SPECIAL EDITION SUPERCARXTRA.COM.AU SEASON GUIDE SPECIAL EDITION ISSN 1442-9926 CAR RUNDOWN – WHAT’S NEW – TEAM PROFILES DRIVER STATS – EVENT GUIDES – SEASON CALENDAR FEATURING
2023 SUPERCARS SEASON GUIDE
ORDER NOW! THE LEGEND OF BATHURST The Story of Australia’s Iconic Motor Race 2022 ORDER ONLINE WWW.SUPERCARXTRA.COM.AU $85 +p&h NOW IN STOCK
2023CALENDAR
10 - 12 MARCH ROUND 01
Thrifty Newcastle 500
ROUND 01
10 - 12 MARCH
Newcastle Street Circuit, NSW
Thrifty Newcastle 500
Newcastle Street Circuit, NSW
30 MARCH - 2 APRIL ROUND 02
Beaurepaires Melbourne SuperSprint
ROUND
Formula 1® Rolex Australian Grand Prix
02
Albert Park, VIC
Formula 1® Rolex Australian Grand Prix
Albert Park, VIC
28 - 30 APRIL
Perth SuperSprint
ROUND 03
Wanneroo Raceway, WA
Wanneroo Raceway, WA
19 - 21 MAY
NED Whisky Tasmania SuperSprint
Symmons Plains Raceway, TAS
Plains
Raceway,
16 - 18 JUNE
Betr Darwin Triple Crown Hidden Valley Raceway, NT
ROUND 05
Hidden Valley Raceway, NT
ROUND 06
7 - 9 JULY
NTI Townsville 500 Reid Park, QLD
Reid Park, QLD
28 - 30 JULY
ROUND 07
Beaurepaires Sydney SuperNight
Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW
Beaurepaires Sydney SuperNight Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW
ROUND
08
18 - 20 AUGUST
OTR SuperSprint
OTR SuperSprint
The Bend Motorsport Park, SA
The Bend Motorsport Park, SA
ROUND 09
15 - 17 SEPTEMBER
15 - 17 SEPTEMBER
Penrite Oil Sandown 500
Sandown Raceway, VIC
ROUND
10
5 - 8 OCTOBER
Repco Bathurst 1000
Mount Panorama, NSW
11
27 - 29 OCTOBER
Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500
Surfers Paradise Street Circuit, QLD ROUND
Surfers Paradise Street Circuit, QLD
23
ROUND 12
23 - 26 NOVEMBER
VALO Adelaide 500 Adelaide Street Circuit, SA
ROUND 03
ROUND 04
ROUND 05
ROUND
06
ROUND
07
ROUND 08
ROUND 09
ROUND 10
ROUND 11
VALO Adelaide 500 Adelaide Street Circuit, SA Event formats and dates are subject to change. Correct at the time of release 23/11/22. Go to Supercars.com for the latest version.
2023CALENDAR
Beaurepaires Melbourne SuperSprint
30 MARCH - 2 APRIL
Perth SuperSprint
28 - 30 APRIL
NED Whisky Tasmania SuperSprint Symmons
TAS
ROUND 04
19 - 21 MAY
Betr Darwin Triple Crown
16 - 18 JUNE
NTI Townsville 500
7 - 9 JULY
28 - 30 JULY
18 - 20 AUGUST
Penrite Oil Sandown 500 Sandown Raceway, VIC
Repco Bathurst 1000 Mount Panorama, NSW
5 - 8 OCTOBER
Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500
27 - 29 OCTOBER
formats and dates are subject to change. Correct at the time of release 23/11/22. Go to Supercars.com for the latest version.
- 26
NOVEMBER ROUND 12 Event
THE GEN3 ERA ARRIVES
Ford versus Holden becomes Ford versus Chevrolet with the Camaro replacing the Commodore to take on the Mustang under the new Gen3 regulations, starting with the 2023 Repco Supercars Championship.
Not since the move from the international-based Group A rules to the home-grown Group 3A V8 formula in 1993 has the Australian Touring Car Championship/Supercars undergone such a massive change as it has in 2023.
The four-door sedans that were a mainstay of the V8 era
are gone, replaced by two-door coupes. With Holden and the Commodore retired, Chevrolet and the Camaro replace them under the General Motors banner to take the fight to Ford and the Mustang.
The new cars are visibly very different from their predecessors, more like the road-going versions of the cars they are
based on, with a focus on increased road relevance, cost cutting and improved racing. The latter will be achieved with a major reduction in downforce, by more than 50 percent, with drivers reporting a more aggressive and harder to control car.
The Camaro and Mustang rivalry headlined the final years of Improved Production era
INTRODUCTION season guide 4 SUPERCAR XTRA
of the Australian Touring Car Championship in the late 1960s and early 1970s. While the Blue Oval remains, Holden fans will switch their allegiances to Chevrolet.
There will be 14 Camaros and 11 Mustangs on the grid in 2023. Walkinshaw Andretti United’s switch from Holden to Ford evens up the manufacturer representatives on the grid, with the long-time Holden team following in the footsteps of Grove Racing and the Blanchard Racing Team in moving across to the Blue Oval in recent seasons.
Triple Eight Race Engineering and Dick Johnson Racing were the homologation teams for Chevrolet and Ford respectively. There’s a four-car team for each manufacturer with four Camaros from Brad Jones Racing and four Mustangs
from Tickford Racing, while the Blanchard Racing Team remains the only single-car team in Supercars.
There’s little movement on the driver front with Tim Slade (PremiAir Racing) and Todd Hazelwood (Blanchard Racing Team) switching to new teams, while Declan Fraser, Cameron Hill and Matthew Payne step up from the Dunlop Super2 Series.
