V8 Supercars change little in 2015 season

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

That’s the message from V8 Supercars organisers after unveiling a slightly tweaked 2015 calendar on Friday.

There are no new overseas adventures and no taking away from a championship seen to be hitting the mark for racing fans.

The championship’s 14 rounds will again start with a Sydney test day before an series-opening 500km race in Adelaide, concluding on Sydney’s concrete jungle street circuit.

The battle to be King of the Mountain at Bathurst’s Mount Panorama will be fought out on October 11.

The season’s biggest change is a shift for Auckland’s Pukekohe Park meet back to November from April, thrusting New Zealand’s sole meet into a championship showdown.

V8 Supercars chief executive James Warburton said several “SuperSprint” events, with two shorter Saturday races and a longer Sunday race, would again feature after proving popular with fans.

“The emphasis was on improving the racing product, and giving drivers the opportunity to attack at all times without external factors preventing them from being aggressive,” he said.

“For us it’s really about business as usual and continuing the great product.”

Warburton foreshadowed a potential shake up for the 2016 calendar, with Asian races – with their agreeable television timeslot – firmly on the agenda.

“The absolute focus for us now is Asia,” he said.

After turning down opportunities for next year that “weren’t quite right”, Warburton didn’t rule out a swing of two or more Asian races to help with viability.

“Twinning dramatically helps any promoter… for us it’s a matter of finding the right place, the right track, the right event and committing to it,” he said.

The 2015 season also marks the first of the sport’s six-year television deal with Fox Sports and Channel Ten.

Warburton said armchair fans would benefit from new offerings alongside the expanded coverage from the Pay TV provider.

“Don’t forget you’ve got three weekly shows every week; RPM on Ten and Fox Sports will announce their shows,” he said.

“We’ll have 43 continuous weeks of content which will be really important.”

In other changes, more testing will take place on the Friday of race meets and Townsville’s round will revert to two 200km races.

Stay up to date with the latest sports news
Follow our social accounts to get exclusive content and all the latest sporting news!