2023 Supercars Guide

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

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

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.

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,

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.

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.

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

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

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)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2023 REPCO SUPERCARS CHAMPIONSHIP FORMATS

Key

TTSO: Top 10 Shootout

Qualie 1: Single qualifying session

Qualie 2: Three-part knockout qualifying session

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.

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

Launceston

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

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

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.

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

season guide