In terms of endurance co-drivers, there’s been big changes with reigning Repco Bathurst 1000 winner Garth Tander moving to Grove Racing, Richie Stanaway replacing him at Triple Eight Race Engineering and Lee Holdsworth back at Walkinshaw Andretti United.
The 2023 Repco Supercars Championship will be contested over 28 races/12 events, with nearly 5400 kilometres
of racing.
The Newcastle 500 kicks off the season after a three-year absence on the schedule, while Sandown reverts back to its traditional 500-kilometre endurance format as the precursor to the Repco Bathurst 1000. It means there will be multiple endurance events for the first time since 2019. New Zealand drops off the schedule with the closure of Pukekohe Park Raceway, while Winton is also omitted.
Sandown and Bathurst will be two-driver per car single races; Newcastle, Townsville, Sydney, Gold Coast and Adelaide will be two-race events; Perth, Tasmania, Darwin and Tailem Bend will host three races; and Melbourne will feature four races.
The following is your guide to Supercars in 2023.
SUPERCAR XTRA 5
THE GEN3 CARS S
ince the introduction of the Australian-produced five-litre V8-engined Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore regulations from 1993, the foundation of Supercars has been four-door sedans. Now, with the Chevrolet Camaro joining the Ford Mustang under the Gen3 rules, the shift to two-door coupes marks the biggest technical overhaul in Australian touring cars in 30 years.
When Australian manufacturing ended and the Falcon and Commodore were discontinued, the Mustang and Camaro were the inevitable replacements. And four years after the Mustang replaced the Falcon, the Camaro
replaces the Commodore for a new generation of Supercars.
The new cars have been designed with an eye on increased road relevance, with a greater likeness to their roadgoing counterparts. And that’s the most visible change with Gen3; they are lower and more akin to the Mustang and Camaro road cars.
The control chassis is 100 millimetres shorter than the Gen2 Supercars, not only to allow for a better fit for the Mustang and Camaro but also to make it easier for other manufacturers to potentially go racing with their own coupe-style body shapes.
The Camaro and Mustang share
the same wheelbases and dimensions, helping the category achieve parity between the two cars.
The difference in body shape is very noticeable when comparing the Gen2 Mustang Supercar to the Gen3 version, with the latter clearly a closer link to the road-going version. With the centre of gravity lowered, the Gen3 cars are also 100 millimetres wider for a more muscle-car look.
There’s a significant reduction in weight, estimated to be around 100 kilograms. There’s also a big decrease in downforce, more than 50 percent down from the previous cars,
6 SUPERCAR XTRA
CARS season guide
with the rear-wing size noticeably smaller, the front undertray removed and the rear-wing mainplane common between the two cars.
With less weight, less downforce and more mechanical grip, expect a harder to tame car that moves around more and, therefore, should produce better racing with cars able to follow one another more closely.
Drivers report a car more like an old-school Supercar; needing to hustle the car to extract speed from it with more noticeable understeer and oversteer and a greater dependence on mechanical grip versus aerodynamic push.
There are a few carryover parts from the Gen2 cars. They include the transaxle, rear suspension wishbones and rear uprights. After initial talk of a move to a paddle-shift gearbox, Supercars opted to retain the
stick-shift gear system.
In order to cut costs, more standard body parts appear on the Gen3 cars, helping the Supercars look more like their road-going versions. More standardised parts also help cut developmental options for teams, keeping the grid on a more level playing field.
There’s also been a focus on cutting repair bills. The design of the cars allows for sections to be more easily bolted off and replaced. Even the new wheel design is so there’s less of a chance that the spindles damage wheels and tyres when drivers run into each other.
Along with the lower profile and aerodynamic reduction, the big change comes under the bonnet with a move to production-based engines.
After three decades, the engine capacity moves away from five litres to 5.7 litres for
the Camaro and 5.4 litres for the Mustang.
The Camaro LTR engine is a pushrod design single camshaft with two valves per cylinder, developed by KRE Race Engines in association with Chevrolet homologation team Triple Eight Race Engineering.
Ford’s quad overhead-cam Coyote engine will have four valves per cylinder, developed by Herrod Performance in association with Ford homologation team Dick Johnson Racing.
Parity has been at the foundation of Supercars for most of the V8 era. Introducing different engine configurations and capacities complicates matters, but Supercars is confident parity will be achieved with the added benefit of more mileage from cheaper engines.
The Gen3 cars certainly look the part. Now all eyes will be on how they perform on track.
SUPERCAR XTRA 7
WHAT’S NEW IN 2023
The Gen3 Chevrolet Camaro and Ford Mustang aren’t the only changes in the Repco Supercars Championship in 2023.
DRIVERS
• Todd Hazelwood moves from Matt Stone Racing to the Blanchard Racing Team to replace Tim Slade.
• Tim Slade moves from the Blanchard Racing Team to PremiAir Racing to replace Chris Pither.
• Declan Fraser steps up from the Dunlop Super2 Series to replace Jake Kostecki at Tickford Racing.
• Cameron Hill steps up from the Dunlop Super2 Series to replace Todd Hazelwood at Matt Stone Racing.
• Matthew Payne steps up from the Dunlop Super2 Series to replace Lee Holdsworth at Grove Racing.
MANUFACTURERS
• Chevrolet and the Camaro replace Holden and the Commodore.
TEAMS
• Walkinshaw Andretti United switches from Holden to Ford.
CALENDAR
• Newcastle returns to the Supercars calendar for the first time since 2019.
• The Sandown 500 returns to the calendar for the first time 2019.
