Editing Supercars Championship (section)

===V8 Supercars===
[[File:Glenn Seton 1997 EL Falcon Muscle Car Masters 2011.JPG|thumb|225px|[[Glenn Seton]]'s 1997 [[Ford Falcon EL]], pictured in 2011]]

The Australian Vee Eight Super Car Company (AVESCO) – a joint venture between the Touring Car Entrants Group of Australia (TEGA), sports promoters [[IMG (company)|IMG]] and the Australian Motor Sports Commission – was formed in November 1996 to run the series. This set the foundation for the large expansion of the series during the following years. The category also adopted the name 'V8 Supercars' at this time,<ref name="10Y 14">Clarke, Wensley (2007), p. 14</ref> though the cars themselves were much unchanged. A new television deal with [[Network Ten]] and [[Fox Sports Australia|Fox Sports]] was organised, although this had [[Bathurst 1000#A race divided|follow-on effects]] for the [[Bathurst 1000]] later in the year.<ref name="C10">Greenhalgh, Howard, Wilson (2011), p. 363</ref>

In February, [[Tony Cochrane]] and James Erskine left IMG. Together with David Coe, they formed Sports and Entertainment Limited (SEL) in April 1997.<ref>Clarke, Wensley (2007), p.15</ref> TEGA would have a 75% share in AVESCO, with SEL owning the other 25%. TEGA was responsible for the rules and technical management of the series and the supply of cars and drivers, while SEL was responsible for capturing and maintaining broadcasting rights, sponsorship, licensing, and sanction agreements.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.speedcafe.com.au/2011/05/17/timeline-the-growth-of-v8-supercars-from-atcc/ | title=Timeline: The Growth of V8 Supercars | work=Speedcafe | date=17 May 2011 | access-date=23 March 2013 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130625113517/http://www.speedcafe.com.au/2011/05/17/timeline-the-growth-of-v8-supercars-from-atcc/ | archive-date=25 June 2013}}</ref>

The expansion of the series began in [[1998 Australian Touring Car Championship|1998]], with the first round to be held in the Northern Territory taking place at [[Hidden Valley Raceway]]. In [[1999 Shell Championship Series|1999]], a [[Adelaide 500|new street race]] on a shortened version of the [[Adelaide Street Circuit|Adelaide Grand Prix Circuit]] became one of the first festival-style events, which would become common in later years. Australia's capital city, [[Canberra]], hosted its [[Canberra 400|first event]] on the [[Canberra Street Circuit]] in [[2000 Shell Championship Series|2000]]. In [[2001 Shell Championship Series|2001]], a championship round was held in New Zealand for the first time, at [[Pukekohe Park Raceway]].<ref>Clarke, Wensley (2007), p. 15–16</ref> In [[2002 V8 Supercar Championship Series|2002]], the V8 Supercar support event at the [[Gold Coast Indy 300|Indy 300]] on the [[Surfers Paradise Street Circuit|Gold Coast]] became a championship round, having been a non-championship event since 1994.<ref>Clarke, Wensley (2007), p. 110</ref>

Major format changes were made for 1999, with the incorporation of the endurance races into the championship. Control tyres were used for the first time, with [[Bridgestone]] selected as the supplier. The series was also renamed from the "Australian Touring Car Championship" to the "Shell Championship Series", by virtue of [[Shell Australia|Shell's]] sponsorship of the category.<ref>Greenhalgh, Howard, Wilson (2011), p. 388–389</ref> Reverse-grid races were introduced for multiple rounds in 2000<ref>Greenhalgh, Howard, Wilson (2011), p. 401</ref> before being confined to just the Canberra round for 2001. Also in 2001, compulsory [[pit stop]]s were introduced at certain rounds and the Top Ten Shootout was used at all rounds.<ref>Greenhalgh, Howard, Wilson (2011), p. 411</ref> The control tyre supplier changed from Bridgestone to [[Dunlop Tyres|Dunlop]] in 2002 and the series name was changed to the "V8 Supercar Championship Series" after Shell discontinued their sponsorship.<ref>Greenhalgh, Howard, Wilson (2011), p. 421</ref>

