
The 2013 International V8 Supercars Championship (often simplified to the 2013 V8 Supercars Championship) was a
Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile
The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA; ) is an international organisation with two primary functions surrounding use of the automobile. Its mobility division advocacy, advocates the interests of motoring organisations, the automot ...
-sanctioned international motor racing series for
V8 Supercars
The Supercars Championship, also known as the Repco Supercars Championship under sponsorship and historically as V8 Supercars, is a touring car racing category in Australia and New Zealand, running as an International Series under Fédération I ...
that was based in Australia. It was the fifteenth running of the V8 Supercar Championship Series and the seventeenth series in which V8 Supercars contested the premier Australian touring car title. The championship was contested over thirty-six races,
starting with the
Clipsal 500 Adelaide
The Adelaide 500, officially the BP Adelaide Grand Final, is an annual motor racing event for Supercars held on the streets of the east end of Adelaide, South Australia between 1999 and 2020 and again from 2022. The event uses a shortened form ...
on 2 March 2013, and finishing with th
Sydney Telstra 500 V8 Supercarson 8 December.
The series' calendar also expanded, travelling to the United States for the first time for a race at the
Circuit of the Americas
Circuit of the Americas (COTA) is a Grade 1 Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, FIA-specification motor racing track and facilities located in Austin, Texas, United States. The facility is home to the Formula One United States Grand Pr ...
in
Austin
Austin refers to:
Common meanings
* Austin, Texas, United States, a city
* Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
* Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters
* Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...
,
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
.
The 2013 season saw the introduction of the
"New Generation V8 Supercar", a revision to the regulations which were designed to cut costs and to make the series more attractive to new manufacturers.
Nissan
is a Japanese multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. The company sells its vehicles under the ''Nissan'' and ''Infiniti'' brands, and formerly the ''Datsun'' brand, with in-house ...
and
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to simply as Mercedes and occasionally as Benz, is a German automotive brand that was founded in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz Group, established in 2019) is based in Stuttgart, ...
entered the series,
with four
Nissan Altima
The Nissan Altima is a mid-size car manufactured by Nissan since 1992. It is a continuation of the Nissan Bluebird line, which began in 1955.
The Altima has historically been larger, more powerful, and more luxurious than the Nissan Sentra b ...
s being prepared by
Kelly Racing
Kelly Racing (formerly known as Kelly Grove Racing and Nissan Motorsport) is an Australian motor racing team which competes in the Dunlop Super2 Series. It formerly competed in the Supercars Championship from 2009 to 2021. The team made its de ...
and three
Mercedes-Benz E63 AMGs being run by
Erebus Motorsport
Erebus Motorsport (formerly known as Erebus Racing) is an Australian motor racing team. The team competes in the Supercars Championship with two Chevrolet Camaro (sixth generation)#ZL1, Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s. The team's current drivers are Jack ...
— who purchased
Stone Brothers Racing
Stone Brothers Racing (SBR) was an Australian motor racing team that competed in the International V8 Supercars Championship between 1998 and 2012. The team was formed in 1998 when Ross and Jim Stone bought Alan Jones (racing driver), Alan J ...
during the off-season – respectively.
Holden
Holden, formerly known as General Motors-Holden, was an Australian subsidiary company of General Motors. Founded in Adelaide, it was an automobile manufacturer, importer, and exporter that sold cars under its own marque in Australia. It was ...
teams competed with the new
VF Commodore
The Holden Commodore (VF) is a full-size car that was produced by Holden between June 2013 and October 2017. It was the second and last significantly restyled iteration of the fourth (and final) generation of the Holden Commodore to be manufac ...
, which replaces the
VE model,
whilst
Ford
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
continued to use the
FG Falcon, which had been raced since
2009
2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
, but built to New Generation V8 Supercar specifications for the 2013 season.
Jamie Whincup
Jamie David Whincup (born 6 February 1983) is an Australian professional racing driver competing in the Supercars Championship. He currently is team principal for Triple Eight Race Engineering. He has driven the No. 88 Holden Commodore (ZB), Ho ...
started the season as the defending drivers' champion.
The team for which he drives,
Triple Eight Race Engineering
Triple Eight Race Engineering, branded as Red Bull Ampol Racing in Supercars, is an Australian motor racing team competing in the Supercars Championship. The team has been the only Brisbane-based V8 Supercar team since its formation, originall ...
, are the defending teams' champions. Whincup successfully defended his title, winning eleven of the season's thirty-six races and scoring a record-breaking thirteen pole positions. His team-mate
Craig Lowndes
Craig Andrew Lowndes (born 21 June 1974) is an Australian racing car driver in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship racing for Triple Eight Race Engineering. He is also a TV commentator.
Lowndes is a three-time V8 Superca ...
finished second in the championship for the third consecutive season, giving Triple Eight Race Engineering its fourth consecutive Teams Championship win. Lowndes, with
Warren Luff
Warren Raymond Luff (born 21 April 1976), is best known as a race driver, stunt driver and driver training instructor. He is the son of well-known driver training instructor Ian Luff. He currently co-drives for Team 18 in the Supercars Champions ...
, won the inaugural
Enduro Cup
The Enduro Cup is an award given out to the highest points scorers over the three endurance events in Supercars, currently The Bend 500 and the Bathurst 1000. The Cup was previously awarded from 2013 to 2019 before being relaunched in 2025.
Back ...
for the best performing drivers across the three endurance races.
Ford Performance Racing
Tickford Racing (formerly known as Prodrive Racing Australia and Ford Performance Racing) is an Australian motor racing team which competes in the Supercars Championship. The team currently campaigns two Ford Mustangs, with their current driv ...
driver
Will Davison
William Davison (born 30 August 1982) is an Australian professional racing driver. He currently drives the No.17 Ford Mustang (sixth generation), Ford Mustang GT for Dick Johnson Racing in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championshi ...
finished the season in third place.
Rick Kelly
Rick Kelly (born 17 January 1983) is an Australian professional racing driver who previously competed in the Supercars Championship. He last drove the No. 15 Ford Mustang (sixth generation), Ford Mustang GT for Kelly Racing. Previously, he dro ...
finished the highest of the Nissan drivers, in fourteenth place, while
Lee Holdsworth
Lee Robert Holdsworth (born 2 February 1983) is an Australian semi-retired racing driver. He won the 2021 Bathurst 1000 alongside Chaz Mostert and finished his full-time career after the 2022 season, after nearly two decades of racing.
Histor ...
ended the season in twentieth to be the highest placed Erebus Motorsport driver.
Teams and drivers
The following teams and drivers competed during the 2013 championship:
Team changes
* All teams competing with the
Holden Commodore
The Holden Commodore is a series of automobiles that were sold by now-defunct Australian manufacturer Holden from 1978 until 2020. They were manufactured from 1978 to 2017 in Australia and from 1979 to 1990 in New Zealand, with production of ...
upgraded to the new
VF model.
* After switching from
Holden
Holden, formerly known as General Motors-Holden, was an Australian subsidiary company of General Motors. Founded in Adelaide, it was an automobile manufacturer, importer, and exporter that sold cars under its own marque in Australia. It was ...
to
Ford
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
after the first event of the
2011 season,
Tony D'Alberto Racing
Tony D'Alberto Racing, was a motor racing team which competed in the V8 Supercars Championship, an Australian based motor racing series. The team, which was owned by the D'Alberto family, operated a single entry for Tony D'Alberto while on occasi ...
moved back to Holden in 2013, where the team received technical assistance from
Walkinshaw Performance.
*
Ford Performance Racing
Tickford Racing (formerly known as Prodrive Racing Australia and Ford Performance Racing) is an Australian motor racing team which competes in the Supercars Championship. The team currently campaigns two Ford Mustangs, with their current driv ...
expanded to a four-car operation with the acquisition of the #18 Racing Entitlement Contract held by Charlie Schwerkolt, which was used by
Dick Johnson Racing
Dick Johnson Racing (formerly DJR Team Penske) is Australia's oldest motor racing team competing in the Supercars Championship. Founded by Dick Johnson, the team's drivers have won ten Australian Touring Car Championship titles (five of the ...
to run
James Moffat's car in 2012. The fourth car is run as a satellite of the team, in the same way as the #55
Rod Nash Racing
Rod Nash Racing is a Supercars Championship racing entity, owned by Rod Nash. Nash co-owns Tickford Racing and since 2018, Rod Nash Racing has run under the Tickford name.
Racing history Privateer entry
Rod Nash first appeared in the series i ...
car is run.
** In January 2013, British motorsport group
Prodrive
Prodrive is an England, English motorsport and advanced engineering group based in Banbury,
Oxfordshire.
History
Prodrive was founded in 1984 by Ian Parry and David Richards (motorsport executive), David Richards.
Prodrive sold its 51% s ...
announced that it had sold its stake in
Ford Performance Racing
Tickford Racing (formerly known as Prodrive Racing Australia and Ford Performance Racing) is an Australian motor racing team which competes in the Supercars Championship. The team currently campaigns two Ford Mustangs, with their current driv ...
to
Rod Nash and former
Australian GT Champion Rusty French
Rusty may refer to something covered with rust or with a rust (color). Rusty is also a nickname for people who have red hair, have a rust-hued skin tone, or have the given name Russell (given name), Russell.
Rusty may also refer to:
People
*Rust ...
.
*
Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport
Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport was an Australian motor racing team that competed in the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship. The team was sold to Phil Munday and re-branded as 23Red Racing at the end of 2017.
Background
Lucas Dumbrell comes f ...
expanded to a two-car operation after purchasing the #49 Racing Entitlement Contract from
Paul Morris Motorsport
Paul Morris Motorsport, also known as its business name of Nemo Racing, is an Australian motor racing team that competed in V8 Supercars between 2000 and 2012. The team also won the 1997 AMP Bathurst 1000 and four Australian Super Touring Cham ...
. The team also acquired two VF Commodores constructed by
Triple Eight Race Engineering
Triple Eight Race Engineering, branded as Red Bull Ampol Racing in Supercars, is an Australian motor racing team competing in the Supercars Championship. The team has been the only Brisbane-based V8 Supercar team since its formation, originall ...
.
* As a result of the deals between Schwerkolt and Ford Performance Racing and Paul Morris and Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport,
Dick Johnson Racing
Dick Johnson Racing (formerly DJR Team Penske) is Australia's oldest motor racing team competing in the Supercars Championship. Founded by Dick Johnson, the team's drivers have won ten Australian Touring Car Championship titles (five of the ...
lost the use of the #18 and #49 Racing Entitlement Contracts and was reduced to a two-car operation with its existing #17 REC and by leasing
Triple F Racing
Triple F Racing was an Australian motor racing team that competed in the International V8 Supercars Championship between 2009 and 2012. The team was based on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Gold Coast in Queensland but continued to have strong li ...
's #12 REC.