• The Perth SuperNight reverts to the SuperSprint format.
• The Winton SuperSprint and Auckland SuperSprint drop off the calendar.
WHAT’S NEW season guide 8 SUPERCAR XTRA
# Driver Team Car 2 Nick Percat Walkinshaw Andretti United Ford Mustang 3 Todd Hazelwood Blanchard Racing Team Ford Mustang 4 Jack Smith Brad Jones Racing Chevrolet Camaro 5 James Courtney Tickford Racing Ford Mustang 6 Cameron Waters Tickford Racing Ford Mustang 8 André Heimgartner Brad Jones Racing Chevrolet Camaro 9 Will Brown Erebus Motorsport Chevrolet Camaro 11 Anton De Pasquale Dick Johnson Racing Ford Mustang 14 Bryce Fullwood Brad Jones Racing Chevrolet Camaro 17 Will Davison Dick Johnson Racing Ford Mustang 18 Mark Winterbottom Team 18 Chevrolet Camaro 19 Matthew Payne Grove Racing Ford Mustang 20 Scott Pye Team 18 Chevrolet Camaro 23 Tim Slade PremiAir Racing Chevrolet Camaro 25 Chaz Mostert Walkinshaw Andretti United Ford Mustang 26 David Reynolds Grove Racing Ford Mustang 31 James Golding PremiAir Racing Chevrolet Camaro 34 Jack Le Brocq Matt Stone Racing Chevrolet Camaro 35 Cameron Hill Matt Stone Racing Chevrolet Camaro 55 Thomas Randle Tickford Racing Ford Mustang 56 Declan Fraser Tickford Racing Ford Mustang 88 Broc Feeney Triple Eight Race Engineering Chevrolet Camaro 96 Macauley Jones Brad Jones Racing Chevrolet Camaro 97 Shane van Gisbergen Triple Eight Race Engineering Chevrolet Camaro 99 Brodie Kostecki Erebus Motorsport Chevrolet Camaro
Entries correct at the time of publishing. ENTRY LIST season guide SUPERCAR XTRA 9
2023 REPCO SUPERCARS CHAMPIONSHIP ENTRY LIST
TRIPLE EIGHT RACE ENGINEERING
CHEVROLET CAMARO
#88 BROC FEENEY
#97 SHANE VAN GISBERGEN
Triple Eight Race Engineering didn’t miss a beat as Jamie Whincup moved from the driver’s seat to team management in 2022, with Shane van Gisbergen rewriting the record books with the championship and Bathurst double and Broc Feeney winning a race in his full-time main-game debut season.
Chevrolet’s homologation team will be hoping to lead the way amongst the Camaros, which feature in the familiar colours of Red Bull. While van Gisbergen will be out to defend his championship and Bathurst title, with Richie Stanaway in the latter in place of the Grove Racing-bound Garth Tander, Feeney looks ready to step up into a regular contender.
Martin Short and Andrew Edwards are back as the engineers for Feeney and van Gisbergen respectively, while Whincup now has a season of experience as team manager. While the new cars may close up the field, Triple Eight Race Engineering remains the team to beat after its form in 2022.
Debut 2020
Teams Tickford Racing (2020), Triple Eight Race Engineering (2021 - 2023)
Championship Best 6th (2022)
2022 Championship 6th
Bathurst 1000 Best 5th (2022)
2022 Bathurst 5th
Debut 2007
Teams Team Kiwi Racing (2007), Stone Brothers Racing (2008 - 2012), Tekno Autosports (2013 - 2015), Triple Eight Race Engineering (2016 - 2023)
Championship Best 1st (2016, 2021, 2022)
2022 Championship 1st
Bathurst 1000 Best 1st (2020, 2022)
2022 Bathurst 1st
BROC FEENEY
SHANE VAN GISBERGEN
10 SUPERCAR XTRA
TEAMS season guide
DICK JOHNSON RACING
FORD MUSTANG
#11 ANTON DE PASQUALE
#17 WILL DAVISON
There’s been big changes for Dick Johnson Racing as well as the switch to the new Mustang with Brett Ralph and his family joining the ownership structure and David Noble appointed the team’s CEO at the end of 2022. While Ford’s homologation team features some new faces off track, there’s continuity on the racing side with Anton De Pasquale and Will Davison behind the wheel, engineered yet again by Ludo Lacroix and Richard Harris respectively, and Shell continuing as the naming-rights sponsor of both entries.
Both drivers have won multiple races for the team in recent seasons, often mixing it at the front of the field. However, they will be hoping for a championship challenge after losing ground to Triple Eight Race Engineering and finishing behind Tickford Racing and Walkinshaw Andretti United entrants in the standings last season.
ANTON
Debut 2018
Teams Erebus Motorsport (2018 - 2020), Dick Johnson Racing (2021 - 2023)
Championship Best 4th (2022)
2022 Championship 4th
Bathurst 1000 Best 7th (2022)
2022 Bathurst 7th
Teams
Team Dynamik (2004), Dick Johnson Racing
(2005 - 2008, 2021 - 2023), Holden Racing
Team (2009 - 2010), Tickford Racing
(2011 - 2013, 2020), Erebus Motorsport
(2014 - 2015), Tekno Autosports
(2016 - 2017), 23 Red Racing (2018 - 2020)
Championship Best 2nd (2009)
2022 Championship 5th
Bathurst 1000 Best 1st (2009, 2016)
2022 Bathurst DNF
DE PASQUALE
WILL DAVISON
Debut 2004
SUPERCAR XTRA 11
TICKFORD RACING
FORD MUSTANG
#5 JAMES COURTNEY
#6 CAMERON WATERS
#55 THOMAS RANDLE
#56 DECLAN FRASER
Ford’s four-car team underwent a late change to its driver line-up with reigning Dunlop Super2 Series champion Declan Fraser replacing Jake Kostecki in the Tradie-backed #56 entry. Aside from that, there is stability at the team with Cameron Waters set to lead the line alongside veteran James Courtney, sophomore Thomas Randle and new recruit Fraser.
