivalry, of which Nissan and Mercedes obliged. Now we have Garry Rogers Motorsport welcoming Volvo into the fray for 2014. V8 Supercars must now be considered a viable avenue for these marques to utilise to promote their respective brands. 
    V8 Supercars has done a stellar job in promoting its brand. COTF has enticed new combatants, crowd numbers at events are strong, TV ratings are performing well, and the Nascar loving Texans seemed to really embrace V8 Supercars during their recent junket to Circuit Of The Americas. Now there's talk of bringing V8 Supercars into prime time viewing hours by staging some twilight and night races under lights. Question is, where? Our temporary street circuits Down Under are second to none, and there have been suggestions that events such as Adelaide's Clipsal 500 or Surfer's Paradise's Gold Coast 600 could be constructed to incorporate lighting for night racing. But would the extra cost involved to accommodate lighting in addition to the usual expenditure involved erecting and dismantling the catch fencing and other necessary infrastructure be too difficult to sustain? Would it be more feasible to light an existing, permanent circuit? That way, installation only takes place once, as does the cost, and the circuit can host all sorts of night time motorsport events.
    Would V8 Supercar night racing prove to be commercially viable? With the working week starting on Monday, would crowd numbers be affected by staging a Sunday night race or would the race itinerary need tweaking? Would you be more inclined to attend an event or watch it on TV if the racing's at night? Let us know what you think. Send us an email at : greenflag@formulafrontrow.com or simply leave a comment.
    Sure be cool to see V8 Supercars under lights at Sydney Motorsport Park or the Sydney 500 though....

    Australia's premier motorsport series, V8 Supercars have ventured across the Pacific to the newly constructed Hermann Tilke designed race circuit marvel that is the Circuit Of The Americas. The circuit just outside Austin, Texas was purpose built for Formula One, but now V8 Supercars have arrived to stage their first ever championship event on US soil, the Austin 400. This weekend sees the event comprise 4 x 100km races around the fast, undulating circuit.
    The Saturday Races 13 and 14 have run, with both races producing the same podium trio of Jamie Whincup, Craig Lowndes and Fabian Coulthard. However the racing was frenetic and uncompromising right through the field and therefore exciting for us watching back in Oz. If the Saturday races are a benchmark, cannot wait for the Sunday races.
    One team steadily on the rise is Kelly Racing with their new Nissan Altimas. Race 13 saw Rick Kelly achieve Nissan's Car Or The Future's best result to date when he passed the chequered in P6. He then backed up a strong qualifying for Race 14 by finishing P8 and was unlucky not to get P6 albeit for want of fuel. Whilst admitting that the Nissan is down in straight line speed, the team are slowly coming to grips with it's cornering capabilities.  A team to watch. Let's see if they can continue to please their Nissan and Jack Daniels partners in the Sunday races who are both in attendance at the event.
    At formulafrontrow.com we quite often mention the importance of brand exposure and promotion. We'd like to know if you find the idea of staging regular event/s overseas appealing and whether this would help garner a wider fan and sponsor base and consequently higher TV ratings? Can V8 Supercars promote itself to higher levels in overseas markets such as the USA where NASCAR rules the tin-top racing world? Would love to know the TV ratings on SPEED in the US. Email us at: greenflag@formulafrontrow.com or simply leave a comment. Circuit Of The Americas certainly fulfils its end of the deal.

