The ''Shannons Supercar Showdown'' was an Australian
reality television show
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...
based around the
International V8 Supercars Championship
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 ...
, with drivers competing for a test driver role with
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 ...
. Aired on
7mate
7mate is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, which was launched by the Seven Network on 25 September 2010. The channel contains sport and regular programs aimed primarily to a male audience, with programming drawn from a c ...
in Australia, seasons two and three of the series have appeared in syndication in 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 ...
on Vibrant TV Network.
Seasons 1 and 2
The first two seasons saw ten drivers from various disciplines competing against each other in a series of challenges to win a drive in the
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 ...
with V8 Supercar team
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 ...
. The winning driver would co-drive with the show's host, TV personality and racing driver
Grant Denyer
Grant Craig Denyer (born 12 September 1977) is an Australian television and radio presenter and motor racing driver, who has worked for several television networks, including Seven Network and Network 10, mostly serving as a presenter. He previ ...
.
Denyer withdrew from the
2012 Bathurst race with a shoulder injury and he was replaced by the 2011 series winner
Cameron Waters
Cameron Christopher Waters (born 3 August 1994) is an Australian professional racing driver who competes in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship. He currently drives the No. 6 Ford Mustang (sixth generation), Ford Mustang GT ...
.
The inaugural series was won by
Formula Ford
Formula Ford, also known as F1600 and Formula F, is an entry-level class of single-seater, open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held across the world have historically been an important step for many prospective Formula One dri ...
racer
Cameron Waters
Cameron Christopher Waters (born 3 August 1994) is an Australian professional racing driver who competes in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship. He currently drives the No. 6 Ford Mustang (sixth generation), Ford Mustang GT ...
defeating
British Touring Car Championship
The British Touring Car Championship (BTCC), officially known as the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship for sponsorship reasons, is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom, currently organised and administered by ...
racer
Andrew Jordan in the series finale. The second series saw
V8 Utes
The V8 Ute Racing Series, known originally as the V8 BRute Utes was an Australian motor racing series for utilities, derived from the Australian Production Car Championship. It was conceived in 2000 by PROCAR chief and owner Ross Palmer, V8 Ute P ...
series racer
Jesse Dixon defeating Formula Ford racer Glen Wood and
Carrera Cup racer
Andre Heimgartner
Andre Emil Heimgartner (born 8 June 1995) is a New Zealand motor-racing driver who currently competes in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship driving the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in the finale.
Season 3
The format of the show underwent a major change for the third season. Eight drivers, in two teams of four, competed for a test driver role with Ford Performance Racing in a series of challenges at
Calder Park Raceway
Calder Park Raceway is a motor racing circuit in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The complex includes a dragstrip, a road circuit with several possible configurations, and the "Thunderdome", a high-speed banked oval equipped to race either clo ...
. The season was presented by
Briony Ingerson. The two teams were called Team Davison and Team Winterbottom, named for the mentors of the two teams,
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 ...
.
In the final showdown the two drivers, both from Team Davison faced off. They were
Formula 3
Formula Three (F3) is a third-tier class of open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia form an important step for many prospective Formula One drivers.
History
Formula Three (adop ...
drivers
Todd Hazelwood
Todd Matthew Hazelwood (born 25 September 1995) is an Australian professional racing driver competing in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship for Dick Johnson Racing as a co-driver in the Shell V-Power Racing Ford Mustang.
...
and
Tim Macrow
Timothy Macrow (born 13 May 1984 in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria) is an Australian racing driver. He has competed in Australian Formula 3 and Porsche Supercup, winning the Australian Drivers' Championship twice in the former catego ...
. Hazelwood was proclaimed the series winner and won a drive in 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 ...
in a
Minda Motorsport Minda may refer to:
*Minzu University of China, Beijing, People's Republic of China; in Chinese as 民大 (''Míndà'')
*A character in Filipino soap opera '' Bituing Walang Ningning''
*A detention facility in Lidcombe, New South Wales
*A neighbour ...
prepared Holden Commodore V8 Supercar before taking on a test driver role with
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 ...
in season 2014.
