COVID-19 may have caused some havoc on the V8 Supercar calendar this year, but the future of motorsport in Australia continues to look bright— with plenty of action for fans and drivers to get excited about!
Here’s what you need to know about the rest of the 2020 Supercar series and what we know about the future of V8 racing.
In great news for fans, series marquee event the Bathurst 1000 has been confirmed as the nail-biting Supercar finale round for the first time since the year 2000. In all, the 2020 Supercar series will finish as a 10-round season, with 300 championship points up for grabs in Bathurst!
The series decider has been confirmed to take place at Mount Panorama on October 18, with the event set to run from October 15-18.
Bathurst holding the finale is made even more memorable with the showcase race coinciding with the category’s 60-year anniversary! Ticketing options for October 15-18 are still being finalised as health officials work to accommodate COVID-19 guidelines but are set to be announced soon.
It’s almost certain that spectator numbers at Bathurst will be heavily reduced, with recent news from Supercars indicating that drive-up tickets purchased at the track will be off the cards this year.
Tickets will most likely have to be purchased online and in-advance in a ‘first-in, first-served’ scenario, with no Victorians able to attend.
Camping at Mount Panorama is also uncertain at this stage. Camping tickets are currently on hold but it’s expected that it will be cancelled or numbers will be heavily reduced.
In bad news for fans holding out for a meet and greet, it looks like driver signing sessions will not be permitted this year, but in good news, the parade is set to be scheduled as normal.
To help protect the health of drivers and crews, Supercar teams will face personnel restrictions for the rest of the 2020 season.
Each team will be reduced to just 13 “essential” staff members per two cars—and this includes drivers. Teams are allowed to make their own decisions on how they structure the team based on these restrictions.
Pitstops will also undergo a shake-up. New regulations mean that only six people will be allowed over the line, and there will be no refuelling during races. Rattle guns will likely be reduced to two, with two men carrying the tyres.
Holden’s departure from Australian manufacturing and the Supercar series at the end of 2020 has been a huge blow for fans of Aussie cars. But the demise of the Ford-Holden rivalry in Australia has been written on the wall since 2019 and Supercars have been working hard throughout this time to ensure that the future of motorsport is in safe hands.
The upcoming Gen3 program is set to see some exciting new regulations that’re going to attract new manufacturers and sponsors to the sport. It’s hard to say exactly what this new direction will look like, but Supercars ensures that it’s going to be “loud, in your face, and close to the best racing on the planet.”
Regardless of the badge on the front of the car, Supercars vows to continue giving fans what they want. In 2022 the “Gen3” chassis is set to launch, which manufacturers and engineers will have to work with in order to comply with the race category’s regulations.
Supercars enthusiasts have been having fun envisioning what the Gen 3 chassis will look like. While there’s been some talk of a move towards four-door ute models to reflect their growing popularity as a consumer car, Supercars insiders say a move towards two-door race cars are more likely. Manufacturers see longevity in two-door cars in terms of shapes and sizes, and they believe that it will keep racing aspirational but also obtainable.
Fastrack V8 takes the safety of our drivers, people and community seriously and each of our tracks are currently following State and Territory government regulations so that our guests can still come and have an awesome Fastrack experience! We’re still taking bookings and the best news is that all our vouchers are valid for 3 years! So if you’ve been dreaming about finally getting behind the wheel of one of our custom built V8 race cars, there’s no better time than now to book an experience!
We’ve made the dream of being a V8 race car driver a reality for over 300,000 Australians during the last 15 years, and we don’t plan on slowing down anytime soon!
There’s nothing more exhilarating than being behind the wheel of a V8 race car and hurtling around a Supercar championship circuit, so get in touch with the team at Fastrack V8 today for more information and to secure your spot!
