Will V8 Development Series cars race in the endurance events?

[Rombles1]

Also, you would probably find that the Fujitsu cars would be fighting to be the fastest or first of the Fujitsu cars home... I cannot imagine that they would actually classify them differently, and give official results for the different classes, but there would still be that internal rivalry between them. Then there would also be the rivalry with the bottom end of the "big boys" - "how many of them can we get past?".

And remember, this is Bathurst. Weird stuff happens over 1000km around that track. I know he has an enduro drive already, but look at the way Steve Owen has been driving the Tint-a-Car car in the Fujitsu series this year. Get him a decent co-driver and who knows where they could end up. If you take the best of the Fujitsu drivers potentially out of the running for main-game co-drives, the main game cars end up looking further afield for their co-drivers. Meaning that instead of Mark Noske as the slowest co-driver, you end up with Fahad Al Musalam instead, another two seconds back.

They won't challenge for the win, but it would be great to see them there. Remember the feeling you got picking your favourite privateer each year? Bring that back.

[MPA]

All interesting stuff so far some good contributions to this thread.

Rombles is right. This is Bathurst. Weird stuff happens over 1000km around that track.

Drivers from all over the place have Bathurst experience, from HQs, Formula Fords, Group N, Production Cars etc...What they may lack is time behind the wheel of a V8SC. This might be a problem, but nothing that can't be solved.

And please consider the fact that the top of the Mountain might be daunting for a few, the place also has some long straights where the few co-drivers that need to, can change their undies.


Bathurst is a special place, perhaps more in our hearts with 40 plus years of legends, but at the end of the day, it's race track.


Bring on the big grids again.

[GTRMagic]

In terms of licencing, I presume the likes of an HQ racer or a Formula Ford racer, would need to upgrade their CAMS licence to the right favour for the International classification of the Phillip Island/Bathurst double??

I am aware of a couple of people participating in the AASA series' and who cant run at some CAMS meetings because they dont have enough signatures in their CAMS licence, despite running at the front of the AASA-run program all year....

[Gaz170]

I think Bathurst and possibly the PI 500 should be opened up to all dev series cars and drivers.

I'm sure many of the smaller dev teams would "join forces" with another team to share drivers and resources (and have a spare car as well) to be able to do a full Bathurst 1000.

Bring it on, I say.

[racer69]

The question of once-a-year drivers would no doubt creep up in some quarters, but would also be invalid in my opinion, as they still appear in the race nowadays (eg..Paul Weel)

Originally Posted by Rombles1

Also, you would probably find that the Fujitsu cars would be fighting to be the fastest or first of the Fujitsu cars home... I cannot imagine that they would actually classify them differently, and give official results for the different classes, but there would still be that internal rivalry between them. Then there would also be the rivalry with the bottom end of the "big boys" - "how many of them can we get past?".

You could run it as a two-class race, with the first Fujitsu series car home being recognised as first in class.

[MPA]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

In terms of licencing, I presume the likes of an HQ racer or a Formula Ford racer, would need to upgrade their CAMS licence to the right favour for the International classification of the Phillip Island/Bathurst double??

Most likely, and not a problem that couldn't be solved. IIRC a couple of years ago at The Clipsal the Fujicars needed an International license and equipment upgrade such as helmets to meet a different standard to what they could wear at Wakefield Park.

We saw lots of plain white helmet and the local lid seller made a fortune that year.

Can someone confirm what regs the Fujicars currently run under?

[Jimmy Magnusson]

Here's a really complicated idea. Allow anyone who's got a car that fit the V8 regs, be it 1 or 10 years old, to show up. Qualify, send the guys outside the top 55 home, and then race. Having more entries than pit garages doesn't matter during qualifying, there's always going to be somewhere to smack up a tent for them.