2023 Repco Supercars ChampionshipTouring Cars

[FPV MIC]

Whew (wipes brow). When I first heard Simona De Silvestro was looking at a Bathurst wildcard appearance I was picturing a joint venture between Peter Adderton, Renee Gracie and her.

This is far better IMO.

De Silvestro linked to WAU wildcard

au.motorsport.com

 

[05XR8]

I would have thought T8. WAU would be nice.

I have Kayo and totally forgot about Supercars. Watched the F1 Practice though(after watching a special about Azerbaijan on SBS - good stuff).

So much racing this weekend. From TCR at Portimao to the Spa 6 hours.

 

[Cap'n Jack]

So much racing this weekend. From TCR at Portimao to the Spa 6 hours.

I’m already struggling to keep up and I’ve barely even touched Jedi: Survivor.

 

[05XR8]

Well, I did get to watch that Super utes race. Was actually pretty cool.

 

[05XR8]

Plain silly. Wasn’t a bad race, but c’mon...

 

[Spacegoat]

Always thought it was fair game in the final few laps, guess not. Ridiculous.

 

[Com Fox]

As someone who only saw the mini highlights (they don't give out a lot) was SVG constant shoving for position the problem here or is it something more?

 

[05XR8]

As someone who only saw the mini highlights (they don't give out a lot) was SVG constant shoving for position the problem here or is it something more?

The problem were the teams not doing what Giz did. All the time. I think Golding was the last to pit. WAU pit Percat too early. Traffic is a problem, but all the time, Giz waits it out and attacks with fresh tyres at the end. All the time. I don’t understand why teams don’t watch the past races and do what he does.

Skaife even made the point of multi-car teams using one of the cars as a guinea pig. Yet, they constantly use both cars as Guinea pigs. I’m not even whinging Becasue it wasn’t a big deal, but it’s so clear to see why T8 always run him long.

SVG having to push past was fair. Kostecki couldn’t keep blocking for three laps. Plus, they pit too early anyway. The race was over when they left Giz out by himself. Again, it wasn’t a bad race.

 

[ColinNZ]

If they could make the tyres last as long as SVG, they would.

 

[Com Fox]

I wonder if perhaps if it is a Driver thing and SVG has the ability to pull off that strat and less of the teams. They did say Gen 3 is a lot harder on the tires

I'm sure Erebus at least would've picked up on the strategy by now and do it if they could

 

[05XR8]

If they could make the tyres last as long as SVG, they would.

Thing is, if drivers can’t manage the tyres, why run them long on a set and hope they make it to the end? Yes, the lighter fuel load over the race helps, but it’d be even better to run longer and pit on a fresh set with that lighter fuel load.
Crompton and Skaife mentioned no team knew what was going to happen with the tyres. If that was part of the issue with teams, I just don’t see why no one shadowed Giz.

I wonder if perhaps if it is a Driver thing and SVG has the ability to pull off that strat and less of the teams. They did say Gen 3 is a lot harder on the tires

I'm sure Erebus at least would've picked up on the strategy by now and do it if they could

Giz definitely has skills. However, as far as I recall, this been going on for as long as Giz been at T8. Surely, teams would have figured this out. When DJRTP did, they won championships. It’s perplexing.

 

[Com Fox]

Thing is, if drivers can’t manage the tyres, why run them long on a set and hope they make it to the end? Yes, the lighter fuel load over the race helps, but it’d be even better to run longer and pit on a fresh set with that lighter fuel load.
Crompton and Skaife mentioned no team knew what was going to happen with the tyres. If that was part of the issue with teams, I just don’t see why no one shadowed Giz.

Giz definitely has skills. However, as far as I recall, this been going on for as long as Giz been at T8. Surely, teams would have figured this out. When DJRTP did, they won championships. It’s perplexing.

I think it's a lot more common now, especially with how Gen 3 are supposedly a pain to actually drive while Gen 2 were more forgiving.

And DJRTP only ever really did it with McLaughlin on the very rare chance he qualified badly, which definitely adds more to the driver theory.

 

[05XR8]

I think it's a lot more common now, especially with how Gen 3 are supposedly a pain to actually drive while Gen 2 were more forgiving.

And DJRTP only ever really did it with McLaughlin on the very rare chance he qualified badly, which definitely adds more to the driver theory.

Oh, o doubt. We saw Scott do it with the Volvo. If he and the S60 stayed one more year, they would have won the whole thing.

