V8 Wildcards could be eligible for more races

[SNP]

http://www.speedcafe.com.au/2010/07/26/ ... ore-races/

V8 Wildcards could be eligible for more races
Monday 26th July, 2010

The start of the 2010 V8 Supercars Championship Series at Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina Circuit. Could a Wildcard be in the pack next year?
Wildcard entries could be accepted into more V8 Supercars Championship Series races in the future.

Speedcafe.com.au has learned that V8 Supercars Australia is open to the idea of having Wildcards present throughout the regular season.

As it stands, Wildcards are only permitted at the traditional long distance races at Phillip Island and Bathurst. This year, three Wildcard entries have been accepted for the 500km and 1000km events – Matthew White Motorsport, Greg Murphy Racing and the Sieders Racing Team.

Current Wildcard entries are subject to strict V8SA board approval.

One of the ideas being floated is for a Wildcard entry to compete in the opening two rounds of the V8 Championship in the Middle East.

Recently, Bahrain race driver Raed Raffii tested a Paul Morris Motorsport Commodore VE at Queensland Raceway, and it is understood that V8SA may use the Wildcard concept at Abu Dhabi and Bahrain for a local driver.

Last year, Australian NASCAR star and former V8 champion Marcos Ambrose was close to securing a Wildcard for the inaugural Sydney Telstra 500 before the V8 board blocked the entry.

V8 team owner Garry Rogers said that he was open to the idea of Wildcards, but had his own reservations.

“I’d be open minded to the idea of it, but I’d like to know why, after they wanted to reduce the number of cars on the grid,” Rogers said.

“Personally, more cars makes for better racing, as long as the standard of the cars and the teams is up to the mark.

“What needs to be taken into consideration are the teams that have invested in the business to date shouldn’t be penalised. If teams are hanging around the back to get their money, my view is that it isn’t good. But if they’re working hard, spending money and doing what needs to be done, they should not be disadvantaged by allowing Wildcard entries.

“I’m not against them, but I’d like to know a lot more before I’d make further comment on it.”

V8 Wildcard entries were introduced at the Phillip Island and Bathurst endurance races last year.

====

Not sure how I feel about this idea. It's one thing to add a couple of extra obstacles at an enduro like Bathurst, but to bring them in to normal rounds as well might be a bit much.

It'd have it's advantages - VESA would get more cash and it'd help boost the sport over in the Middle East. And as many people always say, more cars makes better racing.

But it sort of makes a joke out of a professional series if anyone can just buy a one-off ride for the sake of it, IMO. Can't imagine a series like the F1 allowing this sort of thing. And I fail to see how having a few low-spec cars run by less cashed up and less experienced outfits running around seconds off the pace improves the racing - I mean how many times did the cameras even bother picking up the wild cards at Bathurst last year?

[Marvin]

Why reduce the number of professional teams/cars, and then add amateurs?

[Mike D]

One of the ideas being floated is for a Wildcard entry to compete in the opening two rounds of the V8 Championship in the Middle East.

Recently, Bahrain race driver Raed Raffii tested a Paul Morris Motorsport Commodore VE at Queensland Raceway, and it is understood that V8SA may use the Wildcard concept at Abu Dhabi and Bahrain for a local driver.

I see it all now. Arab $$$ are talking.

Just bring the whole friggin' Fujitsu Series over there for the first two rounds and run them in a two class format like a LeMans style event. Have a V8 class & a Fujitsu class. Riddle the lower tier with local drivers and then go the rest of the season with invites as they do now - just for the Enduros.

This way they (VESA) meets their "intent" as I see it (getting more cars with Arab drivers in them for the first two rounds) and keeping everything status quo back on the homefront. In the long run, the series can then say they "expanded" the entries for wildcards.

[HRT]

I personally believe that whilst you have Wildcard Entrants even at the enduros it's nothing more then a bunch of bloody mobile chicanes just waiting to cause an accident for the drivers who are in contention for the championship.

Adding more Wildcard entrants to other main game events outside the enduros will be utter chaos for all the main game drivers.

[jimminy_ls]

my only question is why did they pull the privateers out and give them they're own series if they're now just going to put them back in again, and why reduce the field by removing even semi competitive cars to replace them with the same number of even slower cars???

[kennymiesta]

my only question is why did they pull the privateers out and give them they're own series if they're now just going to put them back in again, and why reduce the field by removing even semi competitive cars to replace them with the same number of even slower cars???

$$$?

[robhealy86]

I personally reckon its plain stupid to have wildcards entrants at every round after only recently reducing the grid to 29 cars. All that VESA are doing is trying to make a few extra dollars on the side. All the wildcards will do is block up the track (which is hard enough in qualifying as it is), get in the way of the leaders when being lapped and cause more incidents that will bring out the safety car.

