Martin Whitaker argues Car of the Future is crucial for the future of the sport
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By Adrian Musolino 1:33 PM Mon 6 September, 2010
Source: BigPond Sport
V8 Supercars Australia CEO Martin Whitaker has defended the Car of the Future (CotF) concept, describing it as an important step for the category to not only save money but also encourage more manufacturers.
In a wide-ranging interview on the current state and future direction of the sport to coincide with his first 100 days in the job, Whitaker addressed the issue in the wake of criticism of the CotF plans.
“If we stop the evolution we go backwards,” he said. “Car of the Future will save money in terms of the construction of the cars without a shadow of a doubt.”
Two CotF prototypes are currently being built, one Holden Commodore VE and the other in Ford Falcon FG bodywork, to iron out any problems and assist teams in the build process for their 2012 introduction.
But team owner Dick Johnson recently labeled the CotF concept as “a complete and utter waste of money” that could send some teams broke.
However, Whitaker insists CotF will make it easier and cheaper for teams to build new cars.
“That’s why we are building the prototypes. They are designed to enable us to iron out any of the problems in the build process. And don’t forget that all the results we get from the build process are going to be monitored and supplied to the teams on a regular basis.
“The only way a team is going to