V8 Supercars Championship

The **V8 Supercars Championship**, currently known as the Hisense Supercars Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the top tier of Australian touring car racing. As of 2022, the series is overseen by TNT Sports and Entertainment, who also broadcast the championship worldwide. The series is sanctioned by the Racing Federation of Asia and Oceania (RFAO). The highest points scorer at the end of each season

Beginning in 2023, the V8 Supercars Championship, the Canadian Tire Supercup Series, and the GTPlanet Fandom Series, will all use the seventh generation stock car regulations, marking the first time a unified set of V8 racing regulations will be used outside of North America. The only notable difference between GTPFS, and the other series will be in terms of rear wing used in Canada and Australia.

## History

The V8 Supercars Championship dates back to 1991, as touring car racing worldwide began to splinter into different regional formulas. Australia began to embrace its own formula, wrapping its regulations around larger V8 engines, and larger bodies, usually based around four-door sedans such as the Holden Commodore, and the Ford Falcon. From 1991 to present day, the series requires the use of 5.0 liter, naturally aspirated V8 engines, while the international touring car formula moved towards smaller engines, such as the 2.0 liter engine formula used for super tourers.

The series, since 1996, has included races in New Zealand, with Pukekohe being a prominent fixture on the calendar for the past 25 years. More recently, the series has also ventured beyond Oceania, visiting Shanghai beginning in 2019, and Mabalacat in the Philippines beginning in 2021.

## Race Format

V8 Supercars Championship race weekends have variable formats. Endurance events, such as Bathurst, or Surfer's Paradise, require the use of a co-driver, and are the only races in the season to do so. Standard events vary from 200 to 250 kilometers in length. Additionally, there is a Super Sprint format, which is a weekend defined by two 110 kilometer races.

## Car History and Current Regulations

Beginning in 2023, the series will share regulations with the Canadian Tire Supercup Series, while also being very similar to the GTPlanet Fandom Series' road course racing formula. The streamlining of regulations were decided on to achieve a more streamlined point of entry for manufacturers after years of declining manufacturer interest, which left Ford and Chevrolet alone in the series.

In 2023, Chevrolet, and Ford, will be joined by Mercedes-Benz, and Pontiac. All four manufacturers will provide fourth generation Supercars engines, which maintain the 5.0 liter capacity, and produce between 640 and 650 brake horsepower.

### Bodyshell

The body of each car is required to be based off of a production car model. To provide parity, and regulate downforce applications, bodyshells may be shortened to fit universal dimensions. All cars are also lowered thanks to competition suspensions, making the most use of underbody diffusers.

In 2023, the series will see the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, Ford Mustang GT, Mercedes-Benz CLA Class, and the new third generation Pontiac Trans-Am GT presented on the grid. For Pontiac, it will be the first time a Chinese brand is represented on the grid, with the brand bought by Geely in 2008.

A new feature with the 2023 regulations will see the entire body made of composite materials, which are cheaper, and easier to replace in the case of a crash. All bodies are built around a control chassis, featuring a full roll cage. The fuel tank is placed in front of the rear axle to protect it from damage in the case of extensive rear collisions.

### Aerodynamics

All cars have an aerodynamics package consisting of a front spoiler and splitter, side skirts and a rear wing. The aerodynamics package for each manufacturer is homologated after a series of tests which ensure that the different body styles produce near-identical downforce and drag numbers.

### Weight

The minimum weight of each car is 1,395 kilograms (3,075 lb) including the driver, with a minimum load of 755 kilograms over the front axle. The minimum weight for the driver is 100 kilograms and includes the driver dressed in a full racing suit, the seat and seat mountings and any ballast needed to meet the minimum weight. Some other components also have a minimum weight, such as the engine (200 kilograms) and the front uprights (10.5 kilograms each).