    Last weekend at the newly upgraded Pukekohe Circuit in New Zealand, V8 Supercars crowned its youngest ever winner of a championship race in the form of 19yo Scott McLaughlin.
    The Christchurch born Kiwi's rise through V8 Supercar ranks borders on meteoric. After plying his trade in karts, in 2010 McLaughlin debuted in the Fujitsu Development Series, the youngest ever at 16, driving a FG Falcon for Stone Brothers Racing. 2012 saw him win the NZ V8 SuperTourer Series in a VE Commodore for MPC Motorsport, plus clinching the 2012 Dunlop Series at 2012's season ending Sydney 500. Before the champagne had even dried on his racesuit, he was drafted in to Alex Premat's seat in the main game, who was unable to recover after his coolsuit failed in the oppressive heat of the Saturday race. 2013 sees him acquire a full time drive with the Fujitsu Racing Garry Rogers Motorsport outfit. The faith shown by GRM has already been substantiated by winning the 4th race at the Australian F1 Grand Prix and now Pukekohe in the main V8 Supercar show. Despite his crash and subsequent retirement in the Sunday race at Pukekohe, Saturday's race was a drive mature beyond his years to convert an encouraging grid position into an emphatic win.
    But how will Scott McLaughlin fair once V8 Supercars descends upon the super circuits like Phillip Island and Mt Panorama where experience is invaluable? Will the challenge from GRM be sustained throughout the season spearheaded by Scott McLaughlin and quickly improving Frenchman, Alex Premat? Whilst McLaughlin might appear to be having the time of his life,  innocently smiling his way through events, underneath is a steely racer who rarely makes mistakes, all the time appreciating the opportunities afforded to him. He's been compared to a young Craig Lowndes. But will McLaughlin and Premat promote GRM to the fore of V8 Supercars and upset the likes of Red Bull, FPR and HRT? Let formulafrontrow.com know what you think. Send us an email at: greenflag@formulafrontrow.com or simply leave a comment.
    Congratulations to Jason Bright and Brad Jones Racing for winning the Jason Richards Memorial Trophy at Pukekohe. Couldn't think of any team more fitting than JR's former team, who perennially display the JR Star on their cars, that ended up winning the trophy. Well done.

    Enthusiastic Sydney fans were eager to witness the new for 2013 V8 Supercar Car Of The Future, and subsequently descended in large numbers for last weekend's Official Test Day at Sydney Motorsport Park. A record number for an official pre-season test translated to 17-odd thousand punters attending the free event. 
    The day included a lunchtime fan grid walk with drivers ever present to chat with fans and gladly posing for photos. Fans were then treated to a couple of practise restarts behind the Safety Car. Remember in 2013, restarts are double file. Will the leading driver choose the inside line to cover the run into Turn 1 bearing in mind that it may not always be the racing line where there's more rubber down and therefore grip? The cars will be much closer together definitely raising excitement levels. The last 15 minutes of the day resembled the frantic dying stages of a qualifying session with teams trying to gain a psychological advantage over their rivals going into next weekend's season opening Clipsal 500 in Adelaide. A great day was had by all.
    But are the big crowd numbers enough to persuade V8 Supercars to include Sydney Motorsport Park as a regular venue on the championship calendar? In the past we've spoken about the importance of brand promotion through TV and online exposure to generate both corporate and fan interest. 
    However it all starts with crowd numbers through the gates doesn't it? Venues and promoters need to know that an event is first of all fiscally viable. Big crowd numbers then entice TV to broadcast the event. This then seduces more fans watching at home to attend next year as it looks like an event you can't miss. Business interest therefore increases as companies see a great avenue to promote their own brands through both team and trackside sponsorship. The cycle continues. Alternatively, if the venue looks half empty on TV, the event seems less appealing to both fans and business, and consequently, interest wanes.
    So do you think that crowd numbers have such a large influence on venues staging events? More importantly, will you be attending the next V8 Supercar event when they return to Sydney Motorsport Park? It is a great facility with the circuit upgrades transforming the circuit. Would love to see the V8's plunging into the new section though. 
    Let us know what you think. Leave a comment or send us an email at: greenflag@formulafrontrow.com. In our next post formulafrontrow.com will be previewing the Australian Formula One Grand Prix. See you soon. Cheers....
    
    

    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.

