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2013 International V8 Supercars Championship
Motor racing competition From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The 2013 International V8 Supercars Championship[2][3] (often simplified to the 2013 V8 Supercars Championship) was a Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile-sanctioned international motor racing series for V8 Supercars that was based in Australia. It was the fifteenth running of the V8 Supercar Championship Series and the seventeenth series in which V8 Supercars contested the premier Australian touring car title. The championship was contested over thirty-six races,[4][5][N 1] starting with the Clipsal 500 Adelaide on 2 March 2013,[6] and finishing with the Sydney Telstra 500 V8 Supercars on 8 December.[7] The series' calendar also expanded, travelling to the United States for the first time for a race at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.[8]
The 2013 season saw the introduction of the "New Generation V8 Supercar", a revision to the regulations which were designed to cut costs and to make the series more attractive to new manufacturers.[9] Nissan and Mercedes-Benz entered the series,[10][11] with four Nissan Altimas being prepared by Kelly Racing and three Mercedes-Benz E63 AMGs being run by Erebus Motorsport — who purchased Stone Brothers Racing during the off-season – respectively.[12][13] Holden teams competed with the new VF Commodore, which replaces the VE model,[14] whilst Ford continued to use the FG Falcon, which had been raced since 2009, but built to New Generation V8 Supercar specifications for the 2013 season.
Jamie Whincup started the season as the defending drivers' champion.[1] The team for which he drives, Triple Eight Race Engineering, are the defending teams' champions. Whincup successfully defended his title, winning eleven of the season's thirty-six races and scoring a record-breaking thirteen pole positions. His team-mate Craig Lowndes finished second in the championship for the third consecutive season, giving Triple Eight Race Engineering its fourth consecutive Teams Championship win. Lowndes, with Warren Luff, won the inaugural Enduro Cup for the best performing drivers across the three endurance races. Ford Performance Racing driver Will Davison finished the season in third place. Rick Kelly finished the highest of the Nissan drivers, in fourteenth place, while Lee Holdsworth ended the season in twentieth to be the highest placed Erebus Motorsport driver.
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Teams and drivers
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The following teams and drivers competed in the 2013 championship.
Team changes
All teams competing with the Holden Commodore upgraded to the new VF model.[14]
After switching from Holden to Ford after the first event of the 2011 season, Tony D'Alberto Racing moved back to Holden in 2013, where the team received technical assistance from Walkinshaw Performance.[69]
Ford Performance Racing expanded to a four-car operation with the acquisition of the #18 Racing Entitlement Contract held by Charlie Schwerkolt, which was used by Dick Johnson Racing to run James Moffat's car in 2012.[70] The fourth car is run as a satellite of the team, in the same way as the #55 Rod Nash Racing car is run.
In January 2013, British motorsport group Prodrive announced that it had sold its stake in Ford Performance Racing to Rod Nash and former Australian GT Champion Rusty French.[71]
Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport expanded to a two-car operation after purchasing the #49 Racing Entitlement Contract from Paul Morris Motorsport.[72] The team also acquired two VF Commodores constructed by Triple Eight Race Engineering.
As a result of the deals between Schwerkolt and Ford Performance Racing and Paul Morris and Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport, Dick Johnson Racing lost the use of the #18 and #49 Racing Entitlement Contracts and was reduced to a two-car operation with its existing #17 REC and by leasing Triple F Racing's #12 REC.
Kelly Racing switched from competing with Holden Commodores to Nissan Altimas,[12] running a re-sleeved version of Nissan's quad-cam aluminium 5.6-litre VK56DE V8 reconfigured to a 5.0-litre capacity. The team was renamed to Nissan Motorsport,[73] a name last used by Gibson Motorsport in 1991.
In January 2013, Larry Perkins confirmed that he had sold his two Racing Entitlement Contracts to Kelly Racing.[74] Perkins had previously leased the #11 and #16 RECs to the Kelly operation, and by purchasing them, Kelly Racing acquired full control over the licences. To satisfy sponsor requirements, the 2 former Perkins RECs used numbers 36 and 360.