I think VESA would be better off letting two or three extra two-car teams in with proper budgets, current spec cars and decent drivers who are committed to an entire year not on a round-by-round basis. Alternatively, they could encourage more of the better current two-car teams like 888, GRM, PMM or FPR to expand to three or four-car teams. That way they would be competitive cars running at the pointy (not blunt) end of the field.

Or why not have a two-tier kind of championship? The top twenty cars from the previous year automatically qualify for the round while the other 9 main games cars and say top 10-15 Fujitsu series car battle it out to gain the last 15 spots on the grid. The fastest 15 cars go through to compete in the round and the rest go home. Atleast this way the cars are granted permission to race based on on-track performance rather then who can pay the most. You never know, it may even make the championship more competitive because they teams know if the don't perform well enough they will not be guaranteed a position in the championship the following year.

[That Ford Dude]

Or why not have a two-tier kind of championship? The top twenty cars from the previous year automatically qualify for the round while the other 9 main games cars and say top 10-15 Fujitsu series car battle it out to gain the last 15 spots on the grid. The fastest 15 cars go through to compete in the round and the rest go home. Atleast this way the cars are granted permission to race based on on-track performance rather then who can pay the most. You never know, it may even make the championship more competitive because they teams know if the don't perform well enough they will not be guaranteed a position in the championship the following year.

I quite like that idea, dont they have a similar thing in the Sprint Cup NASCAR series (HELP MIKE!!!). But yeah, it sure would put a few people under pressure thats for sure.

But the problem i see is if we do this at each round, how would you work out the allocation of pitlane and what about fly away rounds? The risk/reward for some of the Fujitsu teams just wouldnt be worth it, i mean would you fly half way around the world to the Middle East to have a roughly 50/50 chance of actually racing?

So yeah, i like it and in the ideal world it would be fantastic to implement but yeah, too many complications i think. But then again, we could do it pretty easily at the rounds where the Development Series are supporting the main game i suppose.

[jimminy_ls]

That would work, have it every 3 or 6 months where the bottom 15 battle with the fujitsu teams say 1 week before the round at the same track as the round ( so the teams can repair any damage on site without having to rush to the next location, and 1 week to keep accomodation costs down), then they're in with the top 20 until the next test round.

Oh and i also like the idea of no driver changes, the rule should go something like if you change your driver whilst in the main Comp (during the season) the first change should be $50,000 fine, second $75,000 etc, so teams have to drop out of the top 35 in order to change a driver mid season, with of course an out for drivers within reason ie broken arms/legs or bareavement etc.

this will also increase the number of races we have and increase the TV time we get. I'd also keep the Fujitsu series going and have alternatong rounds like:

Rd 1a: V8 test - week 1 March (all teams wishing to compete should test to account for any off season changes) This should be in Vic/SA on way to Clipsal
Rd 1: V8 Full feild - week 2 March - Clipsal
Rd 2: V8 Full field - week 4 March
Rd 1b: Fujitsu - week 6 April
Rd 3: V8 Full field - week 8 April - UAE O/seas round
Rd 4: V8 Full field - week 10 April - UAE O/seas round
Rd 2b: Fujitsu - week 12 May
Rd 5a: V8 test - week 14 May
Rd 5: V8 Full feild - week 15 May
Rd 6: V8 Full field - week 17 June
Rd 3b: Fujitsu - week 19 June
Rd 7: V8 Full field - week 21 June
Rd 8: V8 Full field - week 23 July
Rd 4b: Fujitsu - week 25 July
Rd 9a: V8 test - week 27 Aug
Rd 9: V8 Full feild - week 28 Aug
Rd 10: V8 Full field Enduro - week 30 Sept - 500 where ever they're holding it
Rd 11: V8 Full field Enduro - week 34 Oct - Bathurst 1000
Rd 12a: V8 test - week 36 Oct
Rd 12: V8 Full field - week 37 Oct
Rd 5b: Fujitsu - week 39 Nov
Rd 13: V8 Full feild - week 40 Nov
Rd 14: V8 Full feild - week 42 Nov
Rd 6b: Fujitsu Final - week 44 Dec
Rd 14: V8 Full field Final - week 44 Dec

Rd 6b/15 shared finally super carnival or put fujitsu finally on wk 43

[kennymiesta]

i think a rule that should come back is the rule where you have to qualify within a certain race time to get on the grid.

For example, it used to be 110% during practice at Bathurst.
They could make the restriction even tighter by saying you have to lap within, say 102 - 105% of the lap time. So if its 103% for example on a 100sec lap, they have to do 103sec's a lap to qualify. This would mean it would take at least 25 or so laps to even catch them, and this would mean that teams who think they have a chance of getting in can do so, and if they dont make it, well tough i guess.

