2019 Aussie Supercars & Supports discussion | Phillip Island (12-14 April)

[theracer120]

Latest post of the previous page:

Jacobson was finally confirmed to be joining Nissan today.

https://www.speedcafe.com/2019/02/12/ke ... ars-drive/



Todd Hazelwood and Matt Stone Racing have gone to a silver livery.



The DJRTP livery is relatively unchanged.

[Everso Biggyballies]

I don't dislike that Matt Sone Hazlewood livery. A bit of a worry when the bulk of the signage is given to the team name over commercial backers which only get minimal signage. Hope that doesn't mean an underfunded programme.

The DJR livery is a bit same old same old, but I guess restricted by the Shell backing.

[Everso Biggyballies]

So probably a good time to summarize the grid for 2019.

Macauley Jones and Jacobsen being new blood in, and Tander Blanchard and Lowndes the three no longer in. Otherwise just a couple of movers from team to team, with Holdsworth and Winterbottom playing swapsies.

Virgin Australia Supercars Championship 2019 teams and drivers

Num Team Driver Car
2 Walkinshaw Andretti United Scott Pye Holden Commodore ZB
22 Walkinshaw Andretti United James Courtney Holden Commodore ZB
3 Kelly Racing Garry Jacobson Nissan Altima
7 Kelly Racing Andre Heimgartner Nissan Altima
15 Kelly Racing Rick Kelly Nissan Altima
78 Kelly Racing Simona De Silvestro Nissan Altima
5 Tickford Racing Lee Holdsworth Ford Mustang
6 Tickford Racing Cameron Waters Ford Mustang
55 Tickford Racing Chaz Mostert Ford Mustang
8 Brad Jones Racing Nick Percat Holden Commodore ZB
14 Brad Jones Racing Tim Slade Holden Commodore ZB
21 Brad Jones Racing Macauley Jones Holden Commodore ZB
9 Erebus Motorsport David Reynolds Holden Commodore ZB
99 Erebus Motorsport Anton De Pasquale Holden Commodore ZB
12 DJR Team Penske Fabian Coulthard Ford Mustang
17 DJR Team Penske Scott McLaughlin Ford Mustang
18 Team 18 Mark Winterbottom Holden Commodore ZB
19 Tekno Autosports Jack Le Brocq Holden Commodore ZB
23 23Red Racing Will Davison Ford Mustang
33 Garry Rogers Motorsport Richie Stanaway Holden Commodore ZB
34 Garry Rogers Motorsport James Golding Holden Commodore ZB
35 Matt Stone Racing Todd Hazelwood Holden Commodore ZB
88 Triple Eight Race Engineering Jamie Whincup Holden Commodore ZB
97 Triple Eight Race Engineering Shane van Gisbergen Holden Commodore ZB

[Everso Biggyballies]

In the other categories, good to see TCR, having its debut in Australia, has confirmed it has secured live FTA TV Coverage. They are certainly doing the right thing and this will no doubt help boost the grid numbers with TV exposure the key for potential sponsors. Also good is that it will include the great Aus GT Category.

“From a Shannons point of view and our categories, of which (Australian) GT is one, and GT3 (Cup Challenge), but also TCR, it’s really good to get free-to-air live coverage,” CAMS general manager of motorsport Mike Smith said.

“The Shannons Nationals will get three hours of free-to-air for every round. One hour will be on Saturday, and two hours on Sunday, and it will be a Shannons Nationals free-to-air broadcast of which TCR will be pretty central to that.”

https://www.speedcafe.com/2019/02/12/tc ... s-tv-deal/

[Everso Biggyballies]

Some more liveries revealed....

Firstly we have the Tickford #5 Bottle 'O' Mustang for Holdsworth (with Southern Comfort added)



And the #55 Supercheap Mustang for Mostert which I think looks very ordinary... a bit like someone has wandered round the car with a handful of stickers placing them where they sort of fit.

[theracer120]

Mostert's liveries have always been pretty average (at least since he joined FPR/Prodrive/Tickford)

[Everso Biggyballies]

All of the cars (most anyway) are testing at Phillip Island today in the Supercars pre season test day. Actually just seen on Natsoft that 24 cars have recorded a time so far and it is only 10.00am. To date the Shell Mustangs of Scotty Mac and Coulthard are 2nd and 3rd fastest with the Commodore of Pye a few thou quicker. Top 4 covered by 5/100ths.