====Project Blueprint====
[[File:Todd Kelly Barbagello.jpg|thumb|225px|right|[[Todd Kelly]]'s 2003 [[Holden Commodore (VY)|Holden VY Commodore]]]]

Discussions about parity had returned in 2000, with {{convert|100|mm|in}} trimmed from the front spoiler of the Commodore after Holden, in particular, the [[Walkinshaw Andretti United|Holden Racing Team]], had dominated in 1998 and 1999. This was in response to the {{convert|300|mm|in}} removed from the Falcon in previous seasons, and coincided with a {{convert|10|mm|in}} trim from the Falcon's rear spoiler. The small reduction for the Holden teams was quickly addressed with both cars receiving the same front splitter shortly afterwards, but the Falcon's rear wing remained trimmed. Ford had threatened to withdraw from the series, but nothing came of this.<ref>Greenhalgh, Howard, Wilson (2011), p. 404</ref> After Holden again dominated in 2001 and 2002, a new set of regulations, dubbed "Project Blueprint", was introduced in [[2003 V8 Supercar Championship Series|2003]] to close the performance gap between the Commodore and the Falcon,<ref name="50Y 431">Greenhalgh, Howard, Wilson (2011), p. 431</ref> thus creating closer, fairer racing.<ref name="HSW V8">{{cite web | url=http://auto.howstuffworks.com/auto-racing/motorsports/v8-supercars-championship-series2.htm | title=How the V8 Supercars Championship Series Works – The Making of a V8 Supercar | last=Lampton | first=Christopher | date=7 November 2011 | publisher=HowStuffWorks.com | access-date=22 March 2013}}</ref> Project Blueprint was developed by Paul Taylor and Wayne Cattach, who spent two years designing a formula which would eliminate most of the differences between the Fords and Holdens.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.speedcafe.com/2011/12/16/paul-taylor/ | title=Paul Taylor | work=Speedcafe | date=16 December 2011 | access-date=22 March 2013 | archive-date=14 May 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514010116/http://www.speedcafe.com/2011/12/16/paul-taylor/ | url-status=dead }}</ref>

Project Blueprint had the chassis pick-up points, [[wheelbase]], [[Axle track|track]], and driving position become common across both manufacturers. The Holdens were now able and required to use [[Double wishbone suspension|double-wishbone]] front suspension, similar to that of the Falcon, rather than the [[MacPherson strut]]s used previously, and a Watts link at the rear rather than a Panhard. The aerodynamic packages were comprehensively tested and revised and differences in the [[Cylinder head porting|porting]] of each of the manufacturers' engines were also removed.<ref name="50Y 431" /><ref>Clarke, Wensley (2007), p. 128</ref> The performance of the new [[Ford BA Falcon]] and [[Holden Commodore (VY)|Holden VY]] and [[Holden Commodore (VZ)|VZ Commodores]] was fairly even for the next four years, with Ford winning the championship in 2003, [[2004 V8 Supercar Championship Series|2004]], and [[2005 V8 Supercar Championship Series|2005]] and Holden winning in [[2006 V8 Supercar Championship Series|2006]].<ref>Clarke, Wensley (2007), p. 211</ref> Reverse-grid races were used at certain events in 2006 before unpopularity with the drivers, teams, and fans saw them abolished halfway through the season.<ref>Clarke, Wensley (2007), p. 182</ref>

[[File:Mark Skaife 2009 Sydney 500 Launch.jpg|thumb|left|150px|[[Mark Skaife]], five-time series champion and leader of the new generation V8 Supercar project]]

