A FAIR amount of midnight oil is being burnt in various Supercar team garages with the start of the 2012 Championship in Adelaide just three weeks away,
This year, preparations for the Car of the Future have been added to team's regular pre-season workload as well.
This is the last season before the Car of the Future platform is fully implemented in 2013, ensuring a busy period, preparing race cars for this year's 15 round series and building plans for the COF in the year ahead.
Teams have seven months before the first official Car of the Future test day, which will be held at Queensland Raceway. Two tyre test days were conducted at Phillip Island and Winton Raceway in November before the project took a hiatus over the Christmas break.
The Car of the Future features an independent rear suspension, a rear-mounted transaxle, mid-mounted fuel tank and control rollcage, in addition to a new 18-inch wheel and tyre package.
The Holden and Ford prototypes were successfully launched to the public at the Sydney Telstra 500 in December.
The prime purpose of Car of the Future is to reduce cost and ensure the long-term viability of the teams and racing.
It also creates the perfect opportunity and timelines for new manufacturers to consider the benefits that the new car provides for an entry into the sport.
The COF is the platform for the next decade of V8 Supercars, to ensure the future success of the sport.
It is also crucial that the cars appearance and DNA will closely mirror that of the road-going equivalent of the respective manufacturer; a unique element that allows the V8 Supercar COF to genuinely stand apart from other touring car series in the world.
As we knew it
The Australian Touring Car Championship/V8 Supercars Championship reaches a milestone this week when the very first championship race was held 52 years ago.
The very first Championship was held over a single 20-lap race at the six kilometre Gnoo-Blas circuit in Orange.
Unlike today's modern-day V8 Supercars two-make competition, a field of 44 cars of varying makes and models took part with the leading cars averaging 140km/h.
British Jaguars that were the dominant 'must-have' car in the 1960 ATCC race.
David McKay's Jaguar 3.4 took the top spot on the podium six seconds clear of another Jaguar driven by Bill Pitt's and Ron Hodgson's 3.8-litre Jag.
Nationals strong
The Shannon's Nationals has revealed the final breakdown of events and categories for the 2012 season.
Nine rounds across four states feature an average of six categories at each round, representing the diversity of the Australian Motorsport landscape with everything from Touring Cars to nimble open wheelers and everything in between.
It is the most diverse calendar yet announced in the series six-year history.
The 'core' categories are looking stronger than ever while the addition of Australian GT and Touring Car Masters really adds to the package at several rounds this year.
The schedule includes four rounds of the Australian Manufacturers Championship that include a 'double' slot in the program - meaning longer distance races that have become a norm for Production Car racing in the past few seasons.
Additions include a seven-round Australian Swift Racing Series calendar and four rounds featuring the return of the Australian GT Championship to the Nationals program.
The Clem Smith Cup for the Sports Sedan Series will again be held at Mallala (April 13-15) while the Ashley Cooper Memorial weekend for the V8 Commodore Cup will return to Winton Raceway in Victoria on June 22-24.
Three rounds of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Australia Series will again make up the Jim Richards Endurance Trophy 'series-within-a-series' that was a huge success in its inaugural season last year, while two rounds of the Radical Australia Cup will also feature longer-distance races.
Open wheel fans don't miss out either
Australia's fastest cars from the Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship will feature on two of the quickest tracks - Phillip Island and Eastern Creek.
The Australian Saloon Car Series, V8 Touring Cars also feature prominently with their respective six and eight-cylinder powered, Holden versus Ford battles.
Safe Motoring.
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