Supercars Championship

Supercars Championship
CategoryTouring car racing
CountryAustralia Australia
New Zealand New Zealand
Inaugural season1997
Drivers24
Teams11
ConstructorsChevrolet • Ford
Tyre suppliersDunlop
Drivers' championAustralia Brodie Kostecki
Makes' championUnited States Chevrolet
Teams' championAustralia Erebus Motorsport
Official websitewww.supercars.com
Current season

The Supercars Championship currently known as the Repco Supercars Championship under sponsorship, is a touring car racing category in Australia and New Zealand, running as an International Series under Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) regulations, governing the sport.

Supercars events take place in all Australian states and the Northern Territory,[1] with the Australian Capital Territory formerly holding the Canberra 400.[2] Usually, an international round is held in New Zealand, with events previously being held in China, Bahrain,[3] the United Arab Emirates, and the United States.[1][4] The Melbourne SuperSprint championship event is also held in support of the Australian Grand Prix. Race formats vary between each event, with sprint races between 100 and 200 kilometres (62 and 124 mi) in length, street races between 125 and 250 kilometres (78 and 155 mi) in length, and two-driver endurance races held at Sandown and Bathurst.[5][6] The series is broadcast in 137 countries[7] and has an average event attendance of over 100,000.[8] With over 250,000 in attendance annually, the Adelaide 500 is the most attended Supercars race in Australia.[9][10]

The vehicles used in the series are loosely based on road-going cars. Cars are custom made using a control chassis, with only certain body panels being common between the road cars and race cars. The cars are controlled for "technical parity" - ensuring that teams and drivers using any of the homologated cars have a chance to build and drive a winning car.

All cars currently use either a 5.4L or 5.7L Naturally aspirated V8 engine. Originally only for Ford Falcons and Holden Commodores, the new generation V8 Supercar regulations, introduced in 2013, opened up the series to more manufacturers.[11] Nissan were the first new manufacturer to commit to the series with four Nissan Altima L33s[12] followed briefly by Erebus Motorsport with Mercedes-Benz E63 AMGs[13] and Garry Rogers Motorsport with Volvo S60s.[14] The series returned to a Ford and Holden duopoly in 2020 with the departure of Nissan, while Ford replaced the Falcon with the Mustang in 2019.[15] Holden announced its final year of competition in 2022, to be replaced by the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for the 2023 season.[16][17] Starting in 2026, Toyota will make its debut in the championship, competing with the GR Supra.[18]

  1. ^ a b "V8 Supercars announces 2013 championship calendar". Speedcafe. 15 October 2012. Archived from the original on 9 October 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  2. ^ "Optus provides V8 power coverage for Canberra 400". Optus. 7 June 2002. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  3. ^ Clarke, Wensley (2007), p. 16
  4. ^ Greenhalgh, Howard, Wilson (2011), p. 503
  5. ^ "V8 Supercars simplify race formats for 2014, introduce three set styles for every event on the calendar". SPEED. News.com.au. 15 September 2013. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  6. ^ "2023 Calendar & Tickets". Supercars. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  7. ^ "About the V8 Supercar Championship". V8Supercars.com.au. Archived from the original on 2 July 2013. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
  8. ^ "International V8 Supercars Championship Series". Confederation of Australian Motorsport. Archived from the original on 18 February 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
  9. ^ "VAILO Adelaide 500 Prepares for More Grandstand Shade". Mirage News. 19 October 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  10. ^ Herrero, Daniel (5 December 2022). "Comeback Adelaide 500 beats crowd target". Speedcafe.com. Archived from the original on 27 November 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  11. ^ Noonan, Aaron. "The New Generation of V8 Supercars". V8Supercars.com.au. BigPond Sport. Archived from the original on 18 March 2013. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  12. ^ "Nissan confirms Kelly Racing V8 Supercars entry". Speedcafe. 9 February 2012. Archived from the original on 9 July 2023. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
  13. ^ Spinks, Jez (19 September 2012). "Mercedes-Benz AMG racers to enter V8 Supercars". CarAdvice.com.au. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
  14. ^ "Volvo confirms entry into V8 Supercars". Auto Action. NineMSN. 17 June 2013. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
  15. ^ Bartholomaeus, Stefan (15 October 2019). "Kelly Racing confirms 2020 Mustang switch". Supercars Championship. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  16. ^ Smale, Simon (8 October 2022). "Holden-Ford Supercars rivalry comes to an end at 2022 Bathurst 1000 on Mount Panorama". ABC News Australia.
  17. ^ Lewis, John (6 October 2022). "Last outing at Bathurst for Holden". Otago Daily Times.
  18. ^ Bartholomaeus, Stefan (18 September 2024). "Toyota announces 2026 Supercars entry". Speedcafe. Retrieved 17 September 2024.