V8 supercars
| V8 supercars | |
|---|---|
 Supercars Championship 2020
|
|
| Vehicle type | Touring car |
| Country or region | Australasia / Arabia |
| Current name | Supercars Championship |
| First season | 1997 |
| tires | Dunlop |
| Official website | Supercars.com |
The International V8 Supercars Championship is the most popular Australian touring car racing series . The races mainly take place in Australia and are supplemented by individual events abroad (currently New Zealand and the USA , previously also in the United Arab Emirates , Bahrain and China ). A racing season runs - analogous to the calendar of many European series - from February or March to November or December, i.e. includes winter in the southern hemisphere. The racing calendar for the V8 Supercars includes a number of different formats, from short sprint races to long-distance races with driver changes.
The vehicles are four-door sedans, but their appearance is only based on their series counterparts ( silhouette vehicle ). A uniform chassis is used as the basis, which is supplemented with many standard components and only a few series components. The various silhouettes will be adapted and set down for aerodynamic properties as similar as possible under the supervision of the organizer. All vehicles must use a 5L V8 engine developed by their respective manufacturer.
vehicle
COTF - Car of the Future (since 2013)
In order to open up the series to other manufacturers and to make the eternal duel between Holden and Ford more exciting, it was decided in the early 2010s to develop a new vehicle concept for the series. The Car of the Future (COTF) has been used in four different versions since the 2013 season. In addition to the established vehicles, the Falcon FG and the Holden Commodore VF , Nissan with the Altima and a version of the Mercedes Benz E63 AMG have also been in the starting field this season .
Technically, the new vehicles have been heavily modified in the areas of chassis, engine and safety compared to the 2012 V8 supercar. All vehicles have the same dimensions, which means that no production bodies were reproduced. The E-Class is around 90 mm longer than the production model. The engine was mounted 100 mm lower and also 100 mm further back. This has improved safety in the event of a frontal collision. In order to be able to use larger brakes, 18 "wheels are installed. The vehicle's tank, which is located in the rear, has also been moved further into the vehicle interior.
Technical specifications
The racing cars used in 2013 had the following specifications:
| V8 supercar 2013 | |
|---|---|
| Engine type | V8 naturally aspirated engine |
| Displacement | 4998 cc |
| power | approx. 465 kW (635 PS) |
| V max | 300 km / h + |
| acceleration | approx. 3.5 seconds from 0 to 100 km / h |
| Drive type | Rear wheel drive |
| transmission | manual 6-speed sports transmission |
| Brakes in front | AP Racing 6-piston brake caliper, ventilated discs, 395 mm diameter |
| Rear brakes | AP Racing 4-piston brake caliper, internally ventilated discs, 355 mm diameter |
| length | 4900 mm |
| width | 1800 mm |
| height | 1250 mm |
| Weight | 1400 kg including driver |
| Tank capacity | Max. 112 liters |
Delivery modes
A racing season for the V8 Supercars includes races of different distances and formats. There are 1 to 4 races on the same track every weekend. The distribution of points is adjusted for the individual races in such a way that the total number of points paid out per race weekend remains the same.
For the 2014 season, the "Super Street" and "Super Sprint" racing formats were introduced, which cover most of the racing calendar. Then there are the three long-distance events, for which slightly modified rules apply.
All races are started standing.
Qualification training
A separate qualification training session is usually carried out for each race, usually on the morning of the race day. Qualifying sessions for races on the same day can also take place one after the other, with only a few minutes' break in between.
An alternative format applies especially to the Sandown 500, in which the starting grid is determined via two qualification races (1 race each for guest drivers and regular drivers).
Great street
On Saturdays, two races with a distance of 125 km each are held, whereby the schedule provides that the finish of the second race will take place at dusk ( Twilight Race ). A single race with a distance of 250 km follows on Sunday.
The starting grid for the 125 km races will be determined in two separate, 15-minute qualifying sessions on Friday. The qualification for the 250 km race will take place on Sunday morning and will consist of a 20-minute qualification session, followed by an individual time trial of the top 10 drivers ( Top 10 Shootout ).
In each of the 125 km races, the winner receives 75 points. In the 250 km race, the winner receives 150 points.
Great sprint
On Saturdays, there are two races with a distance of 100 km each. A single race with a distance of 200 km follows on Sunday.
The starting grid for the 100 km races will be determined in two separate, 15-minute qualifying sessions on Friday. The qualification for the 200 km race will be held on Sunday morning as a 20-minute qualification session.
In the 100 km races, the winner receives 75 points each. In the 200 km race, the winner receives 150 points.
Endurance racing (Pirtek Enduro Cup)
For the Sandown 500 , Bathurst 1000 and Gold Coast 600 events , each regular driver shares his vehicle with an assistant ( co-driver ) in order to be able to cover the long distances of 500, 1000 and 2 × 300 km. The assistant drivers mostly come from the Australian junior and secondary series, but sometimes international drivers are invited or V8 supercar drivers who have already stepped down are brought out of retirement for these three races.
Since 2013, a separate award has been given to the most successful drivers in the three long-distance races under the name Pirtek Enduro Cup . Only the points results from these three races count.
Sandown 500
On Saturdays, the starting line-up is determined using a special procedure:
- A 20-minute qualifying determines the starting grid for qualification race no.1.
- The qualification race No. 1 over 60 km is contested by the assistant drivers. The result is the starting grid for race no.2.
- The regular drivers contest qualification race No. 2 over 60 km. The result is the starting grid for the Sandown 500 on Sunday.
After a short warm-up on Sunday morning, the 300 km race follows. The winner receives 300 championship points, no points are awarded for the qualifying races.
Bathurst 1000
The highlight of the season is the 1000 km race on the Mount Panorama Circuit (Bathurst).
A 40-minute qualifying takes place on Fridays, followed by an individual time trial for the top 10 drivers on Saturday. The approximately 6-hour Bathurst 1000 takes place on Sunday. The winner receives 300 championship points.
Gold Coast 600
The Gold Coast 600 consists of a 300 km race on Saturday and Sunday. The qualification takes place on the day of the race and includes a 30-minute qualification session and - only on Saturday - a top 10 shootout. The winner receives 150 championship points per race.
Until the 2012 season, every regular driver of the Gold Coast 600 had to share the vehicle with an international guest driver. A number of former Formula 1 drivers such as Nick Heidfeld, Sebastien Bourdais and Mika Salo took part in the Gold Coast 600. However, due to the guest drivers' lack of experience with the difficult handling of the vehicle, the narrow street circuit in Surfers Paradise / Gold Coast and the resulting high costs due to accidents, this rule was abolished for the 2013 season.
Web links
- Official website (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Technical Details of a V8 Supercar ( Memento from November 19, 2015 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on September 2, 2013
- ↑ Archived copy ( Memento from September 14, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Archived copy ( Memento from May 21, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Archived copy ( Memento from April 27, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Archived copy ( Memento from September 13, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Archived copy ( Memento from October 29, 2015 in the Internet Archive )