I didn’t see the driver post-race interviews, but this is the Position the teams shouldn’t put drivers in.

https://www.v8sleuth.com.au/van-gisbergen-erebus-call-for-blocking-allowance/

When Barry Ryan says his quotes at the end, had they pitted when Giz did, it might or most likely, would have been a different outcome. Kostecki has shown to be quick enough. Give him the fresher tyre strategy so he doesn’t have to defend with blocking like that.
Anither thing was, just before BK pit, he got back ahead of Giz. Would have been interesting if BK stayed out. Anyway, we’ll see if teams have enough data to make different calls today.

 

[Com Fox]

Oh, o doubt. We saw Scott do it with the Volvo. If he and the S60 stayed one more year, they would have won the whole thing.

That leans more to the driver theory if the strategy was put on him with the Volvo as well.

(Also, doubt it be a guarantee winning the whole thing, it be close, but that's assuming things based on a season that is never happening)

 

[05XR8]

After this Super Ute race, we’ll see if Larko and the team break down the tyre deg, driver and team strategy.

 

[Spacegoat]

Nick Percat is going to be looking over his shoulder soon, with these performances from Ryan Wood in the development series. Kid looks special. WAU need to sign him long term.

 

[Com Fox]

Nick Percat is going to be looking over his shoulder soon, with these performances from Ryan Wood in the development series. Kid looks special. WAU need to sign him long term.

I think due to the differences of Gen 2 and Gen 3 cars it might more difficult to wage how the drivers will perform in the main game.

Even in Gen 2, several strong Super2 drivers like Bryce Fullwood are flopping in the main series

 

[FPV MIC]

I think due to the differences of Gen 2 and Gen 3 cars it might more difficult to wage how the drivers will perform in the main game.

With Super2's Gen 2.5 ZB and Mutantstang with their higher downforce levels that difficulty will be even more so than with the older Gen 2 VF (edit: that Fullwood drove) and FGX cars as well. It's going to make the transition even steeper for new drivers.

Supercars probably should strip a bit of aero off of the Gen 2.5 cars.

 

[Spacegoat]

I think due to the differences of Gen 2 and Gen 3 cars it might more difficult to wage how the drivers will perform in the main game.

Yeah, fair call. Very true.

Think Fullwood did show some glimpses of his talent, especially in his rookie year but his lack of consistency cost him his seat at WAU and sadly he hasn't done a hell of a lot better at BJR so far.

 

[FPV MIC]

These new Gen 3 cars are really looking awfully frail. Three gearshift towers broken in one weekend? Seems bizarre to me.

Team boss talks Supercars’ sudden gearshift tower demons

BROKEN gearshift towers have become the latest item for Supercars teams to manage with their Gen3 race cars.The issue struck thrice on the final day of the Perth SuperSprint, crippling Matt Stone

www.v8sleuth.com.au

 

[lilcat89]

These new Gen 3 cars are really looking awfully frail. Three gearshift towers broken in one weekend? Seems bizarre to me.

Team boss talks Supercars’ sudden gearshift tower demons

BROKEN gearshift towers have become the latest item for Supercars teams to manage with their Gen3 race cars.The issue struck thrice on the final day of the Perth SuperSprint, crippling Matt Stone

www.v8sleuth.com.au

Very bizarre. Does anyone know if they are the same from the Gen2 cars? They look very similar, if not the same. I wonder if its the actual mount on the chassis that is breaking or the tower itself breaking in half.

 

[FPV MIC]

Very bizarre. Does anyone know if they are the same from the Gen2 cars? They look very similar, if not the same. I wonder if its the actual mount on the chassis that is breaking or the tower itself breaking in half.

Edit: Go to the new edit down the bottom 👇

The biggest difference is that they were all bespoke items before so they varied from team to team but now they're a control item.

The emphasis on weight saving would seem to me be the issue in this case and at a guess I'd think it's the what looks to be alloy top section just under the lever that's failing. From memory this part looked much sturdier in the Gen 2 cars. There's some footage of the alloy thickness in the video below (and a picture I've included) and it really doesn't seem very substantial. The bottom section looks fairly sturdy and looks to be in two pieces. I can see one bolt position and a welded section but it's really hard to tell where all the mounts to the chassis actually are. Edit: Come to think of it, I don't recall seeing the larger bottom section of the tower being in the Gen 2 cars at all.