Monster Energy, Snowy River Caravans and Castrol continue as title sponsors for Waters, Courtney and Randle respectively, engineered once again by Sam Potter, Sam Scaffidi and Raymond Lau with Chris Stuckey working with Fraser.
Teams
Championship Best 1st (2010)
2022 Championship 12th
Bathurst 1000 Best 2nd (2007)
2022 Bathurst DNF
CAMERON
Championship Best 2nd (2020, 2022)
2022 Championship 2nd
Bathurst 1000 Best 2nd (2020, 2021)
2022 Bathurst 3rd
After two runners-up finishes in the championship and Bathurst over the last three seasons, Waters is primed for a championship challenge with the experience of Courtney and potential of Randle and Fraser a valuable asset for the team.
WATERS
Debut 2011
Teams Kelly Racing (2011 - 2012), Charlie Schwerkolt Racing / Team 18 (2014), Prodrive Racing Australia / Tickford Racing (2015 - 2023)
JAMES COURTNEY
Debut 2005
Holden Racing Team / Wakinshaw Racing / Walkinshaw Andretti United (2005, 2011 - 2019), Stone Brothers Racing (2006 - 2008), Dick Johnson Racing (2009 - 2010), Team Sydney (2020), Tickford Racing (2020 - 2023)
12 SUPERCAR XTRA
TEAMS season guide
THOMAS RANDLE
DECLAN FRASER
Debut 2019
Teams Tickford Racing (2019, 2021 - 2023), Brad Jones Racing (2020)
Championship Best 23rd (2022)
2022 Championship 23rd
Bathurst 1000 Best 7th (2021)
2022 Bathurst DNF
Debut 2022
Teams Triple Eight Race Engineering (2022), Tickford Racing (2023)
Championship Best 36th (2022)
2022 Championship 36th
Bathurst 1000 Best 8th (2022)
2022 Bathurst 8th
SUPERCAR XTRA 13
WALKINSHAW ANDRETTI UNITED
FORD MUSTANG
#2 NICK PERCAT #25 CHAZ MOSTERT
It’s a new dawn for Walkinshaw Andretti United. After a long association with Holden, dating back to its days as the factory-backed Holden Racing Team, Walkinshaw Andretti United switches to Ford in 2023.
It’s a return to the Blue Oval for Chaz Mostert, who spent the early years of his career with Ford, while teammate Nick Percat will drive a Ford for the first time in Supercars.
After threatening to challenge for the championship in recent years and winning Bathurst in 2021 (the winning combination of Mostert and Lee Holdsworth reunite in 2023), Walkinshaw Andretti United will be hoping the manufacturer switch and full-field Gen3 reset doesn’t hinder its progress to the front of the grid.
NICK PERCAT
Debut 2010
Teams Walkinshaw Racing / Holden Racing Team / Walkinshaw Andretti United (2010 - 2014, 2022 - 2023), Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport (2015 - 2016), Brad Jones Racing (2017 - 2021)
Championship Best 7th (2020, 2021)
2022 Championship 15th
Bathurst 1000 Best 1st (2011)
2022 Bathurst 22nd
CHAZ MOSTERT
Debut 2013
Teams Dick Johnson Racing (2013), Ford Performance Racing / Prodrive Racing Australia / Tickford Racing (2014 - 2019), Walkinshaw Andretti United (2020 - 2023)
Championship Best 3rd (2021, 2022)
2022 Championship 3rd
Bathurst 1000 Best 1st (2014, 2021)
2022 Bathurst 2nd
14 SUPERCAR XTRA
guide
season
TEAMS
GROVE RACING
FORD MUSTANG
#19 MATTHEW PAYNE
#26 DAVID REYNOLDS
Grove Racing entered into a partnership with Kelly Racing in 2021, morphing into Grove Racing in 2022. After building up the team with the addition of David Cauchi as team principal, Grant McPherson as a technical director and Garth Tander as endurance co-drive, Grove Racing is looking to step up under Gen3.
Penrite remains as the naming-rights sponsor of both entries with full-time rookie Matthew Payne replacing the retiring Lee Holdsworth alongside David Reynolds. Payne drove for the team in the Dunlop Super2 Series and made his main-game debut at Bathurst in 2022, scoring a sixth place. Reynolds is in his third season with the team, hoping to get back to winning ways after a number of podiums in that time.
Alistair McVean continues his long association with Reynolds as engineer, while Jack Bell will help steer Payne through his rookie campaign.
MATTHEW PAYNE
Debut 2022
Teams Grove Racing (2022 - 2023)
Championship Best 34th (2022)
2022 Championship 34th
Bathurst 1000 Best 6th (2022)
2022 Bathurst 6th
Teams Paul Weel Racing (2007), HSV Dealer Team / Walkinshaw Racing (2008 - 2010),
Kelly Racing / Kelly Grove Racing / Grove Racing, (2011, 2021 - 2023),
Rod Nash Racing / Prodrive Racing Australia (2012 - 2015),
Erebus Motorsport (2016 - 2020)
Championship Best 3rd (2015)
2022 Championship 8th
Bathurst 1000 Best 1st (2017)
2022 Bathurst DNF
DAVID REYNOLDS
Debut 2007
SUPERCAR XTRA 15
EREBUS MOTORSPORT
CHEVROLET CAMARO
#9 WILL BROWN
#99 BRODIE KOSTECKI
Will Brown and Brodie Kostecki enter their third full seasons at Erebus Motorsport, with their new Chevrolet Camaros now in the colours of CocaCola with the soft-drink giant replacing Boost Mobile as the team’s naming-rights sponsor.