    The 2012 Sydney 500 has been run and won and what a fantastic event it was. V8 Supercars, Dunlop Series, Porsche Carrera Cup, V8 Utes and Australian GT Championship all add up to tin-top heaven for motorsport fans which fittingly arrived en-mass. Jamie Whincup was officially crowned 2012 V8 Supercar champion and team mate Craig Lowndes won the 250km Saturday race in stifling conditions. With ambient temperatures nudging 40 degrees, goodness knows how oppressive is was in the cockpit for the drivers. Ford Performance Racing's Will Davison reversed his recent bad luck with an inspired win in the other 250km Sunday race.
    With this season done and dusted, attention now turns to 2013. Despite initial drafts placing it mid-season, it seems that sanity has prevailed, with the Sydney 500 to remain as the 2013 season finale. We like the idea of a challenging, narrow street circuit where the drivers are fighting the circuit as much as each other, winding up the season. It's the sort of venue where you can lose more time than you can gain if you push too hard.
    However, Sydney Motorsport Park misses out on an event after staging this year's Sydney 360. With only 65- odd thousand through the gates over the two days, could this be because the 2012 event wasn't that well patronised? Would more fans at this year's event have had a greater influence on the 2013 calendar? Being staged late August when the football codes are reaching the business ends of their respective seasons could also have had an effect on crowd numbers and especially TV ratings. Was there simply too much choice for Sydney sports fans? The consolation for Sydney fans is that Sydney Motorsport Park is hosting the official V8 Supercar test day in February. After a few teaser laps at the Sydney 500, we'll finally get to see the new Car Of The Future Holdens, Fords, Nissans and Mercedes' up close. Let's hope the Sydney fans turn up in large numbers. Send us an email at: greenflag@formulafrontrow.com or simply leave a comment. 
    formulafrontrow.com would like to wish everyone a happy Christmas and we'll see you in 2013 where another bumper motorsport season beckons. Charge those Nikon batteries....

    What a fantastic Bathurst 1000 last weekend at the iconic Mt Panorama Circuit. Congratulations to winners Team Vodafone and their drivers Jamie Whincup and Paul Dumbrell. Wasn't it a great strategy to place championship leader Whincup in the car fairly early on when the V8 Supercar field was largely comprised of co-drivers? Kudos should also be awarded to Bottle-O Racing's David Reynolds and Dean Canto. It was Reynolds' first V8 Supercar podium and he very nearly won, but had to be content with sniffing Whincup's exhaust fumes home for second. Looking ominous in third was Team Vodafone's Craig Lowndes and Warren Luff. 
    Is the 2012 V8 Supercar Championship now a three horse race? Whincup, Lowndes and Ford Performance Racing's Mark Winterbottom are on 2772, 2611 and 2584 points respectively. The title's anyone's guess. Which leads us to next weekend's Gold Coast 600. The variable factor is the inclusion of international drivers as co-drivers. Big names with international pedigree in categories such as F1, Indy, British Touring Cars, Porsche Supercup include Boudais, Liuzzi, Andretti, Brabham, Salo, Heidfeld, Bleekemolen, Said and Pagenaud; join the field to thrash a V8 Supercar around the streets of Surfers Paradise. It's going to be awesome.
    V8 Supercars as a series is certainly on the up. Complementing Formula One at this year's Abu Dhabi GP, off to Austin, Texas next May at the new Circuit Of The Americas will definitely raise brand awareness internationally. The horizon looks endless. 
    But will the "brand" be conceived differently next year with the arrival of Mercedes in the form of Erebus Motorsport with long time Ford team Stone Brothers Racing, and Nissan replacing Holden at Kelly Racing? Under the Car Of The Future regulations new manufacturers are encouraged to join the field. The traditional Ford vs Holden becomes Ford vs Holden vs Mercedes vs Nissan vs ??? in 2013 and beyond. In it's endeavours to reach fair wider global audiences and therefore attracting more sponsors, race teams and fans; are V8 Supercars at risk of losing some local fans who feel that tradition has been dispensed with? Will the legendary Bathurst 1000 take on new appeal? Will traditional fans embrace V8 Supercar's future and continue to support what is an extremely well presented, professional sport? Let us know what you think. Send formulafrontrow.com an email at: greenflag@formulafrontrow.com or simply leave a comment.