The [[Holden Commodore (VE)|Holden VE Commodore]] caused controversy when it was introduced in [[2007 V8 Supercar Championship Series|2007]]. The production model was longer, wider, and taller than the rival [[Ford Falcon (BF)|Ford BF Falcon]] and outside of the limits set by Project Blueprint. As a result, the VE race car was granted custom bodywork – namely shortened rear doors and a lowered roofline to meet the regulations.<ref>Grennhalgh, Howard, Wilson (2011), p. 473</ref> Despite this, the VE was approved for use in the series, along with the BF Falcon, after several months of preseason testing.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.bordermail.com.au/story/31062/ve-and-bf-ready-to-duke-it-out/ | title=VE and BF ready to duke it out | work=[[The Border Mail]] | publisher=[[Fairfax Media]] | date=25 January 2007 | access-date=23 March 2013}}</ref> [[Sequential gearbox]]es were introduced in [[2008 V8 Supercar Championship Series|2008]] and became compulsory by the end of the year.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.foxsports.com.au/motor-sports/supercars-changing-with-times/story-e6frf3z3-1111115566495#.UVLEtxwzhyI | title=Supercars changing with times | last=Innes | first=Stuart | work=Fox Sports News | date=16 February 2008 | access-date=27 March 2013}}</ref> In [[2009 V8 Supercar Championship Series|2009]], [[E85]] (a fuel consisting of 85% [[ethanol]] and 15% [[unleaded petrol]]) was introduced in an effort to improve the environmental image of the sport. Carbon dioxide emissions decreased by up to 50%, but fuel consumption was increased by 30% to produce the same power as before.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://news.smh.com.au/sport/v8-supercars-to-switch-to-ethanol-20081010-4y1f.html | title=V8 Supercars to switch to ethanol | work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] | date=10 October 2008 | access-date=25 March 2013 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130905113541/http://news.smh.com.au/sport/v8-supercars-to-switch-to-ethanol-20081010-4y1f.html | archive-date=5 September 2013}}</ref> 2009 also had the introduction of a soft compound tyre at certain events to try to improve the quality of the racing and create different strategies.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.jaxquickfit.com.au/dunlop-sp-sport-maxx-sprint-winton | title=Dunlop to introduce its new V8 Sport Maxx "Sprint" tyre at Winton | work=Jax Quickfit Tyres | date=April 2009 | access-date=25 March 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130427033027/http://www.jaxquickfit.com.au/dunlop-sp-sport-maxx-sprint-winton | archive-date=27 April 2013 | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>Greenhalgh, Howard, Wilson (2011), p. 492</ref>

In 2005, AVESCO changed its name to V8 Supercars Australia (VESA).<ref name="10Y 14" /> The series continued to expand during this time, with races held outside of [[Australasia]] for the first time. The series travelled to the [[Shanghai International Circuit]] in [[China]] in 2005, originally on a five-year agreement,<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2004-07-20/china-to-host-v8-supercar-championship/2012152 | title=China to host V8 Supercar championship | work=ABC News | date=20 July 2004 | access-date=23 March 2013}}</ref> however the promoter of the race dropped their support and the series did not return thereafter.<ref>Grennhalgh, Howard, Wilson (2011), p. 453</ref> 2006 saw the series travel to the [[Middle East]], with an event held at the [[Bahrain International Circuit]] in [[Bahrain]].<ref name="10Y 16" /> Multiple new street circuits appeared on the calendar in 2008 and 2009, with new events held in [[Hamilton Street Circuit|Hamilton]] in [[New Zealand]],<ref>Grennhalgh, Howard, Wilson (2011), p. 484</ref> [[Townsville]] in [[North Queensland]] and at [[Sydney Olympic Park]].<ref>Grennhalgh, Howard, Wilson (2011), p. 495–499</ref> The series' Middle East expansion continued in 2010 with a second round held at the [[Yas Marina Circuit]] in [[Abu Dhabi]].<ref name="50Y 503" /> In November 2010, the series was granted international status by the FIA for the [[2011 International V8 Supercars Championship|2011 season]], allowing the series to race at up to six international venues each year. As a result, the series name was changed to the 'International V8 Supercars Championship'.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport-old/motor-sport-old/v8-supercars-granted-international-series-status/story-e6frepn6-1225949832162 | title=V8 Supercars granted international series status | last=Jackson | first=Ed | work=The Courier Mail | date=9 November 2010 | access-date=27 March 2013}}</ref>