Both drivers scored podiums last season, though they will be hoping for further improvement having achieved more success in 2021. With the new cars presenting a fresh start for the team and drivers, it’s a chance for the youngsters to step up and become regular contenders.
There’s stability off track with Tom Moore and George Commins back as the engineers for Brown and Kostecki respectively, with the new cars and sponsor the only significant changes.
Debut 2018
Teams Erebus Motorsport (2018 - 2023)
Championship Best 8th (2021)
2022 Championship 14th
Bathurst 1000 Best 10th (2022)
2022 Bathurst 10th
Debut 2019
Teams Kostecki Brothers Racing (2019), Erebus Motorsport (2020 - 2023)
Championship Best 7th (2022)
2022 Championship 7th
Bathurst 1000 Best 3rd (2021)
2022 Bathurst 4th
WILL BROWN
BRODIE KOSTECKI
16 SUPERCAR XTRA TEAMS season guide
TEAM 18 CHEVROLET CAMARO
#18 MARK WINTERBOTTOM
#20 SCOTT PYE
There’s a new look for Team 18 with Mark Winterbottom switching from Irwin Tools to Dewalt Tools sponsorship, while Scott Pye will feature a rotating livery for their fourth season as teammates.
After not scoring a podium since 2020, Team 18 will be hoping the switch to the Chevrolet Camaro results in a more consistent jump up the grid and an end to its winless run dating back to its foundation in 2013.
The experienced engineering combination of Manuel Sanchez and Richard Hollway partner with Winterbottom and Pye respectively, with team owner Charlie Schwerkolt desperate for podiums and wins in Gen3.
MARK WINTERBOTTOM
Debut 2003
Teams Stone Brothers Racing (2003), Larkham Motorsport (2004 - 2005), Ford Performance Racing / Prodrive Racing Australia / Tickford Racing (2006 -2018), Team 18 (2019 - 2023)
Championship Best 1st (2015)
2022 Championship 9th
Bathurst 1000 Best 1st (2013)
2022 Bathurst 15th
Teams Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport (2012 - 2013), Dick Johnson Racing / DJR Team Penske (2014 - 2016), Walkinshaw Racing / Walkinshaw Andretti United (2017 - 2019), Team 18 (2020 - 2023)
Championship Best 7th (2018)
2022 Championship 16th
Bathurst 1000 Best 2nd (2017, 2018)
2022 Bathurst 16th
SCOTT PYE
Debut 2012
SUPERCAR XTRA 17
BRAD JONES RACING
CHEVROLET CAMARO
#4 JACK SMITH
#8 ANDRÉ HEIMGARTNER
#14 BRYCE FULLWOOD
#96 MACAULEY JONES
Brad Jones Racing continues with the same fourcar line-up as last season, with André Heimgartner expected to lead the team yet again following an impressive first full season with the team in 2022.
Debut 2019
Teams Brad Jones Racing (2019 - 2023), Matt Stone Racing (2019)
Championship Best 21st (2021)
2022 Championship 24th
Bathurst 1000 Best 17th (2021)
2022 Bathurst DNF
ANDRÉ HEIMGARTNER
Tony Woodward and Phil Keed continue as engineers with Heimgartner and Bryce Fullwood respectively, while Andrew Donnelly and Julian Stannard team up with Macauley Jones and Jack Smith respectively.
Brad Jones Racing emerged as one of the frontrunners when Supercars switched to the Car of the Future rules in 2013, with Gen3 an opportunity for a return back to the top step of the podium.
Debut 2014
Teams Super Black Racing (2014 - 2015), Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport (2016), Brad Jones Racing (2017, 2022 - 2023), Nissan Motorsport / Kelly Racing Racing / Kelly Grove Racing (2018 - 2021)
Championship Best 10th (2022)
2022 Championship 10th
Bathurst 1000 Best 9th (2017)
2022 Bathurst DNF
JACK SMITH
18 SUPERCAR XTRA
TEAMS season guide
BRYCE FULLWOOD
MACAULEY JONES
Debut 2018
Teams Matt Stone Racing (2018), Kelly Racing (2019), Walkinshaw Andretti United (2020 - 2021), Brad Jones Racing (2022 - 2023)
Championship Best 14th (2021)
2022 Championship 17th
Bathurst 1000 Best 5th (2021)
2022 Bathurst 9th
Debut 2015
Teams Brad Jones Racing (2015 - 2023)
Championship Best 19th (2020, 2022)
2022 Championship 19th
Bathurst 1000 Best 7th (2018)
2022 Bathurst 13th
SUPERCAR XTRA 19
MATT STONE RACING CHEVROLET
CAMARO
#34 JACK LE BROCQ #35 CAMERON HILL
Matt Stone Racing enters its sixth season in Supercars with Truck Assist back as the namingrights sponsor across both entries and Cameron Hill stepping up into the main game from the Dunlop Super2 Series.
Hill, the first Supercars driver to hail from Canberra in close to 20 years, raced for Triple Eight Race Engineering in the second-tier series, making his main-game debut with PremiAir Racing at Bathurst in 2022. It will be Le Brocq’s second season with the team, hoping to improve on two top-10 results in 2022.
