The2015 International V8 Supercars Championship (often simplified to the2015 V8 Supercars Championship) was anFIA-sanctioned international auto racing series forV8 Supercars. It was the seventeenth running of the V8 Supercar Championship Series and the nineteenth series in which V8 Supercars have contested the premier Australian touring car title.
Mark Winterbottom ofProdrive Racing Australia secured his first championship title with one race remaining, winning nine races during the season, whileTriple Eight Race Engineering won the Teams' Championship.[1] TheEnduro Cup was won byGarth Tander andWarren Luff, driving for theHolden Racing Team.
Holden,Nissan andVolvo were all represented byfactory-backed teams.[2][3][4]Ford reduced its commitment as a prelude to a complete exit from the series at the end of the season,[5] whileMercedes-Benz continued to be represented without any factory support.[6]
The following teams and drivers competed in the 2015 championship.
Teams competing with theFord Falcon updated to the newFalcon FG X, thoughRod Nash Racing and Super Black Racing started the season with the previousFG configuration.[7] Both teams updated to the FG X for the second event of the championship.[59]
Ford Performance Racing was rebranded asProdrive Racing Australia, following Ford reducing its funding to the team.[60]
Charlie Schwerkolt Racing switched from racing a customerFord Performance Racing Falcon to a customerHolden Racing Team Commodore.[9]
Dick Johnson Racing was rebranded asDJR Team Penske, afterTeam Penske purchased a 51% stake in the team.[15] The team scaled back to run a single car.[61]
James Rosenberg Racing returned itsRacing Entitlement Contract (REC) to the series' management.[62]
Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport returned to fielding two cars having scaled back to run a single car in 2014.[63]
Super Black Racing entered the series full-time as a customer of Prodrive Racing Australia with a REC leased from DJR Team Penske.[9][61]

After making a one-off appearance at the2014 Sydney NRMA 500 forDick Johnson Racing, former series championMarcos Ambrose returned to the championship on a full-time basis.[15] With the team scaling back to run a single car for Ambrose,Scott Pye was left without a drive.[61]
Tim Blanchard joinedLucas Dumbrell Motorsport full-time after driving for the team in the endurance races in 2014.[29]
Andre Heimgartner competed in his first full-time season, driving for Super Black Racing, after racing in a wildcard entry in the2014 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000.[9]
Lee Holdsworth moved fromErebus Motorsport toCharlie Schwerkolt Racing, replacingJack Perkins.[64] Holdsworth's place at Erebus Motorsport was taken byAshley Walsh.[41]
Nick Percat moved fromJames Rosenberg Racing to Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport followingRussell Ingall's retirement from full-time driving.[9][65]
David Wall moved from Dick Johnson Racing toGarry Rogers Motorsport to replaceRobert Dahlgren.[55][66]
Marcos Ambrose stepped down from full-time driving duties at DJR Team Penske prior to the second event of the championship. He was replaced byScott Pye, who had originally been listed as the team's endurance co-driver, for the rest of the season. Ambrose returned as a co-driver for the endurance races.[16]
James Courtney was injured during practice for theSydney Motorsport Park Super Sprint when he was hit by pieces of pit equipment which were flung into the air by a low-flying helicopter. His endurance co-driver,Jack Perkins, replaced him for the remainder of the weekend.[27] Courtney also missed the Wilson Security Sandown 500 and Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000, with Russell Ingall coming out of retirement to be co-driver for Perkins.[28][67]
Cam Waters made his full-time V8 Supercar début, replacing Chaz Mostert at Prodrive Racing Australia after Mostert was injured in an accident at the Bathurst 1000. As Waters was originally scheduled to partner Mostert for the Gold Coast 600, Russell Ingall was drafted in as co-driver ahead of James Courtney's return to the Holden Racing Team.[13]Steve Owen drove the car at the Sydney 500 to allow Waters to concentrate on hisDunlop Series commitments.[14]
Dean Canto replaced Ashley Walsh at the Phillip Island event, with Erebus Motorsport citing the need for an experienced driver to help with car setup.[43]Alex Davison drove the car at the Sydney 500 as Erebus Motorsport continues its development program.[44]
Chris Pither replaced Andre Heimgartner at the Phillip Island event as Super Black Racing evaluated its full-time driver options for2016.[19] Pither also drove at the Sydney 500, having been confirmed as Heimgartner's replacement for 2016.[68]
After taking part in Friday practice at the Phillip Island event,Nick Percat elected not to take part in the rest of the weekend due to a foot injury sustained at the Gold Coast 600. He was replaced byPaul Dumbrell for the rest of the event.[32] Percat did not recover in time for the Sydney 500 and was replaced by Jack Perkins for the event.[33]
Two wildcard entries would be granted for theBathurst 1000.Prodrive Racing Australia elected to run an all-female wildcard forRenee Gracie andSimona De Silvestro[57], while family teamNovocastrian Motorsport ran a Commodore for brothersAaren Russell andDrew Russell.[58]