2008 saw the separate boards of directors of VESA and TEGA merge into a single board that was solely responsible for the administration of the category. The new board of directors was composed of four TEGA representatives, two members from SEL and two independent directors.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.touringcartimes.com/2008/03/28/v8-supercars-board-streamlined/ | title=V8 Supercars board streamlined | work=Touring Car Times | date=28 March 2008 | access-date=23 March 2013}}</ref> In 2011, TEGA and SEL entered a sale agreement with Australian Motor Racing Partners (AMRP), which had significant financial backing from [[Archer Capital]]. This agreement saw SEL lose its 25% stake in V8 Supercars, with Archer Capital taking up a 60% share and TEGA the other 40%. A new board of directors was appointed, with two TEGA representatives and two AMRP representatives.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.speedcafe.com.au/2011/05/17/v8-supercars-confirm-new-ownership-structure/ | title=V8 Supercars confirm new ownership structure | work=Speedcafe | date=17 May 2011 | access-date=23 March 2013 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130625120006/http://www.speedcafe.com.au/2011/05/17/v8-supercars-confirm-new-ownership-structure/ | archive-date=25 June 2013}}</ref>

In 2011, Archer Capital purchased a 65% shareholding in the series with the teams owning the other 35%.<ref>[https://autoaction.com.au/2021/07/01/supercars-buy-out-plans-revealed Supercars buy-out plans revealed] ''Auto Action'' 1 July 2021</ref> In December 2021, both Archer Capital and the teams sold their shareholdings to Race Australia Consolidated Enterprises.<ref>[https://mumbrella.com.au/race-acquires-supercars-715404 RACE acquired Supercars] ''[[Mumbrella]]'' 29 November 2021</ref>

{{Clear}}

[[File:Scott McLaughlin 2014 Sydney Motorsport Park 400.JPG|thumb|225px|right|Through the new rules manufacturers such as Volvo were able to enter cars in the series.]]

====New Generation V8 Supercar====
{{See also|2013 International V8 Supercars Championship#New Generation V8 Supercar|label 1=2013 International V8 Supercars Championship § New Generation V8 Supercar}}

In the middle of 2008, a project led by [[Mark Skaife]] was organised by V8 Supercars to investigate future directions for the sport. The project had the primary objective of cutting costs to [[Australian dollar|$]]250,000 per car through the use of control parts and to create a pathway for new manufacturers to enter the series, provided that they have a four-door saloon car in mass production. The new formula, called "Car of the Future", was scheduled to be introduced before or during the [[2012 International V8 Supercars Championship|2012 season]]. The plan was publicly unveiled in March 2010 and was shown to incorporate several key changes to the internal workings of the car. The chassis and the cooling, fuel and electronics systems would all be changed to control parts, with changes to the engine, drivetrain, rear suspension, wheels and the control brake package. The safety of the cars was also to be reviewed and improved.<ref name="COTF Unveil">{{cite news | url=http://www.speedcafe.com.au/2010/03/29/v8%E2%80%99s-car-of-the-future-details-announced/ | title=V8's Car of the Future details announced | work=Speedcafe | date=29 March 2010 | access-date=27 March 2013 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130625110204/http://www.speedcafe.com.au/2010/03/29/v8%E2%80%99s-car-of-the-future-details-announced/ | archive-date=25 June 2013}}</ref> While the plans were well received by all of the teams, Holden Motorsport boss Simon McNamara warned potential new manufacturers to stay out of the championship just hours after the plans were released, claiming that they would "gain nothing" from entering the series.<ref>{{cite news|title=Holden warn off Nissan and Toyota in V8 Supercars powerplay |url=http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/motor/holden-warn-off-nissan-and-toyota-in-v8-supercars-powerplay/story-e6frey5r-1225847111813 |first=James |last=Phelps |work=The Daily Telegraph|date=29 March 2010 |access-date=30 March 2010 }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

