V8SP: Q&A – Bring back door numbers?
About this episode
James Moffat
"James Moffat, ready to answer some questions? I'm ready, let's do it."
A professional Australian race car driver who has raced in the country's top championships for many years and comes from a famous racing family.
James Moffat is an Australian professional racing driver and the son of four-time Bathurst winner Allan Moffat. He has competed extensively in the Supercars Championship, securing race wins for Nissan Motorsport and Garry Rogers Motorsport, and currently competes as a co-driver in the endurance cup.
Volvo S60 Supercar
"He wants to ask you, you've driven the Volvo and the Nissan back in the day. I did. Did the supercars category do anything to try to make them potential race winners more often? Or did you feel like you were pushing the proverbial uphill in those cars? Slightly different scenarios. Obviously, when I stepped into the Volvo, it was its third and what ended up being its final year in the category. So that car was pretty well sorted. The engine was always very competitive."
A special race-car version of the Volvo S60 sedan built to compete in Australia's top touring car championship. Unlike regular Volvos, this one had a loud, powerful V8 engine and was built purely for high-speed racing.
Garry Rogers Motorsport introduced the Volvo S60 to the Supercars Championship in 2014, powered by a bespoke 5.0-liter Yamaha-developed B8444S V8 engine. The car was highly competitive, famously driven by Scott McLaughlin and James Moffat, before Volvo withdrew factory support after the 2016 season.
Nissan Altima Supercar
"He wants to ask you, you've driven the Volvo and the Nissan back in the day. I did. Did the supercars category do anything to try to make them potential race winners more often? Or did you feel like you were pushing the proverbial uphill in those cars? Slightly different scenarios... Whereas on the Nissan or in the Nissan, the engine was very uncompetitive, especially at the beginning."
A racing version of the Nissan Altima family sedan designed for Australia's V8 Supercars series. It featured a highly modified V8 engine and aggressive racing bodywork, though it took years of development to become competitive.
Kelly Racing introduced the Nissan Altima to Supercars in 2013 under the 'Car of the Future' regulations, utilizing a production-based VK56DE 5.0-liter V8 engine. The engine struggled early on with aerodynamic and power parity issues against Ford and Holden, but eventually achieved race wins before Nissan exited the sport.
Gen 3 Supercars
"Roland Daines came out and said recently that the cost of building the Gen 3 supercars just isn't sustainable. So Stephen's question is, why can't supercars in, say, 2027 say that all new chassis must be built by pace innovations to take advantage of economies of scale?"
A set of rules introduced in 2023 for Australian race cars to make them cheaper to build and look more like the actual sports cars you can buy in showrooms, like the Ford Mustang.
The 'Gen 3' technical regulations were introduced to the Supercars Championship in 2023, designed to lower build and operating costs while increasing road relevance. The platform features control chassis and body shells that closely resemble their production counterparts, specifically the Chevrolet Camaro and Ford Mustang.
Pace Innovations
"So Stephen's question is, why can't supercars in, say, 2027 say that all new chassis must be built by pace innovations to take advantage of economies of scale? Well, Nunes, that. Haven't we been here before? A great question, because that is the idea. It was the idea of Gen 3 to begin with. So all the chassis were meant to be built by pace innovations, which is Paul Seprinich's business on the Gold Coast..."
An Australian company that designs and builds the metal safety frames (chassis) used by many top-level race cars to keep drivers safe and ensure fair competition.
Pace Innovations is an Australian motorsport engineering and manufacturing company founded by Paul Ceprnich. The company is renowned for designing and fabricating control chassis for various racing categories, including the Supercars 'Car of the Future' and 'Gen 3' platforms.
Holden Commodore (VP)
"And he noticed Greg Crick. Yep, Crickie. Driving a Castrol. We love Crickie. VP Commodore. Yep. He said, was that run by Larry's? And what was the history of that car? Now, the funny thing is, when we did the Perkins Engineering book with Jack. Yes, we knew about Greg Crick driving this car round one of 1995. It's the VP that Larry drove the previous year."
