V8SuperTourer
The V8 Supertourer is a New Zealand racing car based on a "Car-of-the-Future" prototype built by Paul Ceprnich of Pace Innovations Australia similar to that of the Australian V8 Supercar series. It was designed to be customised to many different manufacturers vehicles including a Holden VE Commodore, Ford FG Falcon, Toyota Camry or BMW 5 Series. Testing started in April 2010.[1]
 | |
| Category | V8 Touring car racing Silhouette racing car |
|---|---|
| Country | New Zealand |
| Inaugural season | 2012 |
| Constructors | Holden Ford Toyota |
| Engine suppliers | Chevrolet 7.0 V8 LS7 |
| Tyre suppliers | Hankook |
| Drivers' champion | Simon Evans |
| Official website | www.nzv8touringcars.co.nz |
The V8SuperTourer Championship was run by V8SuperTourers Limited, a company formed by former NZV8 team owners Mark Petch, Wayne Anderson and Garry Pedersen.
The aim of the company was to build a new V8 touring car, similar to a current Australian V8 Supercar but at less than half the cost. The V8SuperTourer was designed to have performance similar to that of a current Australian V8 Supercar and was designed for both sprint and long distance racing, including a 120-litre capacity fuel cell.
The V8SuperTourers Championship was the name of the motor racing series in New Zealand which started in 2012 to coincide with the release of the Supertourer but changed direction in 2015. The series later became known as the NZV8 Touring Car Championship and is now the leading tier one V8 Championship in the country.
The V8SuperTourer car
Designed and built by Paul Ceprnich of Pace Innovations Australia, the V8SuperTourer prototype uses a Holden VE Commodore body mounted on a purpose-built chassis. The chassis, like the Australian V8 Supercar car of the future (or COTF) project, is built to not only accommodate both the current VE Commodore and Ford FG Falcon bodies, but any other similar sized four-dour production vehicle such a Toyota Camry or BMW 5 Series. Interested vehicle manufacturers of four-door saloon cars of a similar size to the Holden Commodore VE and Ford FG Falcon models can apply to race in the series.
The V8SuperTourer uses a strictly-controlled, one make, all-alloy, fuel injected and dry sumped 7-litre V8 ST engine. The power-plant is derived from the Le Mans Corvette C6.R programme and is hand-built in the United States. It delivers 550 horsepower at 6,800 revs per minute and is expected to have a racing life of 10,000 kilometres before requiring maintenance. This engine is identical to that of the Mosler Automotives current and very successful GT3 sports-car.
The Link Engine Management, G4 Xtreme manages the fuel, ignition and e-throttle, gear shift cuts, performance limiting when parameters go "out of range" as well as supplying data to the Race Technology dash.
The drive-train consists of a triple-plate clutch, which delivers engine torque through a Quaife 6-speed sequential transmission via a two-piece pro-shaft feeding a classic 9 Ford differential, which is fitted with a Torsen-style limited slip, crown wheel carrier assembly in order to provide excellent traction in most conditions.
The rear suspension adopts the proven, yet simple in design and maintenance, three-link live rear axle fitted with camber and toe, CV style, floating rear hubs.
The front suspension is a sophisticated clean sheet, double wishbone layout that is also cleverly symmetrical from left to right, thus reducing spares inventories, etc. Both the front and rear suspension oscillations are dampened by adjustable bump and rebound shock absorbers fitted with adjustable spring platforms.
The rack and pinion power steering assembly is mounted ahead of the engine in order to better optimise the front suspension geometry and the high loads generated under long distance racing events.
The V8SuperTourer uses 11x18 forged alloy wheels carrying 280 x 680 x 18 racing slicks or wet weather radial tyres.
The Brembo brake package, use ventilated 380mm diameter 35 mm thick rotors in the front, and 355x32 mm ventilated rotors in the rear. Both the front and rear rotors are fitted with Brembo's super-stiff "forged" billet alloy 6 piston brake callipers, in the front and 4 piston callipers in the rear. This state of the art brake package combines to stop the comparatively light car, which has an all up weight, including driver, of less than 1,300 kg, faster than a current supercar.