While Le Brocq continues with Jack Bellotti as his engineer, Hill will work with Paul Forgie. Forgie was part of the Stone Brothers Racing during its championship run, reuniting with the Stone family as engineer on the #35 Camaro.
Debut 2015
Teams Erebus Motorsport (2015), Prodrive Racing Australia / Tickford Racing (2016, 20202021), Nissan Motorsport (2017), MW Motorsport (2017), Tekno Autosports (2018-2019), Matt Stone Racing (2022-2023)
Championship Best 15th (2020)
2022 Championship 21st
Bathurst 1000 Best 4th (2016)
2022 Bathurst 14th
CAMERON HILL
Debut 2022
Teams PremiAir Racing (2022), Matt Stone Racing (2023)
Championship Best 51st (2022)
2022 Championship 51st
Bathurst 1000 Best 21st (2022)
2022 Bathurst 21st
JACK LE BROCQ
20 SUPERCAR XTRA TEAMS season guide
PREMIAIR RACING CHEVROLET CAMARO
#23 TIM SLADE
#31 JAMES GOLDING
PremiAir Racing enters its second season in Supercars with an all-new line-up from the one that started its debut season in 2022. After replacing Garry Jacobson midway through 2022 and impressing with solid results, James Golding is rewarded with the full-time drive in the Nulon-backed entry. He is joined by veteran Tim Slade, who moves from the Blanchard Racing Team to PremiAir Racing in place of Chris Pither.
It was a solid debut season for PremiAir Racing, despite the mid-season changes, with the Gen3 introduction a chance for the team to get on an even keel with its rivals. Experienced engineer Geoffrey Slater will work with Golding, while Slade is paired with Phillip Di Fazio.
There may be more growing pains for PremiAir Racing in its sophomore season, though the pace of Golding in 2022 and experience of Slade means the team has a solid line-up to hit the ground running in Gen3.
Debut 2009
Teams Paul Morris Motorsport (2009), Stone Brothers Racing / Erebus Motorsport (2010-2013), Walkinshaw Racing (20142015), Brad Jones Racing (2016-2019), DJR Team Penske (2020), Blanchard Racing Team (2021-2022), PremiAir Racing (2023)
Championship Best 5th (2012)
2022 Championship 11th
Bathurst 1000 Best 5th (2020)
2022 Bathurst 19th
Debut 2016 Teams Garry Rogers Motorsport (2016 - 2019), Team 18 (2020 - 2021), PremiAir Racing (2022 - 2023)
Championship Best 20th (2019)
2022 Championship 25th
Bathurst 1000 Best 8th (2018, 2020)
2022 Bathurst 12th
TIM SLADE
JAMES GOLDING
SUPERCAR XTRA 21
BLANCHARD RACING TEAM
FORD MUSTANG
#3 TODD HAZELWOOD
The only single car team in Supercars was the first to unveil and run its Gen3 car.
The Blanchard Racing Team enters its third season as a standalone entry, after running out of Brad Jones Racing before 2021. And after two seasons with Tim Slade driving the team’s Ford Mustang, Todd Hazelwood takes over the CoolDrive-backed entry.
After a single season back at Matt Stone Racing, Hazelwood switches to the Blanchard Racing Team. It’s a reunion of sorts with Hazelwood driving alongside team owner Tim Blanchard in the CoolDrive entry when it was run out of Brad Jones Racing in 2017, returning to Ford for the first time since 2018.
Mirko De Rosa leads the engineering team, hoping the early build of its Gen3 Ford Mustang pays dividends to counter having just one car for development as the season progresses.
Debut 2017
Teams
Matt Stone Racing (2017 - 2019, 2022), Brad Jones Racing (2017, 2020 - 2021), Blanchard Team Racing (2023)
Championship Best 13th (2021)
2022 Championship 18th
Bathurst 1000 Best 8th (2021)
2022 Bathurst 20th
TODD HAZELWOOD
22 SUPERCAR XTRA TEAMS season guide
2018, 2019, 2020 & 2021 BATHURST 1000 THE LEGEND OF AUSTRALIA’S ICONIC MOTOR RACE ORDER NOW! ORDER ONLINE WWW.SUPERCARXTRA.COM.AU The Legend of The Story of Australia’s Iconic Motor Race 2021
2023 REPCO SUPERCARS CHAMPIONSHIP FORMATS
Key
TTSO: Top 10 Shootout
Qualie 1: Single qualifying session
Qualie 2: Three-part knockout qualifying session
Event Practice Race Qualie TTSO Race length Newcastle 3 x 45min 1 1 Yes 250km Newcastle 2 1 Yes 250km Melbourne 2 x 30min 3 1 No 100km Melbourne 4 1 No 80km Melbourne 5 1 No 70km Melbourne 6 1 No 70km Perth 1 x 90min 7 2 No 100km Perth 8 1 No 100km Perth 9 1 No 100km Tasmania 2 x 30min 10 1 No 100km Tasmania 11 1 No 100km Tasmania 12 1 No 100km Darwin 2 x 30min 13 2 No 100km Darwin 14 1 No 100km Darwin 15 1 No 100km Townsville 2 x 30min 16 1 Yes 250km Townsville 17 1 Yes 250km Sydney^ 2 x 30min 18 2 No 200km Sydney 19 1 No 140km Tailem Bend 2 x 30min 20 2 No 100km Tailem Bend 21 1 No 100km Tailem Bend 22 1 No 100km Sandown 4 x 30min, 1 x 20min WU 23 1 Yes 500km Bathurst 6 x 60min, 1 x 20min WU 24 1 Yes 1000km Gold Coast 2 x 30min 25 1 Yes 250km Gold Coast 26 1 Yes 250km Adelaide 3 x 30min 27 1 Yes 250km Adelaide 28 1 Yes 250km
^ Session run under lights at dusk/night 24 SUPERCAR XTRA CIRCUITS
WU: Warm up
season guide
1. NEWCASTLE
Newcastle debuted on the Supercars calendar in 2017, hosting the season finale between 2017 and 2019. After dropping off the calendar from 2020 to 2022 due to the COVID19 pandemic, Newcastle returns in a new seasonopening slot, effectively
swapping places with the Adelaide 500. There will be two 250-kilometre races run on Dunlop’s soft tyres with top 10 Shootouts for both races in the start of the Gen3 era of Supercars.
