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2013 V8 Supercars Season Preview: Team Details And Race Calendar

To all those who’ve been living under a rock (perhaps Dick’s) for the last couple of years, this weekend’s Clipsal 500 season opener in Adelaide marks a significant moment in Australian motorsport history. For the first time in th


To all those who’ve been living under a rock (perhaps Dick’s) for the last couple of years, this weekend’s Clipsal 500 season opener in Adelaide marks a significant moment in Australian motorsport history.

For the first time in the 16 years of the V8 Supercars formula, the series will include manufacturers other than Ford and Holden, with Nissan and AMG Mercedes-Benz taking the manufacturer count to four.

Of the 28 entries, 15 will be Holden VF Commodore-based, six will wear Ford FG Falcon bodies, with four Nissans based on the upcoming Altima road car and three Mercedes-Benz E 63 AMG-based racers rounding off the rookies.

Nissan is represented by the factory-backed Nissan Motorsports team - formerly the Holden-aligned Kelly Racing - and will field four cars piloted by Todd Kelly, Rick Kelly, James Moffat, and Michael Caruso.

Erebus Motorsport  - formerly Stone Brothers Racing - has chosen the E 63 AMG as the basis of its racers, and driving duties will be handled by Lee Holdsworth, Tim Slade, and series rookie Maro Engel. 

Both Nissan and AMG will use production based engines in their racers, with Nissan using a race modified 5.0 litre version of the VK56DE V8 used by the 2013 Patrol four-wheel drive.

Erebus will use a 5.0 litre version of the M156 V8 used by SLS AMG GT3 racers.

The remaining Ford and Holden-aligned teams will continue with their respective 5.0 litre homologated V8 engines from the 2012 season.

Car of the Future

Motivating the introduction of new brands is the inception of the Car of The Future (COTF) regulations, requiring all teams to use a control chassis, with all key dimensions and driveline components - aside from the engine - shared among the field.

The COTF chassis are the first V8 Supercars to share nothing with their road car brethren, aside from selected exterior panels and lighting.

This change has been implemented to improve driver safety, reduce costs, better ensure performance parity, and to future proof the sport by allowing additional manufacturers to enter regardless of whether they produce a roadgoing large rear-wheel drive sedan.

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