Fate of the drivers
Competition winners
*
Cameron Waters
Cameron Christopher Waters (born 3 August 1994) is an Australian professional racing driver who competes in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship. He currently drives the No. 6 Ford Mustang (sixth generation), Ford Mustang GT ...
made his Development Series debut in 2012, contesting a half-campaign before joining
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 ...
as a junior driver. Waters would go on to compete in the second tier for another three seasons, winning the championship in
2015
2015 was designated by the United Nations as:
* International Year of Light
* International Year of Soil __TOC__
Events
January
* January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
and moving into the
Supercars Championship
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 ...
full-time, where as of the conclusion of the 2020 season he has won two races – one of which was the
2017 Sandown 500.
*
Jesse Dixon returned to the V8 Utes category, finishing 3rd overall in 2014 before stepping into the Development Series. He completed five rounds of the 2015 season for Image Racing before running out of funding, making a one-off appearance in Adelaide in
2016
2016 was designated as:
* International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly.
* International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
before a lack of sponsorship prevented him from furthering his career.
*
Todd Hazelwood
Todd Matthew Hazelwood (born 25 September 1995) is an Australian professional racing driver competing in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship for Dick Johnson Racing as a co-driver in the Shell V-Power Racing Ford Mustang.
...
continued his relationship with
Matt Stone Racing
Matt Stone Racing is an Australian racing team competing in the Supercars Championship with two Chevrolet Camaro (sixth generation) #ZL1, Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s. Cameron Hill drives the No. 4 car, while Nick Percat drives the No. 10 car.
Superca ...
after his debut season with the team in 2014, and remained with them until 2019. Like Waters, Hazelwood also won the Super2 Series, in
2017
2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly.
Events January
* January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
, and subsequently moved into the Supercars Championship. He moved to
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 ...
in
2020
The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
with whom he scored his first podium.
Other notable drivers
*
Chelsea Angelo went on to attempt to qualify for the
2019 W Series
The 2019 W Series was the inaugural motor racing season of the W Series (championship), W Series, an List of female racing drivers, all-female Formula Regional-level racing series.
Calendar
A single championship race was held at six rounds of th ...
, however would fail to progress beyond the evaluation tests and later raced in
TCR Australia.
*
Daniel Cammish
Daniel Cammish (born 10 April 1989) is a British racing driver currently competing in a Ford Focus for NAPA Racing UK in the British Touring Car Championship.
Early life
Cammish was born in Leeds, West Yorkshire. He attended Morley High Sch ...
went on to win the
British Formula Ford Championship
The British Formula Ford Championship was an entry-level single seater Auto racing, motor racing category, designed to give racing drivers their first step into car racing after karting. Drivers from around the world were attracted to the United ...
in
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 ...
and back-to-back
Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain
The Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain is a multi-event one-make motor racing series that takes place in the United Kingdom for the Porsche 911 GT3. Being the fastest and most successful single marque GT championship in the UK, the Carrera Cup ...
championships in
2015
2015 was designated by the United Nations as:
* International Year of Light
* International Year of Soil __TOC__
Events
January
* January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
and
2016
2016 was designated as:
* International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly.
* International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
. He debuted in the
British Touring Car Championship
The British Touring Car Championship (BTCC), officially known as the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship for sponsorship reasons, is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom, currently organised and administered by ...
in
2018
Events January
* January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency.
* January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
, finishing 10th overall.
*
Nick Cassidy
Nicholas Robert Cassidy (born 19 August 1994) is a New Zealand racing driver, currently competing in Formula E for Jaguar TCS Racing. He previously raced for Envision Racing in the series for three seasons, becoming the runner-up during the ...
forged a successful career in Japan, winning the
Japanese Formula 3 Championship
was a national motor racing championship that takes place in Japan. It is a junior-level feeder formula that uses small single seater Formula Three chassis.
As a result of Formula 3 naming regulations by the FIA, on 13 August 2019, series pr ...
in
2015
2015 was designated by the United Nations as:
* International Year of Light
* International Year of Soil __TOC__
Events
January
* January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
, the
Super GT
Super GT (stylized as SUPER GT) is a sports car racing series that began in 1993. Launched as the , generally referred to as the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship (JGTC), the series was renamed to Super GT in 2005. It is the top level of ...