A classic Australian racing car from the early 1990s based on the Holden Commodore family sedan. It was powered by a loud V8 engine and won some of Australia's most famous races.
The VP-generation Holden Commodore was raced in the Australian Touring Car Championship from 1993 to 1995, powered by a 5.0-liter Holden V8. It is famous for winning the 1993 Bathurst 1000 in the hands of Larry Perkins and Gregg Hansford.
Larry Perkins
"He said, was that run by Larry's? And what was the history of that car? Now, the funny thing is, when we did the Perkins Engineering book with Jack. Yes, we knew about Greg Crick driving this car round one of 1995. It's the VP that Larry drove the previous year."
A famous Australian racing driver and engineer who won the iconic Bathurst 1000 race six times and built his own highly successful race cars.
Larry Perkins is a former Formula One driver and a legendary figure in Australian touring car racing, having won the Bathurst 1000 six times. He founded Perkins Engineering, which built highly successful race cars and engines, renowned for their engineering integrity and performance.
wildcard entry
"He wants to know how can supercars sweeten the deal and the incentive for more wildcard entries in the championship series. And it helps super two drivers. He thinks get more track and sponsor time."
An extra car and driver allowed to join a race even though they aren't part of the regular full-time championship lineup, often used to give young drivers a chance to show their skills.
A wildcard entry in motorsport refers to a non-regular, additional car and driver combination permitted to compete in select championship rounds. In Supercars, wildcards are often used by teams to evaluate young talent from the Super2 development series or to run extra cars in major endurance races.
Superlicence
"We were going through all that super license BS, unfortunately, and that sort of prevented him from making a wildcard appearance at Bathurst with J.R.M."
A special racing license that drivers must earn before they are allowed to compete in Australia's top-tier Supercars races, ensuring they have enough experience to race safely.
The Supercars Superlicence is a mandatory qualification credential required for drivers to compete in the Supercars Championship. It operates on a points-based system, requiring drivers to accumulate points in lower-tier categories like Super2 to prove their competence and safety.
Shane van Gisbergen
"Chameleon Gisburgen going well overseas. Who would we like to see go to the US and give racing over there a crack? Quite a few have already done it, though. Yeah. Brody's had a crack. Will Brown's had a crack."
A superstar racing driver from New Zealand who won multiple championships in Australia before moving to America to race in NASCAR, where he won his very first race.
Shane van Gisbergen is a highly decorated New Zealand racing driver, winning three Supercars Championships (2016, 2021, 2022) and three Bathurst 1000 titles. Known for his exceptional car control, he made a historic transition to NASCAR in the United States after winning on his debut in Chicago in 2023.
Ford Lasers
"... then maybe. Maybe. Maybe. Yeah. Yeah. We had the Ford lasers, remember? Nat Lowndes, Julie Johnson, Tatiana Gr..."
The Ford Laser is a small, budget-friendly hatchback and sedan sold by Ford in Australia and Asia for about twenty years. It was designed to be a simple, reliable everyday commuter car. In Australia, these common road cars were also used in special racing series where drivers competed in identical vehicles to test their skills.
The Ford Laser is a highly popular compact car sold by Ford in the Asia-Pacific region from 1981 to 2002, developed in partnership with Mazda. In Australia, it became a staple of the automotive landscape and a prominent fixture in local motorsport, notably through one-make racing series and celebrity challenges. These races served as a key platform for up-and-coming talent, including several notable female racers mentioned in the episode.
Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit
"Phillip Island, Island's canteen is very good. The service is fast. There's a nice wide array with the likes. And I'm not on the take with Phillip Island, by the way, but there's always something healthy."
A famous, very fast race track located on a scenic island in Australia, known for its beautiful ocean views and high-speed corners.
The Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit is a world-renowned, fast and flowing 4.445 km racing circuit located in Victoria, Australia. It is famous for its scenic clifftop location overlooking Bass Strait and hosting major international events like MotoGP and World Superbikes.
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