*
Kelly Racing
Kelly Racing (formerly known as Kelly Grove Racing and Nissan Motorsport) is an Australian motor racing team which competes in the Dunlop Super2 Series. It formerly competed in the Supercars Championship from 2009 to 2021. The team made its de ...
switched from competing with
Holden Commodore
The Holden Commodore is a series of automobiles that were sold by now-defunct Australian manufacturer Holden from 1978 until 2020. They were manufactured from 1978 to 2017 in Australia and from 1979 to 1990 in New Zealand, with production of ...
s to
Nissan Altima
The Nissan Altima is a mid-size car manufactured by Nissan since 1992. It is a continuation of the Nissan Bluebird line, which began in 1955.
The Altima has historically been larger, more powerful, and more luxurious than the Nissan Sentra b ...
s,
running a re-sleeved version of Nissan's quad-cam aluminium 5.6-litre
VK56DE V8 reconfigured to a 5.0-litre capacity. The team was renamed to Nissan Motorsport, a name last used by
Gibson Motorsport
Gibson Motorsport was an Australian motor racing team that competed in the Australian Touring Car Championship from 1985 until 2003, though the team had its roots in Gibson's "Road & Track" team which ran a series of Ford Falcon GTHOs in Serie ...
in 1991.
* In January 2013,
Larry Perkins
Larry Clifton Perkins (born 18 March 1950) is a former racing driver and V8 Supercar team owner from Australia.
Biography Early years
Growing up on a farm in Cowangie in the Mallee region of Victoria, Larry, the son of racing driver Edd ...
confirmed that he had sold his two Racing Entitlement Contracts to Kelly Racing. Perkins had previously leased the #11 and #16 RECs to the Kelly operation, and by purchasing them, Kelly Racing acquired full control over the licences. To satisfy sponsor requirements, the 2 former Perkins RECs used numbers 36 and 360.
*
Stone Brothers Racing
Stone Brothers Racing (SBR) was an Australian motor racing team that competed in the International V8 Supercars Championship between 1998 and 2012. The team was formed in 1998 when Ross and Jim Stone bought Alan Jones (racing driver), Alan J ...
was purchased by
Australian GT Championship
The GT World Challenge Australia, formerly known as the Australian GT Championship, is a Motorsport Australia-sanctioned national title for drivers of GT cars, held annually from 1960 to 1963, from 1982 to 1985 and from 2005. Each championship ...
team
Erebus Motorsport
Erebus Motorsport (formerly known as Erebus Racing) is an Australian motor racing team. The team competes in the Supercars Championship with two Chevrolet Camaro (sixth generation)#ZL1, Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s. The team's current drivers are Jack ...
,
and the organisation, along with satellite team
James Rosenberg Racing
James Rosenberg Racing was a V8 Supercars, V8 Supercar racing team owned by South Australian agricultural business identity, James Rosenberg. The team was reformed in 2010 with Tim Slade as the team's driver after a toe-in-the water year working ...
, ended their association with
Ford
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
. Instead, the combined team entered three cars based on the
Mercedes-Benz E63 W212,
powered by a
M159 engine.
The combined Erebus—James Rosenberg outfit did not receive any factory support from Mercedes-Benz.
* Vodafone announced it would not renew its sponsorship with
Triple Eight Race Engineering
Triple Eight Race Engineering, branded as Red Bull Ampol Racing in Supercars, is an Australian motor racing team competing in the Supercars Championship. The team has been the only Brisbane-based V8 Supercar team since its formation, originall ...
at the end of 2012. Red Bull took over as the naming rights from Vodafone and the team started competing as Red Bull Racing Australia.
Driver changes
*
Tim Blanchard
Timothy William John Blanchard (born 30 June 1987) is an Australian racing driver.
Blanchard has raced in several other motor racing series, including the British Formula Ford Championship, and was the winner of the 2007 Australian Formula For ...
joined V8 Supercars full-time, driving for
Dick Johnson Racing
Dick Johnson Racing (formerly DJR Team Penske) is Australia's oldest motor racing team competing in the Supercars Championship. Founded by Dick Johnson, the team's drivers have won ten Australian Touring Car Championship titles (five of the ...
.
Blanchard, who was runner-up in the
2010
The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series
The Dunlop Super2 Series (formerly known as Dunlop Series, Fujitsu V8 Supercars Series, HPDC V8 Supercars Series, Konica Minolta V8 Supercars Series and Konica V8 Supercars/Lites Series) is an Australian touring car racing competition, specifical ...
, had previously contested the endurance races in
2011
The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
and
2012
2012 was designated as:
*International Year of Cooperatives
*International Year of Sustainable Energy for All
Events January
*January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins.
* January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
before replacing the injured
Todd Kelly
Todd Evan Kelly (born 9 October 1979) is a retired Australian professional racing driver who competed in the Supercars Championship, Virgin Australia Supercars Championship. He is the older brother of fellow Supercars driver and former Bathurst ...
for the final four events of the 2012 season.
*
Michael Caruso left
Garry Rogers Motorsport
Garry Rogers Motorsport is an Australian motor racing team. It is owned by retired racing driver Garry Rogers who began the team to further his own racing efforts. Based in Melbourne, originally out of a Nissan dealership owned by Rogers, the t ...
after five seasons, moving to
Kelly Racing
Kelly Racing (formerly known as Kelly Grove Racing and Nissan Motorsport) is an Australian motor racing team which competes in the Dunlop Super2 Series. It formerly competed in the Supercars Championship from 2009 to 2021. The team made its de ...
.
*
Alex Davison
Alexander Davison (born 3 November 1979) is a Auto racing, racing driver from Australia. He was the 2004 Australian Carrera Cup Championship, 2004 Porsche Carrera Cup Australia champion.
Junior career
Starting in karts at a young age, he prog ...
returned to V8 Supercars after a one-year absence spent competing in the
Australian Carrera Cup Championship
Porsche Carrera Cup Australia (known commercially as the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia) is an Australian motor racing series open to Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars. First held in 2003, it is administered by Porsche Cars Australia Pty Lt ...
. He joined
Charlie Schwerkolt Racing
Team 18 (formerly known as Charlie Schwerkolt Racing) is an Australian auto racing, motor racing team currently competing in the Supercars Championship, running two Chevrolet Camaro (sixth generation)#ZL1, Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s. The team's curr ...
, a satellite team of
Ford Performance Racing
Tickford Racing (formerly known as Prodrive Racing Australia and Ford Performance Racing) is an Australian motor racing team which competes in the Supercars Championship. The team currently campaigns two Ford Mustangs, with their current driv ...
.
*
Taz Douglas
Taz Douglas (born 11 February 1984) is a part-time Australian race driver. Douglas came 2nd at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 with James Moffat in 2014
Biography
Douglas was born in Frankston, Victoria, Australia. Having scored numerous kart ...
left the category after one year racing for
Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport
Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport was an Australian motor racing team that competed in the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship. The team was sold to Phil Munday and re-branded as 23Red Racing at the end of 2017.
Background
Lucas Dumbrell comes f ...
, returning to the
Dunlop V8 Supercar Series
The Dunlop Super2 Series (formerly known as Dunlop Series, Fujitsu V8 Supercars Series, HPDC V8 Supercars Series, Konica Minolta V8 Supercars Series and Konica V8 Supercars/Lites Series) is an Australian touring car racing competition, specifical ...
.
* Former
Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters
The Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, commonly abbreviated as the DTM, is a sports car racing series sanctioned by ADAC. The series is based in Germany, with rounds elsewhere in Europe. The series currently races a modified version of Group GT3 gra ...
driver
Maro Engel
Maro René Engel (born 27 August 1985) is a Germans, German professional racing driver based in Monaco. He is a Mercedes-AMG factory driver since 2008 & brand ambassador since 2017.
He is a FIA GT World Cup Champion (2015, 2024), Nürburgring 2 ...
made his V8 Supercar debut in 2013.
Engel, who drove for
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to simply as Mercedes and occasionally as Benz, is a German automotive brand that was founded in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz Group, established in 2019) is based in Stuttgart, ...
in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters series between
2008
2008 was designated as:
*International Year of Languages
*International Year of Planet Earth
*International Year of the Potato
*International Year of Sanitation
The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
and
2011
The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
, continued his association with the brand, driving an
E63 AMG prepared by
Erebus Motorsport
Erebus Motorsport (formerly known as Erebus Racing) is an Australian motor racing team. The team competes in the Supercars Championship with two Chevrolet Camaro (sixth generation)#ZL1, Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s. The team's current drivers are Jack ...
.
*
Dean Fiore
Dean Fiore (born 1 December 1983) is an Australian professional racing driver. Fiore competed in the 2022 Bathurst 1000 for Brad Jones Racing as a co-driver alongside Bryce Fullwood in the No. 14 Holden Commodore (ZB).
Racing career
Fiore i ...
moved from
Dick Johnson Racing
Dick Johnson Racing (formerly DJR Team Penske) is Australia's oldest motor racing team competing in the Supercars Championship. Founded by Dick Johnson, the team's drivers have won ten Australian Touring Car Championship titles (five of the ...
to
Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport
Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport was an Australian motor racing team that competed in the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship. The team was sold to Phil Munday and re-branded as 23Red Racing at the end of 2017.
Background
Lucas Dumbrell comes f ...
,
but continued to lease the
Triple F Racing
Triple F Racing was an Australian motor racing team that competed in the International V8 Supercars Championship between 2009 and 2012. The team was based on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Gold Coast in Queensland but continued to have strong li ...
REC to Dick Johnson.
*
Steven Johnson was forced out of his seat at
Dick Johnson Racing
Dick Johnson Racing (formerly DJR Team Penske) is Australia's oldest motor racing team competing in the Supercars Championship. Founded by Dick Johnson, the team's drivers have won ten Australian Touring Car Championship titles (five of the ...
as a result of the team's on-going financial troubles. He took on the position of general manager in the team's organisational structure,
whilst contesting the
Australian Carrera Cup Championship
Porsche Carrera Cup Australia (known commercially as the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia) is an Australian motor racing series open to Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars. First held in 2003, it is administered by Porsche Cars Australia Pty Lt ...
.
* Reigning
second-tier V8 Supercar champion and
New Zealand V8SuperTourer champion
Scott McLaughlin
Scott Thomas McLaughlin (; born 10 June 1993) is a New Zealand racing driver. He competes in the IndyCar Series, driving the No. 3 Dallara-Chevrolet for Team Penske. He previously raced in the Supercars Championship, in which he won the driver ...
joined
Garry Rogers Motorsport
Garry Rogers Motorsport is an Australian motor racing team. It is owned by retired racing driver Garry Rogers who began the team to further his own racing efforts. Based in Melbourne, originally out of a Nissan dealership owned by Rogers, the t ...
full-time having raced for the team as an emergency replacement in the final race of the 2012 season.