DATE: March 10 - 12
TRACK: Newcastle Street Circuit (Newcastle, New South Wales)
LENGTH: 2.63km DIRECTION: Anti-clockwise
AVERAGE SPEED: 133km/h TOP SPEED: 227km/h
PRACTICE/QUALIFYING LAP RECORD:
1:09.5949 (2017) – Scott McLaughlin, Ford FG X Falcon
RACE LAP RECORD:
1:10.6403 (2017) – David Reynolds, Holden VF Commodore
Newcastle
DATE: March 30 - April 2
TRACK: Albert Park Circuit (Melbourne, Victoria)
LENGTH: 5.3km DIRECTION: Clockwise
AVERAGE SPEED: 164km/h TOP SPEED: 256km/h
PRACTICE/QUALIFYING LAP RECORD:
1:44.8387 (2022) – Shane van Gisbergen, Holden ZB Commodore
RACE LAP RECORD:
1:46.0060 (2022) – Scott Pye, Holden ZB Commodore
2. MELBOURNE
The Australian Grand Prix returned to the calendar in 2022, featuring a new-look layout with opened up corners to improve the racing.
The Melbourne round features compulsory four-tyre pitstops in each of the four sprint
races, with a mix of the hard and super-soft tyre making it the only mixed compound event on the calendar.
The first race of the event takes place on a Thursday, a first on that day for the championship.
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Melbourne
3. PERTH
Perth hosted a round under lights for the first time in 2019, and was set to do the same in 2020 and 2021 before the cancellation of the event with Western Australia implementing strict border restrictions.
The circuit returned to the calendar in 2022, though the night format is dropped for 2023.
The three races will be run on Dunlop’s soft tyres, with tyre wear always a big factor at the short circuit.
DATE: April 28 - 30
TRACK: Wanneroo Raceway (Perth, Western Australia)
LENGTH: 2.42km DIRECTION: Clockwise
AVERAGE SPEED: 157km/h TOP SPEED: 252km/h
PRACTICE/QUALIFYING LAP RECORD:
0:52.8141 (2019) – Scott McLaughlin, Ford Mustang RACE LAP RECORD:
0:53.7293 (2019) – James Courtney, Holden ZB Commodore
DATE: May 19 - 21
TRACK: Symmons Plains Raceway (Launceston, Tasmania)
LENGTH: 2.4km DIRECTION: Anti-clockwise
AVERAGE SPEED: 167km/h TOP SPEED: 270km/h
PRACTICE/QUALIFYING LAP RECORD:
0:50.3450 (2022) – Will Davison, Ford Mustang RACE LAP RECORD:
0:51.2276 (2019) – Mark Winterbottom, Holden ZB Commodore
4. TASMANIA
Supercars returned to Tasmania in 2021, with the popular Symmons Plains Raceway moving back in the calendar in 2023.
The 2023 event features three races run exclusively on Dunlop’s
super-soft tyres, the first event of the season to be run solely on the fastest type of rubber.
Like with Perth, the short track tends to produce close racing.
Perth
26 SUPERCAR XTRA
Launceston
CIRCUITS season guide
5. DARWIN
Hidden Valley Raceway marks the start of Supercars’ northern Australia winter swing. Like Tasmania, the three races will be run exclusively on Dunlop’s super-soft tyres.
The heat and humidity of Darwin means tyre
conservation is key in the races, which makes for interesting events. With its long front straight and tight twists and turns, its a compromise for drivers and teams in terms of car setup.
DATE: June 16 - 18
TRACK: Hidden Valley Raceway (Darwin, Northern Territory)
LENGTH: 2.9km DIRECTION: Anti-clockwise
AVERAGE SPEED: 149km/h TOP SPEED: 271km/h
PRACTICE/QUALIFYING LAP RECORD:
1:04.8114 (2022) – Will Davison, Ford Mustang
RACE LAP RECORD:
1:06.5590 (2018) – Nick Percat, Holden ZB Commodore
DATE: July 7 - 9
TRACK: Townsville Street Circuit (Townsville, Queensland)
LENGTH: 2.86km DIRECTION: Clockwise
AVERAGE SPEED: 144km/h TOP SPEED: 260km/h
PRACTICE/QUALIFYING LAP RECORD:
1:11.9908 (2017) – Scott McLaughlin, Ford FG X Falcon
RACE LAP RECORD:
1:12.9311 (2017) – Nick Percat, Holden VF Commodore
6. TOWNSVILLE
After a run of sprint races, drivers suit up for two 250-kilometre races in Townsville, run on Dunlop’s soft tyres.
The street circuit features fast and flowing sections in addition to narrow and tight parts, which adds to the
challenge for drivers. The long races and variety of corner types make for interesting races, in addition to the heat and humidity of north Queensland, with a return to a top 10 Shootout for both qualifying sessions.
