

The2013 International V8 Supercars Championship[2][3] (often simplified to the2013 V8 Supercars Championship) was aFédération Internationale de l'Automobile-sanctioned international motor racing series forV8 Supercars that was based in Australia. It was the fifteenth running of the V8 Supercar Championship Series and the seventeenth series in which V8 Supercars contested the premier Australian touring car title. The championship was contested over thirty-six races,[4][5][N 1] starting with theClipsal 500 Adelaide on 2 March 2013,[6] and finishing with theSydney Telstra 500 V8 Supercars on 8 December.[7] The series' calendar also expanded, travelling to the United States for the first time for a race at theCircuit of the Americas inAustin,Texas.[8]
The 2013 season saw the introduction of the"New Generation V8 Supercar", a revision to the regulations which were designed to cut costs and to make the series more attractive to new manufacturers.[9]Nissan andMercedes-Benz entered the series,[10][11] with fourNissan Altimas being prepared byKelly Racing and threeMercedes-Benz E63 AMGs being run byErebus Motorsport — who purchasedStone Brothers Racing during the off-season – respectively.[12][13]Holden teams competed with the newVF Commodore, which replaces theVE model,[14] whilstFord continued to use theFG Falcon, which had been raced since2009, but built to New Generation V8 Supercar specifications for the 2013 season.
Jamie Whincup started the season as the defending drivers' champion.[1] The team for which he drives,Triple Eight Race Engineering, are the defending teams' champions. Whincup successfully defended his title, winning eleven of the season's thirty-six races and scoring a record-breaking thirteen pole positions. His team-mateCraig Lowndes finished second in the championship for the third consecutive season, giving Triple Eight Race Engineering its fourth consecutive Teams Championship win. Lowndes, withWarren Luff, won the inauguralEnduro Cup for the best performing drivers across the three endurance races.Ford Performance Racing driverWill Davison finished the season in third place.Rick Kelly finished the highest of the Nissan drivers, in fourteenth place, whileLee Holdsworth ended the season in twentieth to be the highest placed Erebus Motorsport driver.
The following teams and drivers competed in the 2013 championship.
All teams competing with theHolden Commodore upgraded to the newVF model.[14]
After switching fromHolden toFord after the first event of the2011 season,Tony D'Alberto Racing moved back to Holden in 2013, where the team received technical assistance fromWalkinshaw Performance.[69]
Ford Performance Racing expanded to a four-car operation with the acquisition of the #18 Racing Entitlement Contract held by Charlie Schwerkolt, which was used byDick Johnson Racing to runJames Moffat's car in 2012.[70] The fourth car is run as a satellite of the team, in the same way as the #55Rod Nash Racing car is run.
In January 2013, British motorsport groupProdrive announced that it had sold its stake inFord Performance Racing toRod Nash and formerAustralian GT Champion Rusty French.[71]
Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport expanded to a two-car operation after purchasing the #49 Racing Entitlement Contract fromPaul Morris Motorsport.[72] The team also acquired two VF Commodores constructed byTriple Eight Race Engineering.
As a result of the deals between Schwerkolt and Ford Performance Racing and Paul Morris and Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport,Dick Johnson Racing lost the use of the #18 and #49 Racing Entitlement Contracts and was reduced to a two-car operation with its existing #17 REC and by leasingTriple F Racing's #12 REC.
Kelly Racing switched from competing withHolden Commodores toNissan Altimas,[12] running a re-sleeved version of Nissan's quad-cam aluminium 5.6-litreVK56DE V8 reconfigured to a 5.0-litre capacity. The team was renamed to Nissan Motorsport,[73] a name last used byGibson Motorsport in 1991.
In January 2013,Larry Perkins confirmed that he had sold his two Racing Entitlement Contracts to Kelly Racing.[74] Perkins had previously leased the #11 and #16 RECs to the Kelly operation, and by purchasing them, Kelly Racing acquired full control over the licences. To satisfy sponsor requirements, the 2 former Perkins RECs used numbers 36 and 360.