I think Scott might be playing games a bit because he set his quickest lap on only his third lap.... since then he has been going fastest in S1 and S2 then slowing in S3.

Live updates if anyone is bored : https://www.speedcafe.com/2019/02/14/ca ... ason-test/

Live timing: http://racing.natsoft.com.au/results/#2 (Click on Circuits link, then PI is top of the list. Click 'live')

[Everso Biggyballies]

Erebus had to pack up and go home at lunchtime because their cars exceeded noise restrictions.
They are still top of the timesheets though. (1st and 3rd)
According to team boss Barry Ryan, the cars are unchanged from last year with regard to the exhaust system and engine, which has left the team perplexed by the issue.

[Everso Biggyballies]

The PI test ended up with the Mustangs taking the top 3 times.

I know the fastest car, Cam Waters in the Monster Mustang, set his time in the dying seconds of the session using low fuel and green tyres, whereas given the track was fairly quiet at the end I am not sure if others used new tyres although a number of personal bests were set. I know Scotty Mac didnt.... in fact he only did installation in/out laps for the last part of the session. It was reflected in his 8th fastest time.
Shell DJRTP team mate Coulthard spent some time at the top of the sheets in the afternoon, and was beaten by Waters in the final seconds as mentioned. James Moffar finished 3rd in Chas Mostert's #55 Supercheap Mustang that he will share with Chaz come enduro time.

The Red Bulls were another team not setting the time sheets alight, with SVG 14th and Whincup 19th.

Fastest Commodore of the day was Dave Reynolds in the Erebus car....and he got sent home at lunchtime for breaching track noise limits. (see earlier post for more on that)

Anyway here are the times from the end of the day.



Next activity will be in two weeks time when we have the first round of the year, the Superloop Adelaide 500 (Clipsal in a previous life)

[Everso Biggyballies]

I don't dislike that Matt Stone Hazlewood livery. A bit of a worry when the bulk of the signage is given to the team name over commercial backers which only get minimal signage. Hope that doesn't mean an underfunded programme.

Jason Gomershall buys into MSR as equity partner.

Long time MSR benefactor Jason Gomershall has become an equity partner in MSR. Not surprising really, as he has a long association with the team, and MSR built and run his Touring Car Masters Torana entry. I believe some of the minor sponsors already on the car are Gomershall businesses as well. Certainly iSeek are. Jason was also a backer of the MSR/Hazlewood Super 2 championship win.

“Matt Stone has helped me live my dream to competitively race against some of the best names in Australian motorsport,” said Gomersall.

“Together, with our team, we look forward to making our mark on the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship.”

Team principal Matt Stone is pleased to have Gomersall, who is the founder of ICT business iSeek Communucations, play a bigger part in the business.

“We are proud of the relationship we have built with Jason. It was with his support that we stepped up to the 2018 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship,” said Stone.

“It will be with his continued support, as our partner, that we will enter the 2019 championship stronger and wiser for the experience.”

https://www.speedcafe.com/2019/02/15/go ... ne-racing/

[theracer120]

Here we have the perfect retro round Ford for 2019.

[MonteCristo]

Lol @ AU headlights.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Lol @ AU headlights.

I did not pick that at first.
I still think the rear wing endplates are a bit hideous looking.

[theracer120]

https://www.speedcafe.com/2019/02/23/su ... lion-deal/

The NSW government has invested in Eastern Creek to put permanent lights towers around the circuit as part of a deal to have the series return in 2020.

[theracer120]

The Grand Tour's test driver Abbie Eaton will be racing in Super2 this weekend driving Matt Stone's 2017 Super2 championship winning Commodore.

[theracer120]

This weekend the season finally starts with the Adelaide 500.

Schedule here:
https://www.supercars.com/2019-superloo ... e-results/

There is an Aussie Racing Cars race on today and tommorow there will be a number of support categories racing (including Super2) before the first race of the main series season on Saturday.

The forecast for the weekend is that it will be very hot on Friday and Saturday with a maximum of 40 degrees Celsius which will make driver cooling a very important issue. Sunday is supposed to see a reprieve with temperatures dropping to 31.

There has been a noticeable change to the track with turn 7 being narrowed considerably by a moving of the outside wall. This is mostly to stop people jumping the curb there and also to slow down the cars heading into turn 8 slightly, but it does mean that there is a lot less room for error there which will probably result in an accident at some point.