*
James Moffat left
Dick Johnson Racing
Dick Johnson Racing (formerly DJR Team Penske) is Australia's oldest motor racing team competing in the Supercars Championship. Founded by Dick Johnson, the team's drivers have won ten Australian Touring Car Championship titles (five of the ...
to join
Kelly Racing
Kelly Racing (formerly known as Kelly Grove Racing and Nissan Motorsport) is an Australian motor racing team which competes in the Dunlop Super2 Series. It formerly competed in the Supercars Championship from 2009 to 2021. The team made its de ...
.
*
Greg Murphy
Gregory David Murphy (born 23 August 1972) is a New Zealand professional racing driver, best known as a four-time winner of the Bathurst 1000. Greg Murphy joined Jeremy Clarkson and James May presenting Top Gear Live, when it had its first in ...
left
Kelly Racing
Kelly Racing (formerly known as Kelly Grove Racing and Nissan Motorsport) is an Australian motor racing team which competes in the Dunlop Super2 Series. It formerly competed in the Supercars Championship from 2009 to 2021. The team made its de ...
at the end of 2012.
Murphy was unable to find a competitive team to race with in 2013 and joined the
Holden Racing Team
Walkinshaw Andretti United is an Australian motor racing team based in the Melbourne suburb of Clayton. The team, initially branded as the Holden Racing Team, used to field Holden Commodores in the Supercars Championship before making the swit ...
for the endurance races,
but left open the possibility of making individual "wildcard" entries at selected events.
*
Michael Patrizi
Michael Tony Patrizi (born 4 May 1984) is an Australian racing driver.
Biography
Starting off in karts in his native Western Australia, he moved to Formula Ford in 2004, then to Formula BMW in Asia 2005, then UK in 2006. In 2007 he joined the c ...
left V8 Supercars and return to the
Australian Carrera Cup Championship
Porsche Carrera Cup Australia (known commercially as the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia) is an Australian motor racing series open to Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars. First held in 2003, it is administered by Porsche Cars Australia Pty Lt ...
.
*
Scott Pye
Scott Robert Pye (born 8 January 1990) is an Australian professional racing driver. He currently co-drives in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship, and co-drivers in the No. 87 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Triple Eight Race Engi ...
, who placed second in the
2012
2012 was designated as:
*International Year of Cooperatives
*International Year of Sustainable Energy for All
Events January
*January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins.
* January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
Dunlop V8 Supercar Series
The Dunlop Super2 Series (formerly known as Dunlop Series, Fujitsu V8 Supercars Series, HPDC V8 Supercars Series, Konica Minolta V8 Supercars Series and Konica V8 Supercars/Lites Series) is an Australian touring car racing competition, specifical ...
, joined
Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport
Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport was an Australian motor racing team that competed in the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship. The team was sold to Phil Munday and re-branded as 23Red Racing at the end of 2017.
Background
Lucas Dumbrell comes f ...
.
*
2012
2012 was designated as:
*International Year of Cooperatives
*International Year of Sustainable Energy for All
Events January
*January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins.
* January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
V8SuperTourer runner-up
Jonny Reid
Jonathan Ross Reid, more commonly known as Jonny Reid, (born 18 October 1983 in Auckland) is a New Zealand racing driver.
Career
Early career
Reid started his career in karting at the age of 8. In 1996, Reid won his first title, the New Ze ...
joined
Dick Johnson Racing
Dick Johnson Racing (formerly DJR Team Penske) is Australia's oldest motor racing team competing in the Supercars Championship. Founded by Dick Johnson, the team's drivers have won ten Australian Touring Car Championship titles (five of the ...
.
*
Karl Reindler
Karl William Reindler (born 18 April 1985) is an Australian racing driver, who has previously competed in the Supercars Championship. He currently shares duties with Bruno Correia as the Medical Car driver for Formula One.
Biography Formula T ...
left
Kelly Racing
Kelly Racing (formerly known as Kelly Grove Racing and Nissan Motorsport) is an Australian motor racing team which competes in the Dunlop Super2 Series. It formerly competed in the Supercars Championship from 2009 to 2021. The team made its de ...
at the end of 2012,
and moved to the
Australian Carrera Cup Championship
Porsche Carrera Cup Australia (known commercially as the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia) is an Australian motor racing series open to Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars. First held in 2003, it is administered by Porsche Cars Australia Pty Lt ...
.
* At the end of the
2012 season,
Shane van Gisbergen
Shane Robert van Gisbergen (born 9 May 1989), also known by his initials SVG, is a New Zealand professional auto racing, racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro (sixth generation)#ZL1, C ...
announced plans to leave the category in order to rejuvenate himself and consider his future. In January 2013, he announced that he would re-enter the championship, driving for
Tekno Autosports
Tekno Autosports was an Australian motor racing team, established in the 1990s initially for the motor racing activities of Stephen Webb, and later his son Jonathon Webb. The team competed in the Supercars Championship using two Holden ZB Commo ...
.
Mid-season changes
* Jonny Reid was replaced by
Dunlop Series driver
Chaz Mostert
Chaz Michael Mostert (born 10 April 1992) is an Australian professional racing driver competing in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship. He currently drives the No. 25 Ford Mustang GT for Walkinshaw Andretti United. Mostert ...
prior to the Chill Perth 360.
* Following a major accident at the Phillip Island event, James Courtney was forced to miss the Sydney 500. He was replaced by the Holden Racing Team's endurance co-driver,
Nick Percat
Nicholas Paul Percat (born 14 September 1988) is an Australian racing driver who currently races in the Repco Supercars Championship, driving for Matt Stone Racing in the No. 10 Chevrolet Camaro. He won the Bathurst 1000 at his first attemp ...
.
Season calendar
The 2013 calendar was released on 15 October 2012.
The season consisted of thirty-six races to be held at fourteen venues in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
,
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
and the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
,
plus an additional
non-championship event that was held at the
Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit
Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
in support of the
2013 Australian Grand Prix
The 2013 Australian Grand Prix (formally known as the 2013 Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race that was held on 17 March 2013 as the opening round of the 2013 World Championship. The race was held at the Melbourn ...
.
Calendar changes
* The
Circuit of the Americas
Circuit of the Americas (COTA) is a Grade 1 Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, FIA-specification motor racing track and facilities located in Austin, Texas, United States. The facility is home to the Formula One United States Grand Pr ...
in
Austin, Texas
Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...
hosted an event of the championship on 17–19 May.
The series used the shorter "national" circuit, instead of the full layout.
* The
Hamilton 400
The Hamilton 400 was a V8 Supercar motor racing event held on the Hamilton Street Circuit, Hamilton, New Zealand. The event was held from 2008 to 2012, and is one of only three New Zealand circuits to host a championship round of V8 Supercars.
...
was held for the final time in 2012. It was replaced by an event at
Pukekohe Park Raceway
Pukekohe Park Raceway was a former car racing track that was situated on the outside of the Pukekohe Park Thoroughbred Racetrack, located in the surrounds of Pukekohe.
The Raceway was opened in 1963 as a permanent track, replacing Ardmore Ae ...
, which last hosted a championship event in
2007
2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year.
Events
January
* January 1
**Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
. The Pukekohe Park circuit was reconfigured to accommodate the category after it was awarded "International" status by the
FIA in
2011
The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
. This act required the circuit to meet the criteria for an FIA Grade-2 certification, necessitating the changes.
* After returning to the calendar in 2012, the
Sydney Motorsport Park
Sydney Motorsport Park (known until May 2012 as Eastern Creek International Raceway) is a motorsport circuit located on Brabham Drive, Eastern Creek (40-kilometres west of the Sydney CBD), New South Wales, Australia, adjacent to the Western ...
did not host an event in 2013.
* The
Yas Marina Circuit
The Yas Marina Circuit (Arabic: حلبة مرسى ياس) is a 5.281 km (3.281 mi) motorsport circuit situated on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The circuit was designed by Hermann Tilke. It has hosted the season-ending Formula One ...
was initially scheduled to host the
Yas V8 400
The Yas Marina Circuit V8 Supercar Event was a V8 Supercars motor racing event held at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The event was held from 2010 to 2012.
History
The inaugural Yas V8 400 in 2010 was the opening eve ...
in support of the
2013 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
The 2013 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (formally known as the 2013 Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race that was held at the Yas Marina Circuit on 3 November 2013. The race was the seventeenth round of the 2013 sea ...
, but with the Grand Prix support bill expanding to include rounds of the
GP2 and
GP3 Series
The GP3 Series, or GP3 for short, was a single-seater motor racing series launched in 2010 as a feeder series for the GP2 Series, introduced by GP2 organiser Bruno Michel. GP3 followed the entire European leg of the Formula One series and the ...
championships, the event was removed from the V8 Supercars calendar.
Format changes
* The events at
Symmons Plains,
Barbagallo,
Hidden Valley,
Queensland Raceway
Queensland Raceway nicknamed "the paperclip" is a motor racing circuit located at Willowbank, Queensland, Willowbank in Ipswich, Queensland, Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. The circuit hosted Supercars Championship until 2019, Drifting (motor ...
,
Winton and
Phillip Island
Phillip Island (Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung: ''Corriong'', ''Worne'' or ''Millowl'') is an Australian island about south-southeast of Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria. The island is named after Arthur Phillip, Governor Arthur P ...
all featured a new three-race format, dubbed the "60/60 Sprint" format. The Saturday race was 120-kilometres in length but split into two 60-kilometre halves with a fifteen-minute break in between to allow teams the opportunity to service their cars. The starting grid for the second half of the race was determined by the finishing order of the first half of the race. The remaining two races were then held on Sunday at 100-kilometres in length each. Originally, a driver who finished one lap down in the first half would remain one lap down at the start of the second half of the race. This was changed following the Symmons Plains event, with drivers who were a lap down at the end of the first half gaining the lap back for the second half.
* Teams were no longer required to compete with a co-driver from an international racing series for the
Gold Coast 600
The Gold Coast 500 (known for sponsorship reasons as the Boost Mobile (Australia), Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500) is an annual motor racing event for Supercars Championship, Supercars, held at the Surfers Paradise Street Circuit in Surfers Parad ...
. Instead, teams were free to partner each of their drivers with any co-driver they choose, and allowed to enter the same co-drivers for the
Sandown 500
The Sandown 500 (commercially titled Penrite, Penrite Oil Sandown 500) is an annual endurance racing (motorsport), endurance Auto racing, motor race which is staged at the Sandown Raceway, near Melbourne, Victoria, Australia from 1964. The even ...
,
Bathurst 1000
The Bathurst 1000 (known for sponsorship reasons as the Repco Bathurst 1000) is a Touring car racing, touring car race held annually on the Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia. It is currently run as part of the Supe ...
and Gold Coast 600. The drivers with the most points from the three endurance races received the "
Enduro Cup
The Enduro Cup is an award given out to the highest points scorers over the three endurance events in Supercars, currently The Bend 500 and the Bathurst 1000. The Cup was previously awarded from 2013 to 2019 before being relaunched in 2025.
Back ...