Stone Brothers Racing was purchased byAustralian GT Championship teamErebus Motorsport,[56] and the organisation, along with satellite teamJames Rosenberg Racing, ended their association withFord. Instead, the combined team entered three cars based on theMercedes-Benz E63 W212,[11][75] powered by aM159 engine.[76] The combined Erebus—James Rosenberg outfit did not receive any factory support from Mercedes-Benz.[13]
Steven Johnson was forced out of his seat atDick Johnson Racing as a result of the team's on-going financial troubles. He took on the position of general manager in the team's organisational structure,[77] whilst contesting theAustralian Carrera Cup Championship.[78] He would later drive in the endurance events forErebus Motorsport.[60]
Johnson's departure led toTim Blanchard joining the series full-time with DJR.[24] Blanchard had previously contested the endurance races in2011 and2012 withKelly Racing before replacing the injuredTodd Kelly for the final four events of the 2012 season.2012V8SuperTourer runner-upJonny Reid also joined DJR in the second seat, replacingDean Fiore.[21]
James Moffat would lose his seat at DJR as the #18 REC was returned toCharlie Schwerkolt Racing. Moffat would join the factory-backedNissan Motorsport as the replacement forGreg Murphy.[64][66] Murphy had leftKelly Racing at the end of 2012 and was unable to find a full-time seat.[79] He would later join theHolden Racing Team for the endurance races.[80][81]
Alex Davison returned to the series after a one-year absence spent competing in theAustralian Carrera Cup Championship to join the new Schwerkolt team, which ran as a satellite team of FPR.[25]
As a result of the REC changes surrounding Dick Johnson Racing,Dean Fiore moved from DJR toLucas Dumbrell Motorsport,[54] and leased theTriple F Racing REC back to DJR so they could continue to run two cars.[82]Taz Douglas would leave the category after one year racing for LDM, and returned to theDunlop V8 Supercar Series.[83]Steve Owen lost his seat as the #49 REC was sold to LDM. Owen would joinFord Performance Racing for the endurance events.[17]Scott Pye, who placed second in the2012Dunlop V8 Supercar Series, joined LDM in the second seat.[50]
Karl Reindler leftKelly Racing at the end of 2012,[79] and moved to theAustralian Carrera Cup Championship.[84]Michael Caruso leftGarry Rogers Motorsport after five seasons to take Reindler's seat at the renamedNissan Motorsport team.[64][66] Reigningsecond-tier V8 Supercar champion andNew Zealand V8SuperTourer championScott McLaughlin then joined GRM full-time, having raced for the team as an emergency replacement in the final race of the2012 season.[44]
At the end of the 2012 season,Shane van Gisbergen announced plans to leave the category in order to rejuvenate himself and consider his future. This announcement came afterStone Brothers Racing had been purchased byErebus Motorsport.[85][86] He later announced in January 2013 that he would return to the championship, replacing Michael Patrizi atTekno Autosports.[41] Patrizi would return to theAustralian Carrera Cup Championship.[87]
As a result of Van Gisbergen's departure, formerDeutsche Tourenwagen Masters driverMaro Engel would make his series debut withErebus Motorsport, continuing his long association withMercedes-Benz.[59]
Jonny Reid was replaced byDunlop Series driverChaz Mostert atDick Johnson Racing prior to the Perth 360.[22]
Following a major accident at the Phillip Island event,James Courtney was forced to miss the Sydney 500. He was replaced by the Holden Racing Team's endurance co-driver,Nick Percat.[34]
The 2013 calendar was released on 15 October 2012.[88] The season consisted of thirty-six races to be held at fourteen venues inAustralia,New Zealand and theUnited States,[89] plus an additionalnon-championship event that was held at theMelbourne Grand Prix Circuit in support of the2013 Australian Grand Prix.[90]
New Zealand rounds | United States rounds
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TheCircuit of the Americas inAustin, Texas hosted an event of the championship on 17–19 May.[8][95] The series used the shorter "national" circuit, instead of the full layout.[93]
TheHamilton 400 was held for the final time in 2012.[96] It was replaced by an event atPukekohe Park Raceway, which last hosted a championship event in2007.[97] The Pukekohe Park circuit was reconfigured to accommodate the category after it was awarded "International" status by theFIA in2011. This act required the circuit to meet the criteria for an FIA Grade-2 certification, necessitating the changes.[91]
After returning to the calendar in 2012,Sydney Motorsport Park did not host an event in 2013.[88]
