SuperGP Shock Format Change!!

[GTRMagic]

The story goes, as reported in Mr Murray's Gold Coast Bulletin newspaper, that there will be a 2 driver event at Surfers for the SuperGP event.

Drivers will be a combination of the regular pilots, and a series of internationals....

Article Here

Drivers Selected

Speedcafe's View

Not sure how the championship contenders might feel about having a driver unfamiliar with the V8Supercar experience in their cars!

[Crash Test]

Sounds bloody good to me!

[Trev Campbell]

Another terrible Cochrane idea. It says they have already signed drivers !?!? So now the teams don't get to choose who drives ther own cars, V8 Supercars do ???? What a Joke.

[GTRMagic]

Last time I looked there were 29 RECs out in the world, yet the story talks to having 15 'Internationals'



Why not just make it the Gold Coast 500, run a 2 driver endurance event (using the same blokes they rent for PI & Bathurst) on the Sunday, after a Fujitsu series of races Saturday?

[FalconEL]

How many more punters will these Internationals drag through the gate, or produce a noticable effect on TV ratings internationally?

2/5th's of 5/8th's of sweet FA I reckon in both cases........

Do they really need to do this? I mean the crop of driving talent in this country is of a very high quality, an enduro with the regular Bathurst/Phillip Island pairings sounds like the way to go to me!

[anthony81901]

V8SA have come up with a few doosies over the years but this takes the cake. So we are going to have a field of drivers, inexperienced in the cars on a street circuit.

Remember how much carnage there was at Surfers last year, will be nothing compared to what will happen this year.

Now it may be more beneficial for teams to sign international drivers for the enduros as they will get 3 races, so much for promoting local talent.

‘Gives all their media a great story to focus on’ Cochrane says. Short of it being Lewis Hamilton or Jenson Button, it would be hard pressed to get 1 column inch in the UK motorsport press, much less mainstream. Aside from New Zealand can't see it being any different in any other country.

The international tv audience, is it anything greater than 2 men and a dog? From what I have seen when overseas it is shown on the equivalent of Fox Sports Channel 27 at 2am as a filler?

If Scott Pruett and Mark Blundell are the headline acts, whose going to be on the undercard a go-kart driver from Mexico? And with no disrespect Pruett hardly impressed when he raced a Bathurst in 1997, his fastest lap was 1.5 seconds slower than Jason Bright in his rookie year.

Why can’t we just accept that it is an Australian series with Australian cars? Be content with being a big fish in a small pond. No form of touring car racing has ever prospered outside its domestic market, so don’t see why V8SA are convinced it can.

[RotorFan]

This doesn't add international exposure whatsoever. What they need is an international championship!

Can it be that hard to achieve? Le Mans, WTCC, DTM, whatever! If they had the right conversation with the right people, I'm sure they could make it happen.

They're setting this up to fail just like EC. Just that this time, they don't know they're doing it.

[GTRMagic]

SuperCarnivale is Go!

Originally Posted by The Article

The motorsport component to include:

- For the first time in history V8 Supercars will add a third endurance race to the calendar in addition to iconic races the L&H 500 at Phillip Island and the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000
- The event will form the third leg of the soon to be announced Grand Slam offering a record $2.5 million prize pool
- 17 international drivers from around 14 countries will drive for the 17 V8 Supercar teams
- The international drivers will contest their own race on the Friday in their team V8 Supercar
- The main race will be over 600kms in two races – race one on Saturday and race two on Sunday
- Each race will have driver, fuel and tyre pit stops

17 drivers? So a single car team puts one international in their car, and a team of 3 or 4 has only one driver

17 Teams?

FPR 2
RNR 1
SBR 2
JRR 1
DJR 2
Tekno 1
FFF 1 ....7 Ford Teams

TDR 1
GRM 2
WP 4
LDM 1
PMM 2
888 2
BJR 2
Britek 1
KR 2
PE 2.... 10 Holden teams

Weird

[lookleft]

2nd worst track in the country to throw International drivers in the cars. Damage bill will be significant. Guess that is is keeping with the "entertainment" side of this particular event.

For me the more interesting items was the shortening of the track. Hopefully they will be able to open it up a little and get rid if the silly chicanes and provide some decent view areas for the few race fans that go.

[cptkablamo]

Colour me underwhelmed...

I like the part on getting unstable international series here...any idiot saw what was going to happen with A1...but there are many other Series that would like to come out here...

And lets make the place look full be cutting it down...nice work.

They need a great support program but I don't see that happening really...I don't see how it is going to attract more international attention to be honest. Although all credit to TC, he has managed to pull the wool over the Government's eyes again...

Oh and I think SpeedCafe kinda oversold it 'shock format change' should read 'format alteration' - V8 Supercars to continue as top billing.