", a new trophy introduced for 2013.
Rule changes
New Generation V8 Supercar
The ''New Generation V8 Supercar'' (originally ''Car of the Future'') project was first announced in
2008
2008 was designated as:
*International Year of Languages
*International Year of Planet Earth
*International Year of the Potato
*International Year of Sanitation
The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
, when a working group was established to explore options for the long-term future of the category. The study found that in the fifteen years since the category had been restricted to a two manufacturers, the costs of building and racing with a competitive car had doubled, with some estimates putting the cost as high as
A$600,000 per car, per season.
The Car of the Future program was created to address this, aiming to reduce running costs to $250,000. This was achieved through the use of "control" parts; where teams had previously been charged with designing and developing their own parts, the Car of the Future regulations called for these parts to be built independently and to a set specification. The basic
chassis
A chassis (, ; plural ''chassis'' from French châssis ) is the load-bearing framework of a manufactured object, which structurally supports the object in its construction and function. An example of a chassis is a vehicle frame, the underpart ...
and
roll cage
A roll cage is a specially engineered and constructed frame built in (or sometimes around, in which case it is known as an exo cage) the passenger compartment of a vehicle to protect its occupants from being injured or killed in an accident, pa ...
,
differential,
brake
A brake is a machine, mechanical device that inhibits motion by absorbing energy from a moving system. It is used for Acceleration, slowing or stopping a moving vehicle, wheel, axle, or to prevent its motion, most often accomplished by means of ...
s,
cooling
Cooling is removal of heat, usually resulting in a lower temperature and/or Phase transition, phase change. Temperature lowering achieved by any other means may also be called cooling.
The Heat transfer, transfer of Internal energy, thermal energ ...
and
fuel systems and
rear suspension
Suspension is the system of tires, tire air, spring (device), springs, shock absorbers and Linkage (mechanical), linkages that connects a vehicle to its wheels and allows relative motion between the two. Suspension systems must support b ...
were all changed to control parts.
The category also introduced a larger
fuel tank
A fuel tank (also called a petrol tank or gas tank) is a safe container for Flammability, flammable fluids, often gasoline or diesel fuel. Though any storage tank for fuel may be so called, the term is typically applied to part of an engine sys ...
to combat the phenomenon of "economy racing" whereby drivers would be forced to drive conservatively late in the race so as to preserve enough fuel to reach the finish. The larger tanks and a restructuring of event formats to include more compulsory pit stops instead allowed drivers to push as hard as they pleased until the end of the race.
Manufacturers were free to develop their own
aerodynamic aids to suit their cars, which were then put through a rigorous system of parity testing so as to refine the aerodynamics of each model of car so as to prevent one model from having a distinct advantage over the others. Finally, manufacturers were also given the option of using "generic" engines developed by the category and re-badged to reflect the manufacturer using them—though as the season started, no manufacturers had elected to do so—or developing their own
engine
An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy.
Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power ge ...
s, which would be built to specifications and then be subject to a process of
homologation
Homologation (Greek language, Greek ''homologeo'', ὁμολογέω, "to agree") is the granting of approval by an official authority. This may be a court of law, a government department, or an academic or professional body, any of which would n ...
to ensure that all engines developed by the manufacturer would be identical. In order to ensure the cars can remain competitive, the process of homologation only applies to the basic engine platform, which teams will be free to develop over the course of the season.
With the requirement that all teams build brand-new cars for the 2013 season, most of the cars that were raced in 2011 and 2012 were sold to teams competing in the
V8 Development Series, the second-tier category for V8 Supercars.
In November 2013 the ''Car of the Future'' was officially renamed the ''New Generation V8 Supercar''.
Season summary
The
first race of the season took place on the streets of Adelaide and saw
Triple Eight Race Engineering
Triple Eight Race Engineering, branded as Red Bull Ampol Racing in Supercars, is an Australian motor racing team competing in the Supercars Championship. The team has been the only Brisbane-based V8 Supercar team since its formation, originall ...
emerge with a firm hold on the championship lead.
Craig Lowndes
Craig Andrew Lowndes (born 21 June 1974) is an Australian racing car driver in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship racing for Triple Eight Race Engineering. He is also a TV commentator.
Lowndes is a three-time V8 Superca ...
won the first of the two races after pole-sitter
Shane van Gisbergen
Shane Robert van Gisbergen (born 9 May 1989), also known by his initials SVG, is a New Zealand professional auto racing, racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro (sixth generation)#ZL1, C ...
made a poor start and ultimately retired from the race.
Will Davison
William Davison (born 30 August 1982) is an Australian professional racing driver. He currently drives the No.17 Ford Mustang (sixth generation), Ford Mustang GT for Dick Johnson Racing in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championshi ...
finished second, with reigning drivers' champion
Jamie Whincup
Jamie David Whincup (born 6 February 1983) is an Australian professional racing driver competing in the Supercars Championship. He currently is team principal for Triple Eight Race Engineering. He has driven the No. 88 Holden Commodore (ZB), Ho ...
completing the podium.
Van Gisbergen claimed pole in the second race and went on to win by two seconds ahead of Whincup. Lowndes recovered from a poor qualifying session to finish third, giving him a twelve-point championship lead over Whincup, and a thirty-one point lead over Davison in third place.
Rick Kelly
Rick Kelly (born 17 January 1983) is an Australian professional racing driver who previously competed in the Supercars Championship. He last drove the No. 15 Ford Mustang (sixth generation), Ford Mustang GT for Kelly Racing. Previously, he dro ...
achieved a best finish of eleventh place for Nissan in the first race, whilst the
Mercedes-Benz E63 AMGs prepared by
Erebus Motorsport
Erebus Motorsport (formerly known as Erebus Racing) is an Australian motor racing team. The team competes in the Supercars Championship with two Chevrolet Camaro (sixth generation)#ZL1, Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s. The team's current drivers are Jack ...
struggled throughout the weekend, with
Tim Slade
Timothy Slade (born 3 August 1985) is a retired Australian racing driver who is best known for competing in the Repco Supercars Championship.
Early career
Slade first appeared at a national level racing in the 2003 Australian Formula Ford C ...
recording a best result of fifteenth place.
Brad Jones Racing
Brad Jones Racing is an Australian motor racing team owned by Brad Jones based in Albury. The team competes in the Supercars Championship and the Super2 Series. Recently they have also returned to Australian Formula Ford where Brad and Kim be ...
won all three of the races at the next event of the championship in
Tasmania
Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...
.
Fabian Coulthard
Fabian "Fabs" Coulthard (born 28 July 1982) is a New Zealand professional race car driver, currently competing in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship, who will drive as an endurance co-driver for Nick Percat with Walkinshaw ...
secured his maiden V8 Supercars race win in the first race,
while
Jason Bright
Jason Paul Bright (born 7 March 1973) is a retired Australian racing driver who competed in the Supercars Championship, Virgin Australia Supercars Championship. He drove the No. 56 Ford Falcon (FG X), Ford FG X Falcon for Britek Motorsport, a ...
took his first race win since the
2011 Winton 300 when he won the second race.
Coulthard took a second win in the third and final race. Craig Lowndes lost the championship lead after an altercation with Shane van Gisbergen in the first race that saw Lowndes spin and puncture a tyre, leaving him to finish the race in twenty-sixth position, and Whincup gained the championship lead by finishing on the podium in the first race.
David Reynolds and
Scott Pye
Scott Robert Pye (born 8 January 1990) is an Australian professional racing driver. He currently co-drives in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship, and co-drivers in the No. 87 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Triple Eight Race Engi ...
were involved in separate accidents over the course of the meeting, the latter of which ruled Pye out of the next event in New Zealand.
The
next event
NeXT, Inc. (later NeXT Computer, Inc. and NeXT Software, Inc.) was an American technology company headquartered in Redwood City, California that specialized in computer workstations for higher education and business markets, and later develope ...
in New Zealand saw four different winners in four races.
Scott McLaughlin
Scott Thomas McLaughlin (; born 10 June 1993) is a New Zealand racing driver. He competes in the IndyCar Series, driving the No. 3 Dallara-Chevrolet for Team Penske. He previously raced in the Supercars Championship, in which he won the driver ...
became the youngest person to win a V8 Supercar race when he took his maiden victory in the first race as pole-sitter Jamie Whincup struggled with tyre problems at the start. Whincup survived a chaotic second race—in which Fabian Coulthard jumped the start; Shane van Gisbergen, Jason Bright and
James Courtney
James Anthony Courtney (born 29 June 1980) is an Australian racing driver competing in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship. He currently drives the No. 7 Ford Mustang (sixth generation), Ford Mustang GT for Blanchard Racin ...
all left the circuit at high speed; and
Mark Winterbottom
Mark James "Frosty" Winterbottom (born 20 May 1981) is an Australian former professional racing driver. He last competed in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship, driving the No. 18 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Team 18. His career ...
collided with Whincup whilst trying to pass for the lead on the last lap—to take his first win of the season. A rare mistake from Whincup saw him run wide in the third race, which was won by Will Davison, also in his—and
Ford's—first win of the season.
Jason Bright won the fourth race, and with it the
Jason Richards Memorial Trophy, as he scored the most points over the four races. Whincup's tyre problems in the first race and off-track excursion in the third meant that he lost the lead of the championship to Will Davison, whose lead was further established when Whincup was penalised fifteen points for an unsportsmanlike pass in the third race.
Triple Eight Race Engineering performed a clean sweep of the fourth event of the series at
Barbagallo Raceway
Wanneroo Raceway, currently known as CARCO.com.au Raceway for naming rights reasons, is a motorsport circuit located in Neerabup, approximately north of Perth in Western Australia. It was built by the WA Sporting Car Club.
The circuit was ...
, with Craig Lowndes winning the 60/60 sprint race on Saturday. This was Lowndes' ninety-first career race win, breaking
Mark Skaife
Mark Stephen Skaife (born 3 April 1967) is an Australian former racing driver. Skaife is a five-time champion of the Supercars Championship, V8 Supercar Championship Series, including its predecessor, the Australian Touring Car Championship, a ...
's record of ninety wins.
Jamie Whincup went on to win the following two races, and also took pole position for the first and third races; Jason Bright qualified on pole for the second.
Whincup's wins, coupled with a second place in the first race, allowed him to take the championship lead back from Will Davison, who suffered a puncture in the first race.
James Moffat provided
Nissan Motorsport
, abbreviated as Nismo, is a division of Nissan Motorsports & Customizing focused in motorsport and performance-oriented car models for Nissan. Nismo was initially a company, , formed in 1984 as a result of a merger of two motorsport departmen ...
with three top ten results, continuing the team's strong form from New Zealand.
Engine upgrades for Erebus Motorsport saw the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMGs find pace, with
Maro Engel
Maro René Engel (born 27 August 1985) is a Germans, German professional racing driver based in Monaco. He is a Mercedes-AMG factory driver since 2008 & brand ambassador since 2017.