GT500 class in
2017
2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly.
Events January
* January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
and the
Super Formula
The Japanese Super Formula Championship is a formula racing series held primarily in Japan. It is considered to be the pinnacle of single-seater racing in Japan or Asia as a whole, making it one of the top motorsport series in the region. The s ...
Championship in
2019
This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year.
Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...
. He now competes in
Formula E
Formula E, officially the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, is an open-wheel single-seater motorsport championship for electric cars. The racing series is the highest class of competition for electrically powered single-seater racing cars ...
.
*
Shae Davies
Shae William James Davies (born 8 March 1990) is an Australian professional racing driver. A Super2 Series veteran, Davies briefly drove for Erebus Motorsport during the 2016 V8 Supercars season. He currently competes in the S5000 Australian ...
has since completed a half-season campaign for
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 ...
in the
2016 International V8 Supercars Championship
The 2016 International V8 Supercars Championship (often simplified to the 2016 V8 Supercars Championship and known from 1 July as the 2016 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship) was an Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, FIA-sanc ...
and participated in
GT World Challenge Europe
GT World Challenge Europe (known as the Blancpain GT Series between 2014 and 2019) is a sports car racing series organised by SRO Motorsports Group. It features grand tourer racing cars modified from production road cars complying with the FIA's ...
in
2019
This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year.
Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...
.
*
James Golding went on to become a
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 ...
-affiliate driver, making his full-time debut in the
Supercars Championship
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 ...
in
2018
Events January
* January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency.
* January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
and later moving across to
S5000
The VHT S5000 Australian Drivers' Championship (known originally as the Australian S5000 Championship, or simply S5000) was an open-wheel road racing series in Australia. The series was created by a merger between two proposed series, Formula Th ...
.
*
Andre Heimgartner
Andre Emil Heimgartner (born 8 June 1995) is a New Zealand motor-racing driver who currently competes in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship driving the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 is currently racing in the Supercars Championship 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 ...
, having debuted in
2015
2015 was designated by the United Nations as:
* International Year of Light
* International Year of Soil __TOC__
Events
January
* January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
.
*
Macauley Jones
Macauley Jones (born 8 October 1994) is an Australian racing driver who competes in the Repco Supercars Championship, driving a Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Brad Jones Racing.
Son of Brad, nephew of Kim and cousin of Andrew, Jones comes from a ...
made his debut in the Supercars Championship in
2019
This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year.
Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...
.
*
Andrew Jordan went on to win the British Touring Car Championship in
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 ...
and score a podium in the
FIA World Rallycross Championship
The FIA World Rallycross Championship (official abbreviation is World RX) is a rallycross series organised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, FIA in conjunction with series promoter Rallycross Promoter GmbH (founded by Red Bull G ...
.
*
Jack Le Brocq
Jack Le Brocq (born 7 July 1992) is an Australian professional racing driver. He currently competes in the Repco Supercars Championship, and drives the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Erebus Motorsport. So far, Le Brocq's career highlights in ...
debuted in the Supercars Championship in 2018, after second and third place finishes in the Super2 championship. He has won a race in the 'main game' with
Tickford 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 driver ...
and now drives for
Matt Stone Racing
Matt Stone Racing is an Australian racing team competing in the Supercars Championship with two Chevrolet Camaro (sixth generation) #ZL1, Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s. Cameron Hill drives the No. 4 car, while Nick Percat drives the No. 10 car.
Superca ...
.
*
Tim Macrow
Timothy Macrow (born 13 May 1984 in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria) is an Australian racing driver. He has competed in Australian Formula 3 and Porsche Supercup, winning the Australian Drivers' Championship twice in the former catego ...
won the
Australian Drivers' Championship
The Australian Drivers' Championship is a motor racing championship contested annually since 1957 by drivers of cars complying with Australia's premier open-wheeler racing category. This category was determined by the Confederation of Australia ...
in
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 ...
.
Results of the program
Bathurst 1000
Development Series
(
key) (Round results only)
References
{{reflist
External links
Official website
2010s Australian reality television series