September 2017

Regulations for the present generation of supercar competitors make sure that each contestant does not turn up a machine that is a lot meaner than the rest. They only make room for small variations in terms of engine design, body shaping, aerodynamics, and so forth. They are not completely different from their road-going versions. On top of that, the regulations are also intended to keep expenditure down on assembly as well as repairs. So let us get right into some of the specs you can expect to see in these Supercar Championship competitors

The Bodyshell

Each car can be identified based on features shared by its street legal cousins. Being designed for the track, however, they are altogether shorter in height, longer in length, and have a much lower centre of gravity. The only cars that will be featured in the 2017 season are the Volvo S60, Mercedes Benz E63 AMG W212, Holden VF Commodore, and the Ford Falcon FG-X.

Ford, in particular, has been causing some buzz after the unveiling the number 56 MEGA Racing FG X by the Prodrive racing team which will be driven on the track by renowned racing driver Jason Bright. Being a fairly recent competitor in the market, the brand has done well to acquire Bright as their driver for the race. The brand will make its debut in this year’s Virgin Australia Supercar Championship. Garry Jacobson has also joined the team as a driver along with Bright.

Aerodynamics

There are different angles and design features present in each car. Nonetheless, the aero packages and options have been configured to give all of them fairly similar drag coefficients and downforce. All of the cars use components such as a front splitter and spoiler, a rear wing and side skirts.

Weight

Predictably, these racing cars are much lighter than the road version after getting rid of their creature comforts and extra seats. However, in order to compete, each can be no lighter than 1,410 kilograms, with a minimum weight of 755 kg supported by the front axle. The lowest weight for the driver is 100kg, race suit and seat mechanism included. Other parts that must meet regulations for weight include the engine which can be no lighter than 200kg as well as the front uprights which must each be at 10.5kg.

Drivetrain

The drivetrain layout required for every car is a front mounted engine and rear wheel drive. Each car uses the same size of engine, a 5 litre V8, naturally aspirated. It is good enough for a power output between 620 and 650 horsepower. Competing teams are allowed to go either with an engine they developed themselves or a common option favoured by other supercars. The requirement is, though that the engine is a V8. Every engine revs to 7,500rpm. Power goes to the rear wheels via a six-speed sequential box. The performance of the engine is assisted by an electronic control unit. This is essentially a network of sensors which constantly monitor the state of the tyres and fuel consumption and expose problematic functions with the car.

Brakes

All of the cars use disc brakes from AP Racing both on the front and rear wheels. The disks on front measure 395mm in diameter and have six-piston callipers while the discs on the rear are slightly smaller at 355mm and use 4-piston callipers.

Conclusion

Those are just some of the main specs involved you can find in a Supercar Championship racer. Overall, the idea is to keep each car competitor as similar in performance as possible so the real contest comes down to the driver’s skill.