[robhealy86]

But the problem i see is if we do this at each round, how would you work out the allocation of pitlane and what about fly away rounds? The risk/reward for some of the Fujitsu teams just wouldnt be worth it, i mean would you fly half way around the world to the Middle East to have a roughly 50/50 chance of actually racing?

Another thing I was thinking That Ford Dude, is the cars that missed out on qualifying could compete in a support category at the same track. So you could 40-50 V8 Supercars turn up. The top twenty cars from the previous year automatically qualify for the round while the rest of the cars battle it out to gain the last 15 spots on the grid. The fastest 15 cars go through to compete in the round and the rest participate in a new-look Fujitsu Series. That way all cars will be racing in one form or another over the race weekend. Teams therefore won't have to risk travelling all that distance just to go straight back home. Maybe also have a different set of rules for the fly-away rounds in Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Singapore or whatever international round V8 Supercars chooses to include. Anyway that's just my thoughts.

VESA have just announced more on the V8 wildcards today. Seems they are talking about wildcards for established main-game teams to run "high profile" drivers which is better then the original idea of letting anyone with enough money to run. Under the proposed wildcard idea, teams would need to prove they have the money to run a current spec VE or FG with sponsors and world-class drivers lined up. We're talking like HRT running an extra car for Ryan Briscoe at Sandown or DJR running a fourth car for Dario Franchetti at Adelaide or 888 running an extra car for Lewis Hamilton & Jenson Button at Bathurst type thing. Not Fujitsu series teams with inexperienced drivers in old VZ's or BF's.

I guess we can pencil in Stone Brothers Racing running a Pirtek sponsored FG for Marcos Ambrose at Homebush then! Ross and Jimmy just need a new number for one weekend to give to Alex Davison or Tim Slade so Ambrose can run with either # 4 (his ex-V8 number) or # 47 (his current NASCAR number).

V8 Supercars Australia accepts more Wildcards

Monday 2nd August, 2010
Author: SpeedCafe ©
http://www.speedcafe.com.au

V8 Supercars Australia will accept approved Wildcard entrants into V8 Supercars Sprint rounds.

Teams will be able to submit applications for ‘high-profile’ drivers to contest ‘signature’ events, above the Phillip Island and Bathurst Wildcard entries that currently are allowed.

The purpose of the Wildcards is to enhance the team’s and the event’s commercial opportunities.

Teams have been notified by V8 Supercars about the Wildcards. In the memo, a strict application criteria will apply which includes;

– Must be a high-profile driver or exceptional talent (rising star).

– Team and Driver must be able to demonstrate they have the capacity to be competitive.

– Selected signature and/or international events only.

– Must be entered by a VCS team and only as an additional car.

– Applications must be submitted to V8SA a minimum of three months prior to their nominated event.

– Applications must include a detailed proposal outlining the sporting, commercial and marketing benefits for the team, V8SA and the event.

– A $50,000 bond for a non-appearance (refundable after appearance) payable before the application is approved.

– Meeting race points will be awarded to the entry.

– Event appearance or prize money will not be paid to the Wild Card Entry.

– Applications must be submitted to the full V8 Supercar Board for approval.

Dick Johnson Racing’s part-owner Charlie Schwerkolt told Speedcafe.com.au that he supported the idea in principle, but warned the category that it must be implemented correctly.

“I’m cautious about it,” Schwerkolt told Speedcafe.com.au.

“We don’t want to devalue our RECs (Racing Entitlement Contract), and we’ve all spent a lot of money on them, but for the sport, I can see a lot of positives. It will be a case-by-case deal.

“I want to help promote V8 Supercars to get it as much exposure as possible, and having super stars involved would be fantastic. Having ex-F1 guys or someone like Marcos Ambrose would generate a lot of interest but again, I am very cautious about.

“We’ve all got to protect our interest here. It’s a privilege to have a REC and we can’t go and devalue those at all.

“If someone like Jenson Button came along and he was in Sydney having holidays and there was a competitive car for him to race, then I would support that.”

Like Schwerkolt, Garry Rogers was supportive but wanted more details before he’d commit.

“I’d be open minded to the idea of it, but I’d like to know why, after they wanted to reduce the number of cars on the grid,” Rogers told Speedcafe.com.au.

Last year, Stone Brothers Racing was close to securing Australian NASCAR star Marcos Ambrose a place on the Sydney Telstra 500 grid. Sponsors and cars were sorted for the one-off application, however, the Wildcard entry was scuttled at the 11th hour when the V8 Board would not rewrite the Racing Entitlements Contracts rules at short notice.

Recently, Bahraini driver Raed Raffii tested a Paul Morris Motorsport Commodore VE at Queensland Raceway. V8 Supercars Australia has been keen to have a local driver contest the opening Middle Eastern races to help generate more local interest in the Abu Dhabi and Bahraini V8 events. The new V8 Wildcard situation will allow this to occur, if a suitable driver and team is found.