He is a FIA GT World Cup Champion (2015, 2024), Nürburgring 2 ...
giving the team its first top ten qualifying result.
Chaz Mostert
Chaz Michael Mostert (born 10 April 1992) is an Australian professional racing driver competing in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship. He currently drives the No. 25 Ford Mustang GT for Walkinshaw Andretti United. Mostert ...
, replacing
Jonny Reid
Jonathan Ross Reid, more commonly known as Jonny Reid, (born 18 October 1983 in Auckland) is a New Zealand racing driver.
Career
Early career
Reid started his career in karting at the age of 8. In 1996, Reid won his first title, the New Ze ...
at
Dick Johnson Racing
Dick Johnson Racing (formerly DJR Team Penske) is Australia's oldest motor racing team competing in the Supercars Championship. Founded by Dick Johnson, the team's drivers have won ten Australian Touring Car Championship titles (five of the ...
, made a strong championship debut, finishing in the top fifteen in all three races. The Saturday race saw a major incident involving Scott Pye, who was launched into the air sideways and landed heavily in the infield after he made contact with Rick Kelly and
Garth Tander
Garth Dirk Tander (born 31 March 1977) is a multiple-championship winning Australian motor racing driver competing in the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship's Enduro Cup, co-driving for Grove Racing. He was the 2007 series champion for th ...
coming onto the back straight during the first race. Pye was uninjured and the car undamaged and the team was able to continue racing throughout the weekend.
Triple Eight Race Engineering
Triple Eight Race Engineering, branded as Red Bull Ampol Racing in Supercars, is an Australian motor racing team competing in the Supercars Championship. The team has been the only Brisbane-based V8 Supercar team since its formation, originall ...
dominated V8 Supercars' first foray into the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, with
Jamie Whincup
Jamie David Whincup (born 6 February 1983) is an Australian professional racing driver competing in the Supercars Championship. He currently is team principal for Triple Eight Race Engineering. He has driven the No. 88 Holden Commodore (ZB), Ho ...
winning three of the four races at the
Circuit of the Americas
Circuit of the Americas (COTA) is a Grade 1 Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, FIA-specification motor racing track and facilities located in Austin, Texas, United States. The facility is home to the Formula One United States Grand Pr ...
near
Austin
Austin refers to:
Common meanings
* Austin, Texas, United States, a city
* Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
* Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters
* Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...
,
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
.
Fabian Coulthard
Fabian "Fabs" Coulthard (born 28 July 1982) is a New Zealand professional race car driver, currently competing in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship, who will drive as an endurance co-driver for Nick Percat with Walkinshaw ...
denied Whincup a clean sweep of the event when he won the third race. Whincup later caused controversy when he claimed that "external factors" had inspired an unorthodox penalty that he, Coulthard and
Craig Lowndes
Craig Andrew Lowndes (born 21 June 1974) is an Australian racing car driver in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship racing for Triple Eight Race Engineering. He is also a TV commentator.
Lowndes is a three-time V8 Superca ...
were given for breaching safety car regulations in the third race, implying that the penalty had been applied to allow a different driver to win the race. Elsewhere,
Rick Kelly
Rick Kelly (born 17 January 1983) is an Australian professional racing driver who previously competed in the Supercars Championship. He last drove the No. 15 Ford Mustang (sixth generation), Ford Mustang GT for Kelly Racing. Previously, he dro ...
demonstrated the
Nissan Altima L33's development by securing four top-ten finishes, whilst
James Moffat claimed an extra top-ten finish for the marque in the second race.
Erebus Motorsport
Erebus Motorsport (formerly known as Erebus Racing) is an Australian motor racing team. The team competes in the Supercars Championship with two Chevrolet Camaro (sixth generation)#ZL1, Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s. The team's current drivers are Jack ...
, on the other hand, continued their difficult introduction to V8 Supercars, spending most of the weekend outside the top twenty.
David Reynolds took the second pole position of his career at
Hidden Valley Raceway
Hidden Valley Raceway is part of the Hidden Valley Motorsports Complex, located at 171 Hidden Valley Road, Hidden Valley, from Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. The Hidden Valley Motorsports Complex includes a 1 km drag racing track ...
and despite leading the 60/60 Sprint race at the halfway mark, contact with
Mark Winterbottom
Mark James "Frosty" Winterbottom (born 20 May 1981) is an Australian former professional racing driver. He last competed in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship, driving the No. 18 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Team 18. His career ...
robbed him of the chance to take his maiden victory.
Jamie Whincup
Jamie David Whincup (born 6 February 1983) is an Australian professional racing driver competing in the Supercars Championship. He currently is team principal for Triple Eight Race Engineering. He has driven the No. 88 Holden Commodore (ZB), Ho ...
went on to win the race ahead of
Shane van Gisbergen
Shane Robert van Gisbergen (born 9 May 1989), also known by his initials SVG, is a New Zealand professional auto racing, racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro (sixth generation)#ZL1, C ...
, who had spent most of practice struggling with mechanical problems, and
James Courtney
James Anthony Courtney (born 29 June 1980) is an Australian racing driver competing in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship. He currently drives the No. 7 Ford Mustang (sixth generation), Ford Mustang GT for Blanchard Racin ...
. Courtney claimed his first pole position since the
Winton event in the
2010 season for the second race, whilst Reynolds bounced back from his difficulties in the sprint race to take pole again. Winterbottom recovered from the Saturday incident to win the second race from Courtney and
Craig Lowndes
Craig Andrew Lowndes (born 21 June 1974) is an Australian racing car driver in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship racing for Triple Eight Race Engineering. He is also a TV commentator.
Lowndes is a three-time V8 Superca ...
, while Lowndes would win the third race ahead of Winterbottom and Reynolds. Whincup was given a drive-through penalty in the third race for spinning his wheels while the car was in the air, allowing Lowndes to close the points gap in the championship.
James Rosenberg Racing
James Rosenberg Racing was a V8 Supercars, V8 Supercar racing team owned by South Australian agricultural business identity, James Rosenberg. The team was reformed in 2010 with Tim Slade as the team's driver after a toe-in-the water year working ...
's
Tim Slade
Timothy Slade (born 3 August 1985) is a retired Australian racing driver who is best known for competing in the Repco Supercars Championship.
Early career
Slade first appeared at a national level racing in the 2003 Australian Formula Ford C ...
demonstrated a reversal of fortunes for the
Mercedes AMG E63 teams, finishing in the top ten in the first race and qualifying inside the top ten for the second and third races. However, his luck ran out on the first lap in the third race when he was involved in a multi-car accident which caused a red flag and eliminated himself,
Lee Holdsworth
Lee Robert Holdsworth (born 2 February 1983) is an Australian semi-retired racing driver. He won the 2021 Bathurst 1000 alongside Chaz Mostert and finished his full-time career after the 2022 season, after nearly two decades of racing.
Histor ...
,
Alex Davison
Alexander Davison (born 3 November 1979) is a Auto racing, racing driver from Australia. He was the 2004 Australian Carrera Cup Championship, 2004 Porsche Carrera Cup Australia champion.
Junior career
Starting in karts at a young age, he prog ...
,
Dean Fiore
Dean Fiore (born 1 December 1983) is an Australian professional racing driver. Fiore competed in the 2022 Bathurst 1000 for Brad Jones Racing as a co-driver alongside Bryce Fullwood in the No. 14 Holden Commodore (ZB).
Racing career
Fiore i ...
,
David Wall,
Alexandre Prémat
Alexandre Prémat (born 5 November 1982) is a French racing driver. He won the Pirtek Enduro Cup for Triple Eight Race Engineering alongside Shane van Gisbergen in 2016. He also won the 2019 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 with Scott McLaughlin (r ...
and
James Moffat.
Scott McLaughlin
Scott Thomas McLaughlin (; born 10 June 1993) is a New Zealand racing driver. He competes in the IndyCar Series, driving the No. 3 Dallara-Chevrolet for Team Penske. He previously raced in the Supercars Championship, in which he won the driver ...
,
Jason Bright
Jason Paul Bright (born 7 March 1973) is a retired Australian racing driver who competed in the Supercars Championship, Virgin Australia Supercars Championship. He drove the No. 56 Ford Falcon (FG X), Ford FG X Falcon for Britek Motorsport, a ...
,
Fabian Coulthard
Fabian "Fabs" Coulthard (born 28 July 1982) is a New Zealand professional race car driver, currently competing in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship, who will drive as an endurance co-driver for Nick Percat with Walkinshaw ...
and
Russell Ingall
Russell Peter Ingall (born 24 February 1964 in London, England) is a former full-time Australian V8 Supercar driver. He won his V8 Supercars title in 2005, and finished second in 1998, 1999, 2001 and 2004. Ingall has also won the Bathurst 100 ...
were also involved in the crash but were able to take part in the restarted race. German driver
Maro Engel
Maro René Engel (born 27 August 1985) is a Germans, German professional racing driver based in Monaco. He is a Mercedes-AMG factory driver since 2008 & brand ambassador since 2017.
He is a FIA GT World Cup Champion (2015, 2024), Nürburgring 2 ...
scored a career-best ninth place in the third race, capitalising on the first lap crash.
The seventh event in
Townsville
The City of Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 201,313 as of 2024, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland and Northern Australia (specifically, the parts of Australia north of ...
saw mixed results. Series veteran
Russell Ingall
Russell Peter Ingall (born 24 February 1964 in London, England) is a former full-time Australian V8 Supercar driver. He won his V8 Supercars title in 2005, and finished second in 1998, 1999, 2001 and 2004. Ingall has also won the Bathurst 100 ...
made his 226th championship event start, breaking
John Bowe's record of 225, and used the number 226 in celebration of the achievement.
Shane van Gisbergen
Shane Robert van Gisbergen (born 9 May 1989), also known by his initials SVG, is a New Zealand professional auto racing, racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro (sixth generation)#ZL1, C ...
continued his strong street circuit form from Adelaide, taking pole position for the Saturday race. However, a penalty from a pit lane infringement dropped him down the order. The
Ford Performance Racing
Tickford Racing (formerly known as Prodrive Racing Australia and Ford Performance Racing) is an Australian motor racing team which competes in the Supercars Championship. The team currently campaigns two Ford Mustangs, with their current driv ...
duo of
Will Davison
William Davison (born 30 August 1982) is an Australian professional racing driver. He currently drives the No.17 Ford Mustang (sixth generation), Ford Mustang GT for Dick Johnson Racing in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championshi ...
and
Mark Winterbottom
Mark James "Frosty" Winterbottom (born 20 May 1981) is an Australian former professional racing driver. He last competed in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship, driving the No. 18 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Team 18. His career ...
were able to capitalise on this and take a one-two finish ahead of
Brad Jones Racing
Brad Jones Racing is an Australian motor racing team owned by Brad Jones based in Albury. The team competes in the Supercars Championship and the Super2 Series. Recently they have also returned to Australian Formula Ford where Brad and Kim be ...