Stone Brothers Racing was purchased by Australian GT Championship team Erebus Motorsport,[56] and the organisation, along with satellite team James Rosenberg Racing, ended their association with Ford. Instead, the combined team entered three cars based on the Mercedes-Benz E63 W212,[11][75] powered by a M159 engine.[76] The combined Erebus—James Rosenberg outfit did not receive any factory support from Mercedes-Benz.[13]
Driver changes
Tim Blanchard joined V8 Supercars full-time, driving for Dick Johnson Racing.[24] Blanchard, who was runner-up in the 2010 Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series, had previously contested the endurance races in 2011 and 2012 before replacing the injured Todd Kelly for the final four events of the 2012 season.
Michael Caruso left Garry Rogers Motorsport after five seasons, moving to Kelly Racing.[64][66]
Alex Davison returned to V8 Supercars after a one-year absence spent competing in the Australian Carrera Cup Championship. He joined Charlie Schwerkolt Racing, a satellite team of Ford Performance Racing.[25]
Taz Douglas left the category after one year racing for Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport, returning to the Dunlop V8 Supercar Series.[77]
Former Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters driver Maro Engel made his V8 Supercar debut in 2013.[59] Engel, who drove for Mercedes-Benz in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters series between 2008 and 2011, continued his association with the brand, driving an E63 AMG prepared by Erebus Motorsport.
Dean Fiore moved from Dick Johnson Racing to Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport,[54] but continued to lease the Triple F Racing REC to Dick Johnson.[78]
Steven Johnson was forced out of his seat at Dick Johnson Racing as a result of the team's on-going financial troubles. He took on the position of general manager in the team's organisational structure,[79] whilst contesting the Australian Carrera Cup Championship.[80]
Reigning second-tier V8 Supercar champion and New Zealand V8SuperTourer champion Scott McLaughlin joined Garry Rogers Motorsport full-time having raced for the team as an emergency replacement in the final race of the 2012 season.[44]
James Moffat left Dick Johnson Racing to join Kelly Racing.[64][66]
Greg Murphy left Kelly Racing at the end of 2012.[81] Murphy was unable to find a competitive team to race with in 2013 and joined the Holden Racing Team for the endurance races,[82][83] but left open the possibility of making individual "wildcard" entries at selected events.[84]
Michael Patrizi left V8 Supercars and return to the Australian Carrera Cup Championship.[85]
Scott Pye, who placed second in the 2012 Dunlop V8 Supercar Series, joined Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport.[50]
2012 V8SuperTourer runner-up Jonny Reid joined Dick Johnson Racing.[21]
Karl Reindler left Kelly Racing at the end of 2012,[81] and moved to the Australian Carrera Cup Championship.[86]
At the end of the 2012 season, Shane van Gisbergen announced plans to leave the category in order to rejuvenate himself and consider his future.[87][88] In January 2013, he announced that he would re-enter the championship, driving for Tekno Autosports.[41]
Mid-season changes
Jonny Reid was replaced by Dunlop Series driver Chaz Mostert prior to the Perth 360.[22]
Following a major accident at the Phillip Island event, James Courtney was forced to miss the Sydney 500. He was replaced by the Holden Racing Team's endurance co-driver, Nick Percat.[34]
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Calendar
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The 2013 calendar was released on 15 October 2012.[89] The season consisted of thirty-six races to be held at fourteen venues in Australia, New Zealand and the United States,[90] plus an additional non-championship event that was held at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit in support of the 2013 Australian Grand Prix.[91]
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New Zealand rounds |
United States rounds
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Calendar changes
The Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas hosted an event of the championship on 17–19 May.[8][96] The series used the shorter "national" circuit, instead of the full layout.[94]
The Hamilton 400 was held for the final time in 2012.[97] It was replaced by an event at Pukekohe Park Raceway, which last hosted a championship event in 2007.[98] The Pukekohe Park circuit was reconfigured to accommodate the category after it was awarded "International" status by the FIA in 2011. This act required the circuit to meet the criteria for an FIA Grade-2 certification, necessitating the changes.[92]
After returning to the calendar in 2012, Sydney Motorsport Park did not host an event in 2013.[89]
The Yas Marina Circuit was initially scheduled to host the Yas V8 400 in support of the 2013 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but with the Grand Prix support bill expanding to include rounds of the GP2 and GP3 Series championships,[99][100] the event was removed from the V8 Supercars calendar.[101]
Format changes
The events at Symmons Plains, Barbagallo, Hidden Valley, Queensland Raceway, Winton and Phillip Island all featured a new three-race format, dubbed the "60/60 Sprint" format. The Saturday race was 120-kilometres in length but split into two 60-kilometre halves with a fifteen-minute break in between to allow teams the opportunity to service their cars. The starting grid for the second half of the race was determined by the finishing order of the first half of the race. The remaining two races were then held on Sunday at 100-kilometres in length each.[102] Originally, a driver who finished one lap down in the first half would remain one lap down at the start of the second half of the race. This was changed following the Symmons Plains event, with drivers who were a lap down at the end of the first half gaining the lap back for the second half.[103]
Teams were no longer required to compete with a co-driver from an international racing series for the Gold Coast 600. Instead, teams were free to partner each of their drivers with any co-driver they choose, and allowed to enter the same co-drivers for the Sandown 500, Bathurst 1000 and Gold Coast 600.[104] The drivers with the most points from the three endurance races received the "Enduro Cup", a new trophy introduced for 2013.[105]
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Rule changes
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A Ford Falcon FG, driven by Will Davison.