The 2015 calendar was released on 12 September 2014.[69][70] Two non-championship events were held; one being theV8 Supercars Challenge in conjunction with theAustralian Grand Prix on 12–15 March, and the other a demonstration using five cars (one from each manufacturer) at theKuala Lumpur City Grand Prix inMalaysia over 7–9 August.[71][72]
New Zealand rounds
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TheAuckland event moved from April to November, while theWinton andPerth events swapped positions on the calendar.[69]
Each Super Sprint event featured two hours of Friday practice which incorporated testing time for the teams. TheTownsville event reverted to its original 400-kilometre format, with a 200-kilometre race held on both Saturday and Sunday.[69] The Saturday races of Super Sprint events were contested over a shorter distance of 60 kilometres per race, compared to the 100-kilometre races held in 2014. No twilight races were held.[73] After holding a fourth race on the Friday in 2013 and 2014, the Auckland event was reduced to three races, the same as all other Super Sprint events.[74]
The number of test days allocated to each team was reduced from four to three. A compulsory two-day test was held atSydney Motorsport Park on 7–8 February 2015, with teams allocated one further day of private testing that could be used at their discretion. The amount of track time on Fridays at eight rounds has been increased to account for the reduced number of test days.[69]
From Darwin, in response to processional racing in the 60 km SuperSprint races, the V8 Supercar Commission changed tyre allocations to give teams a set of soft compound rubber for the second race.[75]
The season saw the commencement of a new television deal, withFoxtel andNetwork Ten taking over the broadcasting rights fromSeven Network. All races are being shown live on Foxtel'sFox Sports with six events – Adelaide, Townsville, Sandown, Bathurst, the Gold Coast and Sydney – also being televised live on Ten.[76] Ten also broadcasts limited highlights of the other events. The television seriesInside Supercars andSupercars Life were also launched by Fox Sports to accompany their coverage. Ten revived their motorsport magazine seriesRPM to accompany their own coverage.
| Round | Race | Event | Pole position | Fastest lap | Winning driver | Winning team | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Adelaide 500 | Triple Eight Race Engineering | Report | |||
| 2 | Brad Jones Racing | ||||||
| 3 | Holden Racing Team | ||||||
| 2 | 4 | Tasmania SuperSprint | Triple Eight Race Engineering | Report | |||
| 5 | Triple Eight Race Engineering | ||||||
| 6 | Triple Eight Race Engineering | ||||||
| 3 | 7 | Perth SuperSprint | Prodrive Racing Australia | Report | |||
| 8 | Prodrive Racing Australia | ||||||
| 9 | Erebus Motorsport | ||||||
| 4 | 10 | Winton SuperSprint | Prodrive Racing Australia | Report | |||
| 11 | Prodrive Racing Australia | ||||||
| 12 | Prodrive Racing Australia | ||||||
| 5 | 13 | Darwin Triple Crown | Prodrive Racing Australia | Report | |||
| 14 | Triple Eight Race Engineering | ||||||
| 15 | Rod Nash Racing | ||||||
| 6 | 16 | Townsville 400 | Prodrive Racing Australia | Report | |||
| 17 | Prodrive Racing Australia | ||||||
| 7 | 18 | Ipswich SuperSprint | Prodrive Racing Australia | Report | |||
| 19 | Prodrive Racing Australia | ||||||
| 20 | Prodrive Racing Australia | ||||||
| 8 | 21 | Sydney Motorsport Park SuperSprint | Prodrive Racing Australia | Report | |||
| 22 | Triple Eight Race Engineering | ||||||
| 23 | Prodrive Racing Australia | ||||||
| 9 | 24 | Sandown 500 | Prodrive Racing Australia | Report | |||
| 10 | 25 | Bathurst 1000 | Triple Eight Race Engineering | Report | |||
| 11 | 26 | Gold Coast 600 | Tekno Autosports | Report | |||
| 27 | Holden Racing Team | ||||||
| 12 | 28 | Auckland 500 | Triple Eight Race Engineering | Report | |||
| 29 | Rod Nash Racing | ||||||
| 30 | Triple Eight Race Engineering | ||||||
| 13 | 31 | Phillip Island SuperSprint | Triple Eight Race Engineering | Report | |||
| 32 | Triple Eight Race Engineering | ||||||
| 33 | Triple Eight Race Engineering | ||||||
| 14 | 34 | Sydney 500 | Triple Eight Race Engineering | Report | |||
| 35 | Triple Eight Race Engineering | ||||||
| 36 | Tekno Autosports |
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.[77]
| Points format | Position | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | ||
| Short format | 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 | N/a | N/a | |
| Long format | 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 | |||
| Endurance format | 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 | |
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Italics - Fastest lap Results count toward the Endurance Cup. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Italics - Fastest lap Results count toward the Endurance Cup. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Bold - Pole position | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Manufacturers' championship was won byHolden.[78]
...however the team would only say it will now further explore its options to fill the #4 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG seat for next year alongside Will Davison
Nissan has three of its drivers locked in, with co-owner Todd Kelly's continued career as a driver still pending ongoing sponsorship talks.
Media related toV8 Supercar in 2015 at Wikimedia Commons