's
Fabian Coulthard
Fabian "Fabs" Coulthard (born 28 July 1982) is a New Zealand professional race car driver, currently competing in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship, who will drive as an endurance co-driver for Nick Percat with Walkinshaw ...
. Winterbottom took pole for the second race on Sunday but lost out on strategy, after many drivers pitted during an early safety car to do a double stint on soft tyres. The
Holden Racing Team
Walkinshaw Andretti United is an Australian motor racing team based in the Melbourne suburb of Clayton. The team, initially branded as the Holden Racing Team, used to field Holden Commodores in the Supercars Championship before making the swit ...
utilised this strategy to finish first and second, their first win since the
2011 Bathurst 1000
The 2011 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 was an Australian touring car motor race for V8 Supercars. The race was on Sunday, 9 October 2011 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia and was Race 20 of the 2 ...
, with
Garth Tander
Garth Dirk Tander (born 31 March 1977) is a multiple-championship winning Australian motor racing driver competing in the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship's Enduro Cup, co-driving for Grove Racing. He was the 2007 series champion for th ...
leading
James Courtney
James Anthony Courtney (born 29 June 1980) is an Australian racing driver competing in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship. He currently drives the No. 7 Ford Mustang (sixth generation), Ford Mustang GT for Blanchard Racin ...
. Van Gisbergen rounded out the podium while Winterbottom finished fourth.
Championship leaders
Triple Eight Race Engineering
Triple Eight Race Engineering, branded as Red Bull Ampol Racing in Supercars, is an Australian motor racing team competing in the Supercars Championship. The team has been the only Brisbane-based V8 Supercar team since its formation, originall ...
endured a difficult weekend, with both
Jamie Whincup
Jamie David Whincup (born 6 February 1983) is an Australian professional racing driver competing in the Supercars Championship. He currently is team principal for Triple Eight Race Engineering. He has driven the No. 88 Holden Commodore (ZB), Ho ...
and
Craig Lowndes
Craig Andrew Lowndes (born 21 June 1974) is an Australian racing car driver in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship racing for Triple Eight Race Engineering. He is also a TV commentator.
Lowndes is a three-time V8 Superca ...
qualifying outside of the top ten for the first race. Lowndes was able to recover to fourth using an alternative strategy while Whincup finished seventh. The team was not able to recover over night, with Lowndes and Whincup finishing seventh and eleventh respectively on Sunday. Lowndes was able to take 48 points out of Whincup's championship lead, bringing it down from 159 to 111 points.
Erebus Motorsport
Erebus Motorsport (formerly known as Erebus Racing) is an Australian motor racing team. The team competes in the Supercars Championship with two Chevrolet Camaro (sixth generation)#ZL1, Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s. The team's current drivers are Jack ...
again finished in the top ten, with
Tim Slade
Timothy Slade (born 3 August 1985) is a retired Australian racing driver who is best known for competing in the Repco Supercars Championship.
Early career
Slade first appeared at a national level racing in the 2003 Australian Formula Ford C ...
finishing eighth on Sunday. The Sunday race also saw
Tony D'Alberto
Antonio Alvano "Tony" D'Alberto (born 9 December 1985) is an Australian professional racing driver. He currently drives the No.17 Ford Mustang S650, Ford Mustang GT for Dick Johnson Racing as a co-driver in the Supercars Championship.
Racing ca ...
equal his career-best result with a sixth place while Ingall returned to the top ten with a fifth.
Triple Eight Race Engineering
Triple Eight Race Engineering, branded as Red Bull Ampol Racing in Supercars, is an Australian motor racing team competing in the Supercars Championship. The team has been the only Brisbane-based V8 Supercar team since its formation, originall ...
returned to form at
Queensland Raceway
Queensland Raceway nicknamed "the paperclip" is a motor racing circuit located at Willowbank, Queensland, Willowbank in Ipswich, Queensland, Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. The circuit hosted Supercars Championship until 2019, Drifting (motor ...
, with
Jamie Whincup
Jamie David Whincup (born 6 February 1983) is an Australian professional racing driver competing in the Supercars Championship. He currently is team principal for Triple Eight Race Engineering. He has driven the No. 88 Holden Commodore (ZB), Ho ...
winning the 60/60 Sprint race from pole position ahead of
Scott McLaughlin
Scott Thomas McLaughlin (; born 10 June 1993) is a New Zealand racing driver. He competes in the IndyCar Series, driving the No. 3 Dallara-Chevrolet for Team Penske. He previously raced in the Supercars Championship, in which he won the driver ...
and
Mark Winterbottom
Mark James "Frosty" Winterbottom (born 20 May 1981) is an Australian former professional racing driver. He last competed in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship, driving the No. 18 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Team 18. His career ...
.
The race featured several incidents, firstly with Whincup's teammate
Craig Lowndes
Craig Andrew Lowndes (born 21 June 1974) is an Australian racing car driver in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship racing for Triple Eight Race Engineering. He is also a TV commentator.
Lowndes is a three-time V8 Superca ...
touching the rear of Winterbottom's car on the first lap and causing both Winterbottom and
Fabian Coulthard
Fabian "Fabs" Coulthard (born 28 July 1982) is a New Zealand professional race car driver, currently competing in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship, who will drive as an endurance co-driver for Nick Percat with Walkinshaw ...
to lose positions.
Todd Kelly
Todd Evan Kelly (born 9 October 1979) is a retired Australian professional racing driver who competed in the Supercars Championship, Virgin Australia Supercars Championship. He is the older brother of fellow Supercars driver and former Bathurst ...
had separate altercations with
David Wall and
Chaz Mostert
Chaz Michael Mostert (born 10 April 1992) is an Australian professional racing driver competing in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship. He currently drives the No. 25 Ford Mustang GT for Walkinshaw Andretti United. Mostert ...
, with Wall and Mostert coming off worse in each incident.
Lee Holdsworth
Lee Robert Holdsworth (born 2 February 1983) is an Australian semi-retired racing driver. He won the 2021 Bathurst 1000 alongside Chaz Mostert and finished his full-time career after the 2022 season, after nearly two decades of racing.
Histor ...
was forced out of the race after contact with
Dean Fiore
Dean Fiore (born 1 December 1983) is an Australian professional racing driver. Fiore competed in the 2022 Bathurst 1000 for Brad Jones Racing as a co-driver alongside Bryce Fullwood in the No. 14 Holden Commodore (ZB).
Racing career
Fiore i ...
and
Michael Caruso.
Whincup again took pole for the second race but was beaten by McLaughlin for the race win, with
James Courtney
James Anthony Courtney (born 29 June 1980) is an Australian racing driver competing in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship. He currently drives the No. 7 Ford Mustang (sixth generation), Ford Mustang GT for Blanchard Racin ...
finishing third. The final race featured tyre problems which affected many drivers: Whincup, McLaughlin, Courtney,
Garth Tander
Garth Dirk Tander (born 31 March 1977) is a multiple-championship winning Australian motor racing driver competing in the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship's Enduro Cup, co-driving for Grove Racing. He was the 2007 series champion for th ...
,
Alex Davison
Alexander Davison (born 3 November 1979) is a Auto racing, racing driver from Australia. He was the 2004 Australian Carrera Cup Championship, 2004 Porsche Carrera Cup Australia champion.
Junior career
Starting in karts at a young age, he prog ...
and
David Wall all had punctures which dropped them down the order. In just his fifteenth race,
Chaz Mostert
Chaz Michael Mostert (born 10 April 1992) is an Australian professional racing driver competing in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship. He currently drives the No. 25 Ford Mustang GT for Walkinshaw Andretti United. Mostert ...
of
Dick Johnson Racing
Dick Johnson Racing (formerly DJR Team Penske) is Australia's oldest motor racing team competing in the Supercars Championship. Founded by Dick Johnson, the team's drivers have won ten Australian Touring Car Championship titles (five of the ...
won the race from second on the grid, ahead of pole-sitter
Will Davison
William Davison (born 30 August 1982) is an Australian professional racing driver. He currently drives the No.17 Ford Mustang (sixth generation), Ford Mustang GT for Dick Johnson Racing in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championshi ...
and Winterbottom. It was the first victory for Dick Johnson Racing since November 2010.
James Moffat took his first win and the maiden victory for
Nissan Motorsport
, abbreviated as Nismo, is a division of Nissan Motorsports & Customizing focused in motorsport and performance-oriented car models for Nissan. Nismo was initially a company, , formed in 1984 as a result of a merger of two motorsport departmen ...
in the 60/60 Sprint race at
Winton, Nissan's first win in an Australian Touring Car Championship or V8 Supercar race since 1992. His teammate
Michael Caruso, who led the first half of the race, finished in second with
Jason Bright
Jason Paul Bright (born 7 March 1973) is a retired Australian racing driver who competed in the Supercars Championship, Virgin Australia Supercars Championship. He drove the No. 56 Ford Falcon (FG X), Ford FG X Falcon for Britek Motorsport, a ...
completing the podium for
Brad Jones Racing
Brad Jones Racing is an Australian motor racing team owned by Brad Jones based in Albury. The team competes in the Supercars Championship and the Super2 Series. Recently they have also returned to Australian Formula Ford where Brad and Kim be ...
.
Controversy surrounded Moffat's victory, however, as the two Nissans used an E70 fuel blend (compared to the usual E85) in an effort to evaluate its potential in balancing fuel economy between the engines used by Nissan and
Erebus Motorsport
Erebus Motorsport (formerly known as Erebus Racing) is an Australian motor racing team. The team competes in the Supercars Championship with two Chevrolet Camaro (sixth generation)#ZL1, Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s. The team's current drivers are Jack ...
and those used by Ford and Holden. Championship leader and pole-sitter
Jamie Whincup
Jamie David Whincup (born 6 February 1983) is an Australian professional racing driver competing in the Supercars Championship. He currently is team principal for Triple Eight Race Engineering. He has driven the No. 88 Holden Commodore (ZB), Ho ...
encountered a gearbox problem while leading, forcing his retirement.
Whincup's troubles continued in the second race, involved in a first lap crash after qualifying poorly. The crash also affected Caruso,
Alex Davison
Alexander Davison (born 3 November 1979) is a Auto racing, racing driver from Australia. He was the 2004 Australian Carrera Cup Championship, 2004 Porsche Carrera Cup Australia champion.
Junior career
Starting in karts at a young age, he prog ...
,
Russell Ingall
Russell Peter Ingall (born 24 February 1964 in London, England) is a former full-time Australian V8 Supercar driver. He won his V8 Supercars title in 2005, and finished second in 1998, 1999, 2001 and 2004. Ingall has also won the Bathurst 100 ...