TheYas Marina Circuit was initially scheduled to host theYas V8 400 in support of the2013 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but with the Grand Prix support bill expanding to include rounds of theGP2 andGP3 Series championships,[98][99] the event was removed from the V8 Supercars calendar.[100]
The events atSymmons Plains,Barbagallo,Hidden Valley,Queensland Raceway,Winton andPhillip Island all featured a new three-race format, dubbed the "60/60 Sprint" format. The Saturday race was 120-kilometres in length but split into two 60-kilometre halves with a fifteen-minute break in between to allow teams the opportunity to service their cars. The starting grid for the second half of the race was determined by the finishing order of the first half of the race. The remaining two races were then held on Sunday at 100-kilometres in length each.[101] Originally, a driver who finished one lap down in the first half would remain one lap down at the start of the second half of the race. This was changed following the Symmons Plains event, with drivers who were a lap down at the end of the first half gaining the lap back for the second half.[102]
Teams were no longer required to compete with a co-driver from an international racing series for theGold Coast 600. Instead, teams were free to partner each of their drivers with any co-driver they choose, and allowed to enter the same co-drivers for theSandown 500,Bathurst 1000 and Gold Coast 600.[103] The drivers with the most points from the three endurance races received the "Enduro Cup", a new trophy introduced for 2013.[104]
TheNew Generation V8 Supercar (originallyCar of the Future) project was first announced in2008, when a working group was established to explore options for the long-term future of the category. The study found that in the fifteen years since the category had been restricted to two manufacturers, the costs of building and racing with a competitive car had doubled, with some estimates putting the cost as high asA$600,000 per car, per season.[105][106]
The Car of the Future program was created to address this, aiming to reduce running costs to $250,000. This was achieved through the use of "control" parts; where teams had previously been charged with designing and developing their own parts, the Car of the Future regulations called for these parts to be built independently and to a set specification. The basicchassis androll cage,differential,brakes,cooling andfuel systems andrear suspension were all changed to control parts.[107]
The category also introduced a largerfuel tank to combat the phenomenon of "economy racing" whereby drivers would be forced to drive conservatively late in the race so as to preserve enough fuel to reach the finish. The larger tanks and a restructuring of event formats to include more compulsory pit stops instead allowed drivers to push as hard as they pleased until the end of the race.[108]
Manufacturers were free to develop their ownaerodynamic aids to suit their cars, which were then put through a rigorous system of parity testing so as to refine the aerodynamics of each model of car so as to prevent one model from having a distinct advantage over the others. Finally, manufacturers were also given the option of using "generic" engines developed by the category and re-badged to reflect the manufacturer using them[109]—though as the season started, no manufacturers had elected to do so—or developing their ownengines, which would be built to specifications and then be subject to a process ofhomologation to ensure that all engines developed by the manufacturer would be identical. In order to ensure the cars can remain competitive, the process of homologation only applies to the basic engine platform, which teams will be free to develop over the course of the season.[76]
With the requirement that all teams build brand-new cars for the 2013 season, most of the cars that were raced in 2011 and 2012 were sold to teams competing in theV8 Development Series, the second-tier category for V8 Supercars.[110][111][112]
In November 2013 theCar of the Future was officially renamed theNew Generation V8 Supercar.[113]
| Round | Event name | Pole position | Winning driver | Winning team | Winning car | Report | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | R1 | Adelaide 500 | Triple Eight Race Engineering | Holden Commodore VF | report | ||
| R2 | Tekno Autosports | Holden Commodore VF | |||||
| 2 | R1 | Tasmania 365 | Brad Jones Racing | Holden Commodore VF | report | ||
| R2 | Brad Jones Racing | Holden Commodore VF | |||||
| R3 | Brad Jones Racing | Holden Commodore VF | |||||
| 3 | R1 | Auckland 400 | Garry Rogers Motorsport | Holden Commodore VF | report | ||
