V8 Supercars look beyond Ford and Holden

The new cars were rolled out in Sydney last weekend. Photo / Supplied

The V8 Supercars of the future were shown in all their glory at the last round of the 2011 championship in Sydney last weekend.

The 2013 fully tested Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon examples were rolled out after a three-year, Dunlop-sponsored Car of the Future development programme, led by driver Mark Skaife and a team of engineers and designers.

The cars represent the next generation V8 Supercar after 19 years of the current Ford- and Holden-only formula.

They look much the same as the current racers but under the skin radical changes have taken place.

The architecture and floor plan have been designed to be developed over the next 10 years and reduce the costs of going racing. The V8 Supercars organisers are looking to revitalise the series with a condensed calendar. To do this, teams must keep costs down and repair cars faster.

"Scaife's team has not only delivered the project in time but also with a tremendous finished product," says V8 Supercar chairman Tony Cochrane.

"The Car of the Future is an integral part of our long-term business and sporting strategy that will result in V8 Supercars embracing new opportunities domestically and internationally, on and off the track.

"We already have an outstanding product so this is a case of evolution, not revolution. The major changes are under the skin or in the design architecture, primarily to make the cars cheaper to build and to repair.

"We also want to ensure the market relevance by keeping the car as close as it can possibly be to the car on the showroom floor."

It is only a matter of time, says Skaife, before other manufacturers see the value for money in the sport and want to come and play.

"If we are able to have two or three manufacturers over the next three or four years we will be in a very healthy position," he says.

"A lot of the car companies have recognised that being first has great advantage in terms of publicity and promotion. Essentially that very first [non-Holden or Ford] manufacturer will have a distinct advantage over others who sign up later."

The Skaife programme means V8 Supercars will become an 18-event, 40-week season. Effectively teams will be able to build four V8 Supercars for the price of three and, while the car is being introduced for the 2013 season, it won't be until 2015 that everything will be achieved.

The main change is in the construction of the cars. They have the same architecture but have enough room to have different manufacturers' engines and skins to be market relevant.

The engine has been moved back towards the centre of the car to reduce damage in a head-on crash. The live rear axle has been replaced by a modern independent rear suspension set-up while weight has been reduced by 100kg.

"The end result will be a better show. There will be more, higher-quality racing and this will see V8 Supercars continue as the most cost-effective, competitive and exciting touring car category in the world," says Skaife.

Way of the future

* Provide the technical framework of the sport to further promote and expand the category

* A closer alignment with the automotive market to provide enhanced market relevance with a more cost-effective vehicle platform

* To give an opportunity for other manufacturers to compete in touring car events

* Maintain at its heart the "DNA" of V8 Supercars

* Enhanced technical safety from reduced vehicle mass, fuel-cell location and driver protection

* Reduce vehicle build and repair costs to boost stakeholder viability long into the future

* Increase the number of V8 Supercar events in a condensed calendar across multiple countries.