[GTRMagic]

Who else will be selected?

Originally Posted by The Article

Mr Cochrane confirmed that former Gold Coast winner Scott Pruett (USA), placegetter Alex Tagliani (Canada), reigning Australian Le Mans 24 Hour winner David Brabham, former Formula 1 and Champ Car stars Mark Blundell (England) and Christian Fittipaldi (Brazil) have already signed as co-drivers.

[anthony81901]

Teams like WP & BJR who were hoping to not need a spare car may need a rethink, bearing in mid transporters will need to be on the Melbourne docks for shipping to Tasmania 2 and a bit weeks later.

[cavvy]

You have to give it to Cock0:

http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/...oast-news.html

THE V8 Supercars have been given two years to turn themselves and the Gold Coast's motor racing festival into an international attraction that will rebuild the annual event's damaged reputation.

The three-day 'Supercarnivale' to be held for the first time this October will feature the V8 Supercars in a 600km competition over two days, international music acts each night and a radical new endurance race using world renowned drivers.

The Bligh Government, under pressure from two damning reports into last year's failed GP to be released today, has decided to stop chasing risky minor international racing series and will instead put its faith in the rapidly expanding home-grown race to rebrand and rebirth the 19-year-old event.

Funding shortfall?
The State Government will contribute $6.5 million towards the $20 million cost, just half the funding it paid for Indy in the past, with the remaining allocation of $5 million to be kept on the coast for other initiatives.

The international content:
However, the decision to go with the V8 Supercars will be controversial with the Williams Review into last year's A1GP debacle, which will be officially released today, receiving resounding feedback that only an event featuring an international component would satisfy many stakeholders.

"The clear and consistent message presented to the review was that, although the V8 Supercars are widely supported by major racing fans, sponsors and TV audiences, there is a need to offer an international motor racing category to provide a point of difference between the Gold Coast Motorsport Event and other V8 Supercar events across Australia," said report author David Williams.

Mr Williams recommended the Government assess two preferred international motor racing events: the GP2 Series and the GT1 World Championship Series.

However, the assessments, finalised after the report was printed, found they did not stack up.

The third and most cost-effective option canvassed by Mr Williams was for the development of a motorsport festival around an enhanced V8 Supercars championship race such as a 'grand slam' event.

[Pro Racer]

i really like the idea and it would add a "fun" element to the event but i reckon it needs to be non-championship as if an international wrote Jamie's or Garth's car off it could screwthe championship.

[sizzle]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

Who else will be selected?

So who decides who drives where?

I have a feeling the teams only found this out recently so somehow I don't think it is them that have done the signing. Otherwise I am sure someone like Roland would have ensured he had enduro co-drivers who could do all three to maximise the teams chances.

[Chris - Melb]

Maybe the international drivers will be 'distributed' on the same basis as the pit booms. That is, the cars that currently share a boom will also share the same international driver.

But how will they be distributed. Name pulled out of a hat?

Although that still does not add up to 17, but maths is not my strong point! Maybe 2 drivers will be reserves?

[Razor]

I think in the same breadth as Obi-Wan, Anikan Skywalker, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia and C-3PO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Drkh0YLF8rI

I've got a bad feeling about this.

[anthony81901]

Potential for plenty of controversy. For the purpose of the argument, lets assume that the title is a 4 horse race between the 2 HRT & 888 drivers. If Whincup's car gets totalled by their allocated international driver in the Friday race, is it fair that he drops the round without having even made it to the starting grid?

Same case could also be made for the sprint races at Phillip Island, it just hasn't happened yet but inevitably at some point it will and then there will be a huge stink. But at Surfers it's not a case of if but who is going to be caught up.

[Crash Test]

Clarifying the situation somewhat

[PVDA]

Interesting that the Adelaide event keeps hinting at needing to return to the old GP long track configuration but the Surfers event is going to a shorter version??

[Crash Test]

They would have to shorten the track regardless in a few years when they build a railway through the part of the track that is being deleted..

[anthony81901]

So regular drivers are split for Phillip Island and Bathurst in order that we have more good cars on the track at the end, yet at Surfers this isn’t important so we go back to teams fielding one A grade cars for the regulars and one B grade to make up the numbers? Seems a bit like policy on the run.

The value of Craig Baird & John McIntyre has probably just rocketted, with testing sessions and 2 enduros under their belts that won't be afforded to the other internationals, unless the others are going to fly out.

[retro]

New track map...

[sizzle]

Looking at Google Earth that left onto Main Beach is going to be a hairpin. Possibility for plenty chaos there.

[stmookeyj033]

RIP Gold Coast Event. It will be even worse than last year's borefest.