It's a bit of an over complicated setup IMO but doesn't seem to be anything some gusseting (again) couldn't fix.


Edit: It broke where it bolts to the chassis.

Call for fix for ‘massive’ gear tower failure - Speedcafe

 

[FPV MIC]

Hmmm.

Supercars 2022 NZ race nearly didn't happen!

The Supercars NZ round almost didn't happen in '22, with all teams except for Triple Eight electing to fund the trip with a reduced take.

autoaction.com.au

I don't think the statement below is particularly fair on SVG, given he has no stake in the ownership or running of the team and was just giving his personal opinion, but I would've expected better from one of the best funded teams in the competition. Being the only team to not take the cut would've certainly pissed off a few people. It also makes RD's insistence that Supercars need to go to NZ look a bit lame too (although I do agree with him).

It is still a big sore point amongst some team owners and Supercars management, and many team owners thought van Gisbergen’s comments were a bit rich given the team he has just signed a contract extension with wasn’t willing to make any sacrifices to race in New Zealand for last year’s event.

Edit: I wonder if Shane Howard's regretting his decision to insist there's no gag order

 

[Spacegoat]

Disappointing but also, good news.

WAU shelves Bathurst 1000 wildcard plans - Speedcafe

Luff to Team 18 for Supercars enduros - Speedcafe

Nice pairing that one. Hopefully the #20 will have a bit of luck for a change.

 

[05XR8]

Oh wow. For sure. A podium is more likely than not. Caruso should be fine with Frosty.

 

[Twisteddrift]

Supercars still chasing Singapore GP deal

An overhead shot of the Singapore Formula 1 street circuit at which Supercars is chasing an event Supercars is determined

www.speedcafe.com

Stop it! No one wants it. Bring it to people of Winton and Ipswich, etc. They get criticise for not listening to us the fans. And this is the number one thing we as the fans don’t want. And also at the expense of the 500 enduro we’ve been begging for it to come back. Shane’s right the bs behind the scenes sucks.

 

[05XR8]

I was a big advocate for overseas races. Now, I’m an advocate for just get the damn cars right.

 

[Com Fox]

Supercars still chasing Singapore GP deal

An overhead shot of the Singapore Formula 1 street circuit at which Supercars is chasing an event Supercars is determined

www.speedcafe.com

Stop it! No one wants it. Bring it to people of Winton and Ipswich, etc. They get criticise for not listening to us the fans. And this is the number one thing we as the fans don’t want. And also at the expense of the 500 enduro we’ve been begging for it to come back. Shane’s right the bs behind the scenes sucks.

Ah yes, get rid of the 500, not having the 500 worked out so well last time (points to last year's Bathurst 1000 where most of the chaos was because of inexperienced co-drivers).

We need to stop with this overseas expansion, go to NZ but that's it. Non-NZ overseas trips have almost never been successful because the general masses overseas just don't care and they lose way too much money meaning having to sacrifice stuff that should be more valued like the 500. Sure, personally, seeing the Supercars race on the Singapore Street Circuit is pretty cool BUT the sacrifices needed is not worth it and I rather not for a more stable series

 

[FPV MIC]

Chevrolet working on new Supercars engine map - Speedcafe

Fair enough to update the map if it has an idling issue, or any other issue for that matter, and as long as they have the 28 day wait the Ford engine had, but only a week or two ago JW was insisting that engine mapping and parity (of all things... parity!!! ) should not be a priority and that the Ford teams should concentrate on weight reduction (which would be done partly by swapping to the ChillOut system that didn't work for SVG, Reynolds, etc.) so they (the Chev teams) can remove some lead from their cars.

JW quote from here.

''But let's now, let's put parity behind us, let's stop bloody tinkering with engines and stuff; let's just do what's important and lightening both cars will make the cars better and that's what we should be focusing on.''



He's dead set lost the plot since he's been running Triple 8. Even Adrian Burgess is making more sense than him.

 

[05XR8]

It’s but really not, about the eng8ne debate. This all could have been sorted during COTF. There were three DOHC engines versus two push rod eng8ne s. All this work could have been done to move the category forward, but hindered because no one(Ford & Holden) wanted to change. Ironically, look what Ford are dealing with today.

The Volvo was the better of the three DOHC engines and could have gone a long way for teams to get an understanding and also could have kept the door open for different brands.