,
Alexandre Prémat
Alexandre Prémat (born 5 November 1982) is a French racing driver. He won the Pirtek Enduro Cup for Triple Eight Race Engineering alongside Shane van Gisbergen in 2016. He also won the 2019 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 with Scott McLaughlin (r ...
and
Garth Tander
Garth Dirk Tander (born 31 March 1977) is a multiple-championship winning Australian motor racing driver competing in the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship's Enduro Cup, co-driving for Grove Racing. He was the 2007 series champion for th ...
.
Mark Winterbottom
Mark James "Frosty" Winterbottom (born 20 May 1981) is an Australian former professional racing driver. He last competed in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship, driving the No. 18 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Team 18. His career ...
won the race for
Ford Performance Racing
Tickford Racing (formerly known as Prodrive Racing Australia and Ford Performance Racing) is an Australian motor racing team which competes in the Supercars Championship. The team currently campaigns two Ford Mustangs, with their current driv ...
, ahead of pole-sitter Bright and
James Courtney
James Anthony Courtney (born 29 June 1980) is an Australian racing driver competing in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship. He currently drives the No. 7 Ford Mustang (sixth generation), Ford Mustang GT for Blanchard Racin ...
. Courtney started on pole for the final race and went on to win ahead of
Fabian Coulthard
Fabian "Fabs" Coulthard (born 28 July 1982) is a New Zealand professional race car driver, currently competing in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship, who will drive as an endurance co-driver for Nick Percat with Walkinshaw ...
and
Chaz Mostert
Chaz Michael Mostert (born 10 April 1992) is an Australian professional racing driver competing in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship. He currently drives the No. 25 Ford Mustang GT for Walkinshaw Andretti United. Mostert ...
. The race saw differing strategies with many drivers pitting for fresh tyres during a late safety car period and then making their way through the field.
Jamie Whincup
Jamie David Whincup (born 6 February 1983) is an Australian professional racing driver competing in the Supercars Championship. He currently is team principal for Triple Eight Race Engineering. He has driven the No. 88 Holden Commodore (ZB), Ho ...
and
Triple Eight Race Engineering
Triple Eight Race Engineering, branded as Red Bull Ampol Racing in Supercars, is an Australian motor racing team competing in the Supercars Championship. The team has been the only Brisbane-based V8 Supercar team since its formation, originall ...
recovered from their troubles at Winton to win the Sandown 500, with
Paul Dumbrell
Paul Lakeland Dumbrell (born 1 September 1982) is an Australian business executive and retired racing driver.
Racing history
Junior career
Son of former racing driver Garry Dumbrell, Paul Dumbrell started racing in karts in 1996 and by the en ...
co-driving the winning car. The win came despite a drive-through penalty for spinning the rear wheels while the car was jacked up during a pit stop. The pair finished ahead of their teammates
Craig Lowndes
Craig Andrew Lowndes (born 21 June 1974) is an Australian racing car driver in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship racing for Triple Eight Race Engineering. He is also a TV commentator.
Lowndes is a three-time V8 Superca ...
and
Warren Luff
Warren Raymond Luff (born 21 April 1976), is best known as a race driver, stunt driver and driver training instructor. He is the son of well-known driver training instructor Ian Luff. He currently co-drives for Team 18 in the Supercars Champions ...
and the pole-sitting
Ford Performance Racing
Tickford Racing (formerly known as Prodrive Racing Australia and Ford Performance Racing) is an Australian motor racing team which competes in the Supercars Championship. The team currently campaigns two Ford Mustangs, with their current driv ...
car of
Will Davison
William Davison (born 30 August 1982) is an Australian professional racing driver. He currently drives the No.17 Ford Mustang (sixth generation), Ford Mustang GT for Dick Johnson Racing in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championshi ...
and
Steve Owen.
Erebus Motorsport
Erebus Motorsport (formerly known as Erebus Racing) is an Australian motor racing team. The team competes in the Supercars Championship with two Chevrolet Camaro (sixth generation)#ZL1, Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s. The team's current drivers are Jack ...
achieved its best result of the season, with
Lee Holdsworth
Lee Robert Holdsworth (born 2 February 1983) is an Australian semi-retired racing driver. He won the 2021 Bathurst 1000 alongside Chaz Mostert and finished his full-time career after the 2022 season, after nearly two decades of racing.
Histor ...
and
Craig Baird
Craig George Baird (born 22 July 1970) is a New Zealand former racing driver who now is the driving standards observer for the Australians, Australian Supercars Championship.
Honours
In the 2010 New Year Honours (New Zealand), 2010 New Year ...
taking their
E63 AMG to fourth place.
Ashley Walsh
Ashley Daniel Walsh (born 11 January 1988) is a former Australian racing driver.
Karting
Walsh was a dual Australian Karting Champion in 2003 at his local Ipswich Kart Track driving a Tony Kart. He won the Junior Clubman and Junior Piston Port ...
, driving with
Tim Blanchard
Timothy William John Blanchard (born 30 June 1987) is an Australian racing driver.
Blanchard has raced in several other motor racing series, including the British Formula Ford Championship, and was the winner of the 2007 Australian Formula For ...
for
Dick Johnson Racing
Dick Johnson Racing (formerly DJR Team Penske) is Australia's oldest motor racing team competing in the Supercars Championship. Founded by Dick Johnson, the team's drivers have won ten Australian Touring Car Championship titles (five of the ...
, had a major accident at the end of the back straight on lap 35, significantly damaging the car.
An intense finish to the race saw
Mark Winterbottom
Mark James "Frosty" Winterbottom (born 20 May 1981) is an Australian former professional racing driver. He last competed in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship, driving the No. 18 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Team 18. His career ...
and
Steven Richards
Steven James Richards (born 11 July 1972) is a New Zealand-Australian racing driver, currently competing in the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia Championship.
Richards, the son of seven-time Bathurst 1000 winner Jim Richards (race driver), Jim Ri ...
win the Bathurst 1000 for
Ford Performance Racing
Tickford Racing (formerly known as Prodrive Racing Australia and Ford Performance Racing) is an Australian motor racing team which competes in the Supercars Championship. The team currently campaigns two Ford Mustangs, with their current driv ...
. It was Winterbottom's and the team's first victory in the race, while Richards won his third and Ford won their first since
2008
2008 was designated as:
*International Year of Languages
*International Year of Planet Earth
*International Year of the Potato
*International Year of Sanitation
The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
. The winners of the Sandown 500,
Jamie Whincup
Jamie David Whincup (born 6 February 1983) is an Australian professional racing driver competing in the Supercars Championship. He currently is team principal for Triple Eight Race Engineering. He has driven the No. 88 Holden Commodore (ZB), Ho ...
and
Paul Dumbrell
Paul Lakeland Dumbrell (born 1 September 1982) is an Australian business executive and retired racing driver.
Racing history
Junior career
Son of former racing driver Garry Dumbrell, Paul Dumbrell started racing in karts in 1996 and by the en ...
, finished second after Winterbottom and Whincup fought for the lead in the final stint, with their
Triple Eight Race Engineering
Triple Eight Race Engineering, branded as Red Bull Ampol Racing in Supercars, is an Australian motor racing team competing in the Supercars Championship. The team has been the only Brisbane-based V8 Supercar team since its formation, originall ...
teammates
Craig Lowndes
Craig Andrew Lowndes (born 21 June 1974) is an Australian racing car driver in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship racing for Triple Eight Race Engineering. He is also a TV commentator.
Lowndes is a three-time V8 Superca ...
and
Warren Luff
Warren Raymond Luff (born 21 April 1976), is best known as a race driver, stunt driver and driver training instructor. He is the son of well-known driver training instructor Ian Luff. He currently co-drives for Team 18 in the Supercars Champions ...
in third.
Scott Pye
Scott Robert Pye (born 8 January 1990) is an Australian professional racing driver. He currently co-drives in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship, and co-drivers in the No. 87 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Triple Eight Race Engi ...
achieved his best result of the season, finishing sixth with
Paul Morris, while the wildcard entry of
Andy Priaulx
Andrew Graham Priaulx, Order of the British Empire, MBE ( born 7 August 1974) is a British people, British racing driver from Guernsey. In 2019 he raced for Chip Ganassi Racing, Ford Chip Ganassi Team UK in the FIA World Endurance Championship, ...
and
Mattias Ekström
Bengt Mattias Ekström (born 14 July 1978) is a racing and rally driver from Sweden. He competed in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters for Audi from 2001 until his retirement in 2018, and has been competing in the FIA World Rallycross Championship ...
performed strongly to finish in tenth. The race was the quickest in history at six hours, eleven minutes and twenty-seven seconds with only two safety car periods. The first was to allow the clean-up of debris after
David Russell struck a kangaroo at Griffins Bend while a heavy crash for
Greg Murphy
Gregory David Murphy (born 23 August 1972) is a New Zealand professional racing driver, best known as a four-time winner of the Bathurst 1000. Greg Murphy joined Jeremy Clarkson and James May presenting Top Gear Live, when it had its first in ...
at Reid Park brought about the second safety car period. Despite finishing second, Whincup extended his championship over Lowndes by eighteen points, while Winterbottom overtook teammate
Will Davison
William Davison (born 30 August 1982) is an Australian professional racing driver. He currently drives the No.17 Ford Mustang (sixth generation), Ford Mustang GT for Dick Johnson Racing in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championshi ...
for third in the standings.
The twelfth event on the Gold Coast saw
Craig Lowndes
Craig Andrew Lowndes (born 21 June 1974) is an Australian racing car driver in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship racing for Triple Eight Race Engineering. He is also a TV commentator.
Lowndes is a three-time V8 Superca ...
take the championship lead from
Triple Eight Race Engineering
Triple Eight Race Engineering, branded as Red Bull Ampol Racing in Supercars, is an Australian motor racing team competing in the Supercars Championship. The team has been the only Brisbane-based V8 Supercar team since its formation, originall ...
teammate
Jamie Whincup
Jamie David Whincup (born 6 February 1983) is an Australian professional racing driver competing in the Supercars Championship. He currently is team principal for Triple Eight Race Engineering. He has driven the No. 88 Holden Commodore (ZB), Ho ...
after Whincup and co-driver
Paul Dumbrell
Paul Lakeland Dumbrell (born 1 September 1982) is an Australian business executive and retired racing driver.
Racing history
Junior career
Son of former racing driver Garry Dumbrell, Paul Dumbrell started racing in karts in 1996 and by the en ...
failed to finish the Saturday race, with Dumbrell causing a heavy crash for
Greg Murphy
Gregory David Murphy (born 23 August 1972) is a New Zealand professional racing driver, best known as a four-time winner of the Bathurst 1000. Greg Murphy joined Jeremy Clarkson and James May presenting Top Gear Live, when it had its first in ...
before suffering a drive-train failure. Lowndes and co-driver
Warren Luff
Warren Raymond Luff (born 21 April 1976), is best known as a race driver, stunt driver and driver training instructor. He is the son of well-known driver training instructor Ian Luff. He currently co-drives for Team 18 in the Supercars Champions ...
won the race from pole ahead of
Shane van Gisbergen
Shane Robert van Gisbergen (born 9 May 1989), also known by his initials SVG, is a New Zealand professional auto racing, racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro (sixth generation)#ZL1, C ...
and
Jeroen Bleekemolen
Jeroen Pascal Bleekemolen (born 23 October 1981 in Heemstede) is a Dutch professional Auto racing, racing driver. In the Chrysler Viper GTS-R he drove in the FIA GT Championship, with great success. He competed in the German Formula Three Champi ...