Darwin
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Townsville
7. SYDNEY
The recent installation of 138 towers and over 860 light fittings has made Sydney the home of Supercars’ night event in recent seasons. The upgrades have secured the circuit’s place on the calendar long-term after
being on and off the schedule before its regular appearances in recent years.
A longer race run under lights is followed by a shorter race during the day, both run on Dunlop’s soft tyres.
DATE: July 28 - 30
TRACK: Sydney Motorsport Park (Sydney, New South Wales)
LENGTH: 3.9km DIRECTION: Anti-clockwise
AVERAGE SPEED: 154km/h TOP SPEED: 265km/h
QUALIFYING LAP RECORD:
1:27.7428 (2020) – Scott McLaughlin, Ford Mustang
RACE LAP RECORD:
1:29.8424 (2018) – Jamie Whincup, Holden ZB Commodore
DATE: August 18 - 20
TRACK: The Bend Motorsport Park (Tailem Bend, South Australia)
LENGTH: 4.95km DIRECTION: Clockwise
AVERAGE SPEED: 162km/h TOP SPEED: 270km/h
PRACTICE/QUALIFYING LAP RECORD:
1:47.4959 (2019) – Scott McLaughlin, Ford Mustang
RACE LAP RECORD:
1:49.4042 (2019) – David Reynolds, Holden ZB Commodore
8. TAILEM BEND
The Bend Motorsport Park has been a regular on the calendar since its debut in 2018. After the preceding longer races, it’s a brief return to the shorter sprints before the endurance events
The circuit has proven to be one of the most
challenging permanent circuits for drivers, with a variety of corner types and elevation and camber changes across the long lap. There is little rest aside from the long front straight.
All three races are run on Dunlop’s soft tyres.
Sydney
28 SUPERCAR XTRA CIRCUITS season guide
Tailem Bend
9. SANDOWN
The Sandown 500 makes its long-awaited return in 2023, after the circuit hosted sprint races in its return to the calendar in recent seasons.
The traditional 500-kilometre race gives endurance co-drivers much-needed track time before the Bathurst
1000, with the use of Dunlop’s super-soft tyres set to add some spice. Rather than the qualifying races of recent Sandown 500s, the grid will be set by a top 10 Shootout, as per the format at the Bathurst 1000.
DATE: September 15 - 17
TRACK: Sandown Motor Raceway (Melbourne, Victoria)
LENGTH: 3.1km DIRECTION: Anti-clockwise
AVERAGE SPEED: 164km/h TOP SPEED: 270km/h
PRACTICE/QUALIFYING LAP RECORD:
1:07.2078 (2022) – Will Davison, Ford Mustang
RACE LAP RECORD:
1:08.2440 (2019) – Shane van Gisbergen, Holden ZB Commodore
Melbourne
DATE: October 5 - 8
TRACK: Mount Panorama Circuit (Bathurst, New South Wales)
LENGTH: 6.213km DIRECTION: Anti-clockwise
AVERAGE SPEED: 178km/h TOP SPEED: 300km/h
PRACTICE/QUALIFYING LAP RECORD:
2:03.3736 (2021) – Chaz Mostert, Holden ZB Commodore
RACE LAP RECORD:
2:04.7602 (2019) – Chaz Mostert, Ford Mustang
10. BATHURST
The Mount Panorama Circuit has been home of Australia’s endurance classic, the Bathurst 500/1000, since 1963. The event switched from 500 miles to 1000 kilometres in 1973 and was included in the Australian Touring Car Championship/Supercars in 1999.
In a departure from recent Bathursts, the event will be run on Dunlop’s soft tyres. The move away from the harder rubber is sure to slash lap times, while driver pairings will have the experience from Sandown as opposed to recent seasons.
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Bathurst
11. GOLD COAST
The streets of the Gold Coast hosted two 250-kilometre singledriver races in 2022, a departure from the event’s previous format which hosted two-driver races since 2010.
The single-driver tworace format is retained for 2023, with the use of
Dunlop’s soft tyres across both races.
The punishing street circuit saw a number of incidents on its return to the schedule in 2022, with championship considerations at the forefront following the Bathurst 1000 and leading into the Adelaide 500.
DATE: October 27 - 29
TRACK: Gold Coast Street Circuit (Surfers Paradise, Queensland)
LENGTH: 2.96km DIRECTION: Anti-clockwise
AVERAGE SPEED: 146km/h TOP SPEED: 265km/h
PRACTICE/QUALIFYING LAP RECORD:
1:09.9179 (2017) – Jamie Whincup, Holden VF Commodore
RACE LAP RECORD:
1:10.0851 (2011) – Will Davison, Ford FG Falcon
12. ADELAIDE
Adelaide
The Adelaide 500 made a triumphant return to the calendar after a threeyear absence in 2022, moving into what will now be its locked in place at the end of the season. The resurfaced track saw new lap records set, with the Dunlop soft tyre to feature across the two
250-kilometre races. After farewelling Holden and the Commodore in 2022, the punishing street circuit will crown the 2023 Supercars champion and first of the Gen3 era. Will it be a Camaro or Mustang that comes out on top?
DATE: November 23 - 26
TRACK: Adelaide Parklands Circuit (Adelaide, South Australia)
LENGTH: 3.22km DIRECTION: Clockwise
AVERAGE SPEED: 146km/h TOP SPEED: 251km/h
PRACTICE/QUALIFYING LAP RECORD:
1:18.6763 (2022) – Chaz Mostert, Holden ZB Commodore RACE LAP RECORD:
1:20.2881 (2022) – Chaz Mostert, Holden ZB Commodore
Gold Coast
30 SUPERCAR XTRA
CIRCUITS
season guide