### Engine and drivetrain

All cars must be front-engined and rear-wheel-drive, powered by a naturally aspirated V8 engine configuration, capable of producing between 460 and 485 kW (620–650 bhp) at the maximum allowed 7500rpm. Manufacturers are free to choose between using an engine based on one from their own line up or a generic engine provided by the series organizers. Both Ford and Chevrolet use US-based racing engines with pushrod actuated valves and two valves per cylinder. Mercedes, and Pontiac will use modified versions of their own engines, with hydraulic-lift valves and four valves per cylinder. All engines are electronically limited to 7,500 rpm and have a compression ratio of 10:1.

Power is transferred from the engine to the rear wheels through a six-speed sequential transaxle with an integrated spool differential. The individual gear ratios and the final drive ratio are fixed with drop gears at the front of the transaxle allowing the teams to alter the overall transmission ratio for different circuits. The cars use a triple plate clutch. The cars run on E85 fuel with a fuel tank capacity of 112 liters.

An electronic control unit (ECU), provided by MoTeC, is used to monitor and optimise various aspects of the engine's performance. Numerous sensors in the car collect information which is then transmitted to the team, allowing them to monitor things such as tyre wear and fuel consumption and find potential problems with the car. The ECU is also used by officials during the scrutineering process.

### Suspension

All cars are required to use a double wishbone setup for the front suspension and independent rear suspension. Both the front and rear suspension systems feature adjustable shock absorbers and an anti-roll bar which can be adjusted from the cockpit.

### Brakes

The cars use disc brakes supplied by AP Racing on the front and rear, with the master cylinders provided by AP Racing or former control brake supplier Alcon. The front discs have a diameter of 395 millimeters (15.6 in) and a six-piston caliper, while the rear discs are 355 millimeters (14.0 in) diameter and have a four-piston caliper.

### Wheels and tires

The cars use 18 inches (460 mm) control wheels, produced by Rimstock and supplied by Racer Industries, and control tires from Dunlop. The slick tire is available in both hard and soft compounds, with teams required to use either or both compounds in each race, depending on the event. A grooved wet tire is used in damp conditions.

### Cost

The cost of a complete V8 Supercar, complete with engine, sits around AUD$600,000 (USD$420,000). The chassis itself is at a price of AUD$200,000.

## Series Structure

### Teams and drivers

In order to compete in the V8 Supercars Championship, drivers are required to hold an Australian National Circuit Competition License, or a license of an equivalent or higher level. Each car entered is required to have a Teams Racing Charter (TRC), formerly known as a Racing Entitlements Contract (REC). A TRC is a contract between Supercars and a team which outlines the team's entitlements and obligations. TRCs may be leased by their owners to another party for a maximum of two years, after which the owner must either use it themselves or sell it. A racing number is tied to each TRC, with teams able to apply for a TRC number to be changed. The defending series champion is entitled to use the number 1, with the original TRC number of that car reserved and not able to be used by another team without the agreement of its owner.

Teams consist of one to four cars, with most one-car teams forming a technical alliance with a larger team. Only the REC holders are allowed to compete at each event, although "wildcard" entries are accepted for the endurance races, with a maximum of six extra cars on top of the regular 24. Both Supercars and Development Series teams have entered wildcard entries in previous years.

Teams are required to employ a co-driver for each car during the three endurance races due to the increased race distance and the need for driver substitutions during the race. Teams were able to pair their full-time drivers in one car until a rule change in 2010 that required each full-time driver to remain in his own car and be joined by a co-driver not competing full-time in the series. The Drivers Championship title is awarded to the driver who accumulates the most points over the course of the season. If there is a points tie for the series win, the champion will be decided based on the number of races won by each driver (if there is still a tie, it is based on second-place finishes and so on). Teams also compete for the Teams Championship, with the champion team being decided in the same manner as the Drivers Championship. For Teams Championship points scoring purposes, teams with four cars are separated into a pair of two-car teams, while teams with three cars are split into a two-car team and a single-car team. The Teams Championship dictates the pit lane order for the following season.