Aaaargh No you too V8supercars

COTF WTF, a standard body al la NASCAR, then stickers to id different models, so lame......

I feel betrayed

http://www.v8supercars.com.au/cotf/tabid/914/default.aspx

This was what it used to be

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grcjB4MQxWY&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGP-RIdSVoA&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MaNiV7Kwe4

Yeah, that sucks. What's everybody down there supposed to fight about now, whether Holden or Ford makes the fastest stickers???

Now that's a damn shame. V8 Supercars have given me a lot of entertainment in the years since I got a good internet connection.

Oh man, this sucks. At least BTCC and WTCC are not spec series... yet.

after a quick look at the links in the OP, it seems to me that the Aussies are still using different production body panels over a pretty much standardized chassis- NASCAR hasn't used any production sheetmetal for over 10 years now. everything on a Cup or Nationwide car is hand fabricated out of sheets of steel.

the Aussie V8 cars still have their identities, whereas NASCAR racers are the same bodies with slightly different (yet aerodynamically identical) noses on them.

what engines are used in the Supercars? i'd assume they use actual production based engines, which is another thing that NASCAR racers haven't had for a while. the last NASCAR engine that even loosely resemblesd anything "stock" was the engine that Ford replaced this year that was essentially a 351 Windsor bottom end with highly refined Cleveland heads on it. a couple of years ago, Chevy replaced the SB2.2 small block that was essentially a regular small block with full on race heads bolted to it. Dodge has used a specially bred engine since they came back into NASCAR in the late 90's, and Toyota based their NASCAR engine on what the other 3 companies were using. Dodge came out with new pure bred NASCAR engines a couple of years ago, Chevy came out with the R07 about the same time, and Ford has the FR9 now- nothing stock there. i think the Aussies are still production based, and that along with the production sheetmetal makes them pretty damn cool yet..

I agree, I feel betrayed.

I was told that the past couple of years they've both had a cubic inch limit, as well as a standardized gearbox. Still though, the thing I dug the most was the fact that these started life as real cars.

As much as I am pro driver safety, these guys know what they're doing is dangerous, its an inherent part of racing.

Oh well, spilled milk.

novaderrik wrote: after a quick look at the links in the OP, it seems to me that the Aussies are still using different production body panels...

This is not really true. The Holden VE Commodore was originally disallowed from V8 Supercars because the wheelbase was too long and the track was too wide...so they built a series of non-production race-only shells that matched the Ford FG Falcon in measurements. I'd wager the aero figures are near identical too. Maybe I'm nuts but that sounds a lot like NASCAR?

what engines are used in the Supercars? i'd assume they use actual production based engines...

Sadly not the case. From what I read they basically run NASCAR engines.

Wikipedia wrote: Every car uses either a 5.0 L Ford "Boss 302" SVO or a 5.0 L Chevrolet small block race-engine (depending on the make) - capable of producing between 460 and 485 kW (620 — 650 bhp) of power, but generally quoted as a little over 450 kW (600 bhp) in race trim. Engines have pushrod actuated valves and electronic fuel injection. Both Ford and Holden engines are based on racing engines from their respective US parent companies. Engines are electronically restricted to 7,500 rpm.

I've always thought of V8 Supercars as NASCAR with two manufacturers (as if that means anything in NASCAR), slightly more tweakable cars, and drivers who all can drive a real road course.

Don't get me wrong, V8S is WAY more exciting to watch than NASCAR, but they are really not that different in a vehicular sense.

actually, that sounds nothing like NASCAR, at least as far as the body shells are concerned. NASCAR bodies start out as sheets of sheetmetal in the fab shop of the race teams- the V8 Super Cars still start out as factory stampings that are welded to the chassis.

NASCAR hasn't used any production sheetmetal for about 10 years now. the cars used a lot of actual production sheetmetal up until Ford decided to discontinue the Thunderbird and replace it with the Taurus- hood, roof, doors, quarter panels and fenders were all factory stampings from the same dies as the cars built on the lines- hell, the trunk lid even had to have all the stock inner structure from the production cars. they had to essentially use the Monte Carlo/Grand Prix doors, trunk, and quarter panels to build a Taurus race car that didn't become a wing at over 100mph. that led to a quick progression that led to the fully fabricated cars of today..

up to that point, the builders were allowed to alter the body in certain ways to fit the spec wheelbase, but they were otherwise pretty stock looking. now they are just generic bodies with slightly different noses, hoods, and rear "door" window shapes.

I'll continue to watch, one of the few enjoyable venues.

^ This!!

Even though they scream SPEC . . . it's still enjoyable to watch.