Major changes were revealed to include a switch from a [[Live axle|live rear axle]] to [[independent rear suspension]]; the use of a [[Transaxle|rear transaxle]] instead of a mid-mounted gearbox; the repositioning of the [[fuel tank]] to in front of the rear axle to improve safety; replacing the windscreen with a [[polycarbonate]] unit; and a switch from {{convert|17|in|mm}} to {{convert|18|in|mm}} wheels.<ref name="COTF Unveil" /> In 2011, it was announced that the Car of the Future would not be introduced until [[2013 International V8 Supercars Championship|2013]].<ref>{{cite news | url=http://prelive.v8dailydump.com.au/news/featureArticle.tt2?NEWSITEMID=9476 | title=Car of the Future date pushed back until 2013 | work=V8 Daily Dump | date=7 January 2011 | access-date=27 March 2013 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130719020326/http://prelive.v8dailydump.com.au/news/featureArticle.tt2?NEWSITEMID=9476 | archive-date=19 July 2013}}</ref> In February 2012, [[Nissan]] confirmed that they would enter the series under Car of the Future regulations with [[Kelly Racing]].<ref name="Nissan" /> Later in 2012, [[Australian GT Championship]] team [[Erebus Motorsport]] announced they would be running [[Mercedes-Benz]] cars in the championship, taking over [[Stone Brothers Racing]].<ref name="Merc" /><ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.foxsports.com.au/motor-sports/v8-supercars/stone-brothers-racing-will-be-renamed-erebus-motorsport-for-the-2013-v8-supercars-season/story-fn2ms9um-1226549496743#.UVJErVfWx3s | title=Stone Brothers Racing will be renamed Erebus Motorsport for the 2013 V8 Supercars season | last=Dale | first=William | work=Fox Sports News | date=8 January 2013 | access-date=27 March 2013}}</ref> In June 2013, [[Volvo Cars|Volvo]] announced it would enter the series in [[2014 International V8 Supercars Championship|2014]] in a collaboration with its motorsport arm, [[Polestar Racing]] and [[Garry Rogers Motorsport]].<ref name="GRMVolvo" /> In November 2013 the Car of the Future moniker was dropped in favour of the name "New Generation V8 Supercar".<ref name="2014changes">{{cite news | url=http://www.v8supercars.com.au/news/v8-supercars-releases-2014-rule-changes | title=V8 Supercars Releases 2014 Rule Changes | work=V8Supercars.com.au | date=15 November 2013 | access-date=15 November 2013 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131118185545/http://www.v8supercars.com.au/news/v8-supercars-releases-2014-rule-changes | archive-date=18 November 2013}}</ref>

The series continued its international expansion in 2013, with the first event in [[North America]] held at the [[Circuit of the Americas]] in [[Austin, Texas]].<ref name="Texas">{{cite news | url=http://www.speedcafe.com/2013/03/20/v8-supercars-confirms-texas-event-details/ | title=V8 Supercars confirms Texas event details | last=Bartholomaeus | first=Stefan | work=Speedcafe | date=20 March 2013 | access-date=27 March 2013 | archive-date=23 March 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130323004856/http://www.speedcafe.com/2013/03/20/v8-supercars-confirms-texas-event-details/ | url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2015, five drivers took part in a series of demonstration races at the [[Kuala Lumpur Street Circuit]] as part of the [[KL City Grand Prix]]. This was intended to be a precursor to the series holding a championship event at the circuit in 2016, in a push from CEO [[James Warburton (Australian businessman)|James Warburton]] to build series exposure in Asia.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.v8supercars.com.au/news/championship/2016-championship-calendar-released | title=2016 Championship calendar released | work=V8Supercars.com.au | date=8 September 2015 | access-date=8 September 2015}}</ref> The event was later cancelled due to legal issues affecting the circuit.<ref name="cancel">{{cite news | url=http://www.v8supercars.com.au/news/championship/kl-city-400-supercar-extravaganza-cancelled/ | title=KL City 400 Supercar Extravaganza cancelled | publisher=Supercars | date=1 June 2016 | access-date=1 June 2016}}</ref>

==== Gen 2 Supercar ====
In December 2014, Supercars released details concerning the future of the category. New regulations, dubbed Gen2 Supercar, were introduced in [[2017 Supercars Championship|2017]] to allow the use of [[Coupé|two-door coupé]] body styles and [[Turbocharger|turbocharged]] four- or six-cylinder engines. However, no teams elected to build cars to these alternate engine specifications. Cars were still required to be based on front-engined, rear-wheel drive, four-seater production cars that were sold in Australia. The chassis and control components were carried over from the New Generation V8 Supercar regulations, while engine and aerodynamic parity was reviewed. Where [[Holden ZB Commodore]] made a debut in 2018 and later, [[Ford Mustang (sixth generation)|Ford Mustang S550]] in the 2019 debut as the only Two-door coupe Gen2 specifications and also the successor of [[Ford FG Falcon|FG X Falcon]], which been discontinued at the end of 2016.