Champions
| Season | Overall Champion | Team Champion | Sprint Series Champion | Endurance Series Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 |  |
MPC Motorsport | |
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| 2013 | |
M3 Racing | |
|
| 2014 | |
M3 Racing | |
Endurance Series not held[2] |
| 2014-15 | |
Team 4 | |
|
Records
- First pole sitter ever: Kayne Scott in 2012 Round 1 at Hampton Downs
- First race winner: Greg Murphy in 2012 Round 1 at Hampton Downs
- First round winner: Greg Murphy in 2012 Round 1 at Hampton Downs
- Most race wins in a row: Greg Murphy in 2014 Race 1 Round 1 Highlands to Race 1 Round 3 Pukekohe (7 Race Wins)
- Most podium finishes in a row: Greg Murphy from 2013 Round 7 Race 3 Pukekohe 500 to 2014 Race 3 Round 4 Pukekohe (14 Podiums)
Race wins by driver
| Wins | Drivers | Manufacturers |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | Greg Murphy | Holden |
| 7 | Scott McLaughlin | Holden |
| 6 | Ant Pedersen | Ford |
| 5 | Jack Perkins | Holden |
| 4 | Shane van Gisbergen | Ford |
| 3 | Jonathon Webb | Holden |
| Daniel Gaunt | Ford | |
| 2 | Jonny Reid | Ford |
| Fabian Coulthard | Holden | |
| Tim Edgell | Holden | |
| Lee Holdsworth | Holden | |
| Chaz Mostert | Ford | |
| Richard Moore | Holden | |
| 1 | John McIntyre | Ford |
| Nick Cassidy | Holden | |
| Andrew Waite | Ford | |
| Andy Booth | Holden | |
| Alex Davison | Ford | |
| Tim Slade | Holden | |
| James Moffat | Holden | |
Accurate to and including, 2014
Round wins by driver
| Wins | Drivers | Manufacturers |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Greg Murphy | Holden |
| 4 | Scott McLaughlin | Holden |
| 3 | Shane van Gisbergen | Ford |
| 2 | Jonathon Webb | Holden |
| 1 | Jonny Reid | Ford |
| Fabian Coulthard | Holden | |
| Jack Perkins | Holden | |
| Daniel Gaunt | Ford | |
| Alex Davison | Ford | |
| James Moffat | Holden | |
| Ant Pedersen | Ford | |
| Chaz Mostert | Ford | |
Accurate to and including, 2014
Podium finishes by driver
| Podiums | Drivers | Manufacturers |
|---|---|---|
| 36 | Greg Murphy | Holden |
| 17 | Scott McLaughlin | Holden |
| Ant Pedersen | Ford | |
| 16 | Richard Moore | Holden |
| 11 | Jack Perkins | Holden |
| 10 | John McIntyre | Ford |
| 9 | Simon Evans | Holden |
| 8 | Shane van Gisbergen | Ford |
| Jonathon Webb | Holden | |
| 7 | Andy Booth | Holden |
| 6 | Jonny Reid | Ford |
| Daniel Gaunt | Ford | |
| Chaz Mostert | Ford | |
| Tim Slade | Holden | |
| Andre Heimgartner | Holden | |
| 3 | Fabian Coulthard | Holden |
| Kayne Scott | Holden | |
| Craig Baird | Ford | |
| Tim Edgell | Holden | |
| 2 | Jono Lester | Ford |
| Nick Cassidy | Holden | |
| Andrew Waite | Ford | |
| Alex Davison | Ford | |
| Lee Holdsworth | Holden | |
| James Moffat | Holden | |
| 1 | Andy Knight | Ford |
| Chris Pither | Ford | |
| Owen Kelly | Holden | |
| George Miedecke | Ford | |
| Tony D'Alberto | Holden | |
| Geoff Emery | Holden | |
| Steve Owen | Holden | |
| Chris van der Drift | Holden | |
| Ashley Walsh | Holden | |
| Mark Gibson | Ford | |
| Morgan Haber | Holden | |
| Angus Fogg | Holden | |
| Steve Owen | Holden | |
Accurate to and including, 2014
Pole positions by driver
| Poles | Drivers | Manufacturers |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | Scott McLaughlin | Holden |
| 6 | Ant Pedersen | Ford |
| 4 | Greg Murphy | Holden |
| 1 | Jonny Reid | Ford |
| Fabian Coulthard | Holden | |
| Kayne Scott | Holden | |
| Chris van der Drift | Holden | |
| Shane van Gisbergen | Ford | |
| Richard Moore | Holden | |
| Tim Edgell | Holden | |
Accurate to and including, 2014
Television coverage
Broadcasting rights for the inaugural V8SuperTourer season in 2012 were held by TV3. TV3 brought free-to-air, same-day, coverage of all seven rounds in 2012 with the third race from each of the sprint rounds and the main race from each of the endurance rounds screening live.
TV3 still screen the NZV8 Touring Car Championship on CRC Motorsport on the Sunday following each round of the series.
Over 1 million viewers tuned into CRC Motorsport / BNT V8’s during the 2017/18 Championship Season.
"We had a great Season with the BNT V8’s this year, it’s always a favourite with our CRC Motorsport Viewers. BNT V8’s averaged a 180,000 to 220,000 Audience Share Reach per Show in the 18 -54 Male Demographic this year, this is up on 2016/17. We were generally the 1st or 2nd most watched Show across all Networks in that Time Slot." – Nigel Carpenter, Producer, TV3 CRC Motorsport.[3]
References
- "First V8SuperTourers to test tomorrow". SpeedCafe. 2011-04-19. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
- "Murphy seals second straight BNT V8 SuperTourers championship". v8st.co.nz. 2014-04-26. Retrieved 2014-04-26.
- "V8SuperTourers secure TV3 broadcast deal". V8SuperTourers LTD. 2011-08-05. Retrieved 2011-10-23.