| R2 | Triple Eight Race Engineering | Holden Commodore VF | |||||
| R3 | Ford Performance Racing | Ford Falcon FG | |||||
| R4 | Brad Jones Racing | Holden Commodore VF | |||||
| 4 | R1 | Perth 360 | Triple Eight Race Engineering | Holden Commodore VF | report | ||
| R2 | Triple Eight Race Engineering | Holden Commodore VF | |||||
| R3 | Triple Eight Race Engineering | Holden Commodore VF | |||||
| 5 | R1 | Austin 400 | Triple Eight Race Engineering | Holden Commodore VF | report | ||
| R2 | Triple Eight Race Engineering | Holden Commodore VF | |||||
| R3 | Brad Jones Racing | Holden Commodore VF | |||||
| R4 | Triple Eight Race Engineering | Holden Commodore VF | |||||
| 6 | R1 | Darwin Triple Crown | Triple Eight Race Engineering | Holden Commodore VF | report | ||
| R2 | Ford Performance Racing | Ford Falcon FG | |||||
| R3 | Triple Eight Race Engineering | Holden Commodore VF | |||||
| 7 | R1 | Townsville 400 | Ford Performance Racing | Ford Falcon FG | |||
| R2 | Holden Racing Team | Holden Commodore VF | |||||
| 8 | R1 | Ipswich 360 | Triple Eight Race Engineering | Holden Commodore VF | |||
| R2 | Garry Rogers Motorsport | Holden Commodore VF | |||||
| R3 | Dick Johnson Racing | Ford Falcon FG | |||||
| 9 | R1 | Winton 360 | Nissan Motorsport | Nissan Altima L33 | |||
| R2 | Ford Performance Racing | Ford Falcon FG | |||||
| R3 | Holden Racing Team | Holden Commodore VF | |||||
| 10 | Sandown 500 | Triple Eight Race Engineering | Holden Commodore VF | report | |||
| 11 | Bathurst 1000 | Ford Performance Racing | Ford Falcon FG | report | |||
| 12 | R1 | Gold Coast 600 | Triple Eight Race Engineering | Holden Commodore VF | report | ||
| R2 | Rod Nash Racing | Ford Falcon FG | |||||
| 13 | R1 | Phillip Island 360 | Holden Racing Team | Holden Commodore VF | |||
| R2 | Triple Eight Race Engineering | Holden Commodore VF | |||||
| R3 | Triple Eight Race Engineering | Holden Commodore VF | |||||
| 14 | R1 | Sydney 500 | Triple Eight Race Engineering | Holden Commodore VF | |||
| R2 | Tekno Autosports | Holden Commodore VF | |||||
Points were awarded for each race at an event, to the driver/s of a car that completed at least 75% of the race distance and was running at the completion of the race, up to a maximum of 300 points per event.
| Event format | Position, points per race | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th | 14th | 15th | 16th | 17th | 18th | 19th | 20th | 21st | 22nd | 23rd | 24th | 25th | 26th | 27th | 28th | 29th | |
| Single-race | 300 | 276 | 258 | 240 | 222 | 204 | 192 | 180 | 168 | 156 | 144 | 138 | 132 | 126 | 120 | 114 | 108 | 102 | 96 | 90 | 84 | 78 | 72 | 66 | 60 | 54 | 48 | 42 | 36 |
| Two-race | 150 | 138 | 129 | 120 | 111 | 102 | 96 | 90 | 84 | 78 | 72 | 69 | 66 | 63 | 60 | 57 | 54 | 51 | 48 | 45 | 42 | 39 | 36 | 33 | 30 | 27 | 24 | 21 | — |
| Three-race | 100 | 92 | 86 | 80 | 74 | 68 | 64 | 60 | 56 | 52 | 48 | 46 | 44 | 42 | 40 | 38 | 36 | 34 | 32 | 30 | 28 | 26 | 24 | 22 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 14 | |
| Four-race | 75 | 69 | 64 | 60 | 55 | 51 | 48 | 45 | 42 | 39 | 36 | 34 | 33 | 31 | 30 | 28 | 27 | 25 | 24 | 22 | 21 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 10 | |
|
Bold – Pole position Results count toward theEndurance Cup. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Bold - Pole position Results count towards theEndurance Cup. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Notes:
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Bold - Pole position |
International V8 Supercars Championship
The Texas event will feature four 100km races, with both the soft and hard tyres expected to be used.
In 2013 Dumbrell again pairs with Triple Eight's four-time series champion to take-on Bathurst
The two-car Holden team, owned by driver Jonathon Webb's father Steve, is one of few teams withan unsigned seat for next year's championship.
With Tony D'Alberto Racing set to defect back to Holden with technical support from Walkinshaw Racing and Stone Brothers Racing running Mercedes-Benz cars, Ford could be left with just two teams (Ford Performance Racing and Dick Johnson Racing) and seven entries for the 2013 season, at a time when the future of the Falcon and its local manufacturing appears grim.
The traditional Ford/Holden championship will see Nissan join the ranks next year with a four-car factory squad prepared by Kelly Racing. The team will be known as Nissan Motorsport next year.
Erebus Racing CEO Ryan Maddison confirmed that the three E63 AMG race cars will carry Mercedes-Benz badgework but no additional signage.
Additionally, the new-for-2013 Car of the Future is now officially being referred to as the 'New Generation' V8 Supercar.