, the first Dutchman to stand on a V8 Supercar podium, and
Mark Winterbottom
Mark James "Frosty" Winterbottom (born 20 May 1981) is an Australian former professional racing driver. He last competed in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship, driving the No. 18 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Team 18. His career ...
and
Steven Richards
Steven James Richards (born 11 July 1972) is a New Zealand-Australian racing driver, currently competing in the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia Championship.
Richards, the son of seven-time Bathurst 1000 winner Jim Richards (race driver), Jim Ri ...
.
David Reynolds won the first race of his career in the Sunday race, with he and co-driver
Dean Canto
Dean Justin Canto (born 24 September 1980) is a multiple-championship winning Australian motor racing driver. Best noted as a Supercars driver, Canto was the inaugural winner of the second-tier V8 Supercar development series in 2000, and the fi ...
winning from pole.
Fabian Coulthard
Fabian "Fabs" Coulthard (born 28 July 1982) is a New Zealand professional race car driver, currently competing in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship, who will drive as an endurance co-driver for Nick Percat with Walkinshaw ...
and
Luke Youlden
Luke Gerard Youlden (born 28 January 1978) is an Australian Supercars series racing driver. He is the son of two-time Australian Production Car champion Kent Youlden (dec). Youlden currently drives for Kelly Grove Racing as a co-driver alongsi ...
finished second ahead of
Russell Ingall
Russell Peter Ingall (born 24 February 1964 in London, England) is a former full-time Australian V8 Supercar driver. He won his V8 Supercars title in 2005, and finished second in 1998, 1999, 2001 and 2004. Ingall has also won the Bathurst 100 ...
and
Ryan Briscoe
Ryan John Briscoe (born 24 September 1981) is an Australian–American professional racing driver from Sydney who has predominantly raced open-wheel and sports cars in Europe and America.
In IndyCar he collected 8 wins and 28 podiums, finishin ...
, Briscoe's first podium finish and Ingall's first since 2009.
James Courtney
James Anthony Courtney (born 29 June 1980) is an Australian racing driver competing in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship. He currently drives the No. 7 Ford Mustang (sixth generation), Ford Mustang GT for Blanchard Racin ...
and Murphy looked set to take victory until a steering problem put them out of the race. Whincup and Dumbrell finished fourth while Lowndes and Luff were eighth, leaving Lowndes with a six-point championship lead. Lowndes and Luff won the Endurance Cup ahead of Whincup and Dumbrell and Winterbottom and Richards.
The
Holden Racing Team
Walkinshaw Andretti United is an Australian motor racing team based in the Melbourne suburb of Clayton. The team, initially branded as the Holden Racing Team, used to field Holden Commodores in the Supercars Championship before making the swit ...
's
Garth Tander
Garth Dirk Tander (born 31 March 1977) is a multiple-championship winning Australian motor racing driver competing in the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship's Enduro Cup, co-driving for Grove Racing. He was the 2007 series champion for th ...
took his second win of the season in the 60/60 Sprint race at
Phillip Island
Phillip Island (Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung: ''Corriong'', ''Worne'' or ''Millowl'') is an Australian island about south-southeast of Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria. The island is named after Arthur Phillip, Governor Arthur P ...
, ahead of
Fabian Coulthard
Fabian "Fabs" Coulthard (born 28 July 1982) is a New Zealand professional race car driver, currently competing in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship, who will drive as an endurance co-driver for Nick Percat with Walkinshaw ...
and
Alex Davison
Alexander Davison (born 3 November 1979) is a Auto racing, racing driver from Australia. He was the 2004 Australian Carrera Cup Championship, 2004 Porsche Carrera Cup Australia champion.
Junior career
Starting in karts at a young age, he prog ...
, who scored his first podium of the season. The race included on a controversial incident between
Craig Lowndes
Craig Andrew Lowndes (born 21 June 1974) is an Australian racing car driver in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship racing for Triple Eight Race Engineering. He is also a TV commentator.
Lowndes is a three-time V8 Superca ...
and
Mark Winterbottom
Mark James "Frosty" Winterbottom (born 20 May 1981) is an Australian former professional racing driver. He last competed in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship, driving the No. 18 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Team 18. His career ...
, who came together while battling for the lead on the last lap of the first half of the race, resulting in the pair dropping to fifteenth and fifth places respectively. Other incidents during the first half allowed
Jamie Whincup
Jamie David Whincup (born 6 February 1983) is an Australian professional racing driver competing in the Supercars Championship. He currently is team principal for Triple Eight Race Engineering. He has driven the No. 88 Holden Commodore (ZB), Ho ...
, who had qualified poorly, to move up to sixth place. Whincup would go on to finish fourth in the race to retake the championship lead while Winterbottom finished fifth and Lowndes recovered to eighth. The race was marred by a major accident involving
Alexandre Prémat
Alexandre Prémat (born 5 November 1982) is a French racing driver. He won the Pirtek Enduro Cup for Triple Eight Race Engineering alongside Shane van Gisbergen in 2016. He also won the 2019 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 with Scott McLaughlin (r ...
and
James Courtney
James Anthony Courtney (born 29 June 1980) is an Australian racing driver competing in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship. He currently drives the No. 7 Ford Mustang (sixth generation), Ford Mustang GT for Blanchard Racin ...
. Prémat had a tyre failure going into turn three before sliding across the damp grass and hitting the driver's door of Courtney's car, causing significant damage to both cars while Courtney also suffered slight tissue damage on his right leg.
Triple Eight Race Engineering
Triple Eight Race Engineering, branded as Red Bull Ampol Racing in Supercars, is an Australian motor racing team competing in the Supercars Championship. The team has been the only Brisbane-based V8 Supercar team since its formation, originall ...
dominated Sunday's races, with Lowndes winning the first race ahead of teammate Whincup and
Shane van Gisbergen
Shane Robert van Gisbergen (born 9 May 1989), also known by his initials SVG, is a New Zealand professional auto racing, racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro (sixth generation)#ZL1, C ...
. Whincup went on to win the final race ahead of Winterbottom and Lowndes. This left Whincup with a 20-point lead over Lowndes in the championship heading into the final round, with Winterbottom 124 points off the lead.
Whincup sealed a record-equalling fifth title in the final round at
Sydney Olympic Park
Sydney Olympic Park is a suburb of Greater Western Sydney, located 13 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the Local government in Australia, local government area of the City of Parramatta, City of Parramatta Council. It i ...
, winning the first race (held in twilight) and scoring another podium in the second. Lowndes emerged from the first race as the only other championship challenger after he and Winterbottom became caught up in a tangle with Reynolds; the three-time champions' fuel coupling was damaged in the incident and resulted in a 15th-place finish, needing Whincup to not finish the Sunday race to stand a chance, whilst Winterbottom retired from the race after further contact with
Tony D'Alberto
Antonio Alvano "Tony" D'Alberto (born 9 December 1985) is an Australian professional racing driver. He currently drives the No.17 Ford Mustang S650, Ford Mustang GT for Dick Johnson Racing as a co-driver in the Supercars Championship.
Racing ca ...
. Van Gisbergen won the final race of the season to claim a top-five spot in the standings, overhauling Coulthard – who he had controversially collided with on the final lap of the first race.
Results and standings
Results summary
Points system
Points were awarded for each race at an event, to the driver/s of a car that completed at least 75% of the race distance and was running at the completion of the race, up to a maximum of 300 points per event.
* Single-race events:
Sandown 500
The Sandown 500 (commercially titled Penrite, Penrite Oil Sandown 500) is an annual endurance racing (motorsport), endurance Auto racing, motor race which is staged at the Sandown Raceway, near Melbourne, Victoria, Australia from 1964. The even ...
,
Bathurst 1000
The Bathurst 1000 (known for sponsorship reasons as the Repco Bathurst 1000) is a Touring car racing, touring car race held annually on the Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia. It is currently run as part of the Supe ...
* Two-race events:
Adelaide 500
The Adelaide 500, officially the BP Adelaide Grand Final, is an annual motor racing event for Supercars held on the streets of the east end of Adelaide, South Australia between 1999 and 2020 and again from 2022. The event uses a shortened form ...
,
Townsville 400
The Townsville 500 (formally known as the NTI Townsville 500) is an annual motor racing event for Supercars, held on the Reid Park Street Circuit in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. The event has been held since 2009.
The event was known ...
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Gold Coast 600
The Gold Coast 500 (known for sponsorship reasons as the Boost Mobile (Australia), Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500) is an annual motor racing event for Supercars Championship, Supercars, held at the Surfers Paradise Street Circuit in Surfers Parad ...
,
Sydney 500
The Sydney 500 was an annual motor racing event for Supercars Championship, Supercars, held at the Homebush Street Circuit in Sydney Olympic Park, New South Wales, Australia. The event was a regular part of the Supercars Championship from 2009 ...
* Three-race events:
Tasmania 360,
Perth 360,
Skycity Darwin Triple Crown,
Ipswich 360,
Winton 360,
Phillip Island 360
The Phillip Island SuperSprint was an annual motor racing event for Supercars, held at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in Phillip Island, Victoria. The event was a semi-regular part of the Supercars Championship, and its previous incarnation ...
* Four-race events:
Auckland 400
The Auckland SuperSprint was an annual motor racing event for Supercars Championship, Supercars, held at Pukekohe Park Raceway in Pukekohe, New Zealand. The event was a regular part of the Supercars Championship—and its previous incarnations, th ...
,
Austin 400
The Austin 400 was a motor racing event for V8 Supercars that took place at the Circuit of the Americas in Travis County near Austin, Texas, United States of America in 2013.
History
Its inaugural running took place between 17 and 19 May 2013, ...
Drivers' Championship
Pirtek Enduro Cup
Teams championship
Notes:
*
‡ — Denotes a single-car team.
Footnotes
See also
*
V8 Supercars
The Supercars Championship, also known as the Repco Supercars Championship under sponsorship and historically as V8 Supercars, is a touring car racing category in Australia and New Zealand, running as an International Series under Fédération I ...
*
2013 V8 Supercar season
*
2013 Dunlop V8 Supercar Series
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:International V8 Supercars Championship
2013
2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years).
2013 was designated as:
*International Year of Water Cooperation
*International Year of Quinoa
Events
January
* January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
2013 in V8 Supercars
2013 in motorsport