A Holden Commodore VF, driven by Scott McLaughlin.
A Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG, driven by Maro Engel.
A Nissan Altima L33, driven by Rick Kelly.
New Generation V8 Supercar
The New Generation V8 Supercar (originally Car of the Future) project was first announced in 2008, when a working group was established to explore options for the long-term future of the category. The study found that in the fifteen years since the category had been restricted to two manufacturers, the costs of building and racing with a competitive car had doubled, with some estimates putting the cost as high as A$600,000 per car, per season.[106][107]
The Car of the Future program was created to address this, aiming to reduce running costs to $250,000. This was achieved through the use of "control" parts; where teams had previously been charged with designing and developing their own parts, the Car of the Future regulations called for these parts to be built independently and to a set specification. The basic chassis and roll cage, differential, brakes, cooling and fuel systems and rear suspension were all changed to control parts.[108]
The category also introduced a larger fuel tank to combat the phenomenon of "economy racing" whereby drivers would be forced to drive conservatively late in the race so as to preserve enough fuel to reach the finish. The larger tanks and a restructuring of event formats to include more compulsory pit stops instead allowed drivers to push as hard as they pleased until the end of the race.[109]
Manufacturers were free to develop their own aerodynamic aids to suit their cars, which were then put through a rigorous system of parity testing so as to refine the aerodynamics of each model of car so as to prevent one model from having a distinct advantage over the others. Finally, manufacturers were also given the option of using "generic" engines developed by the category and re-badged to reflect the manufacturer using them[110]—though as the season started, no manufacturers had elected to do so—or developing their own engines, which would be built to specifications and then be subject to a process of homologation to ensure that all engines developed by the manufacturer would be identical. In order to ensure the cars can remain competitive, the process of homologation only applies to the basic engine platform, which teams will be free to develop over the course of the season.[76]
With the requirement that all teams build brand-new cars for the 2013 season, most of the cars that were raced in 2011 and 2012 were sold to teams competing in the V8 Development Series, the second-tier category for V8 Supercars.[111][112][113]
In November 2013 the Car of the Future was officially renamed the New Generation V8 Supercar.[114]
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Results and standings
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Season summary
Points system
Points were awarded for each race at an event, to the driver/s of a car that completed at least 75% of the race distance and was running at the completion of the race, up to a maximum of 300 points per event.
- Single-race events: Sandown 500, Bathurst 1000
- Two-race events: Adelaide 500, Townsville 400, Gold Coast 600, Sydney 500
- Three-race events: Tasmania 360, Perth 360, Skycity Darwin Triple Crown, Ipswich 360, Winton 360, Phillip Island 360
- Four-race events: Auckland 400, Austin 400
Drivers' championship
Teams' championship
Notes:
- ‡ — Denotes a single-car team.
Enduro Cup
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Footnotes
- Drivers also contested four races at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit in support of the Australian Formula One Grand Prix, but these races do not form a part of the championship and no points were awarded.
- Scott Pye was ruled out of the third event of the championship at Pukekohe Park Raceway after crashing heavily at Symmons Plains Raceway.[51] The damage to his car was so extensive that Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport were unable to repair it in time for the race.[52]
- For points-scoring purposes, Nissan Motorsport was divided into two separate teams: "Jack Daniel's Racing", which was made up of car #7 and car #15; and "Norton 360 Racing", which was made up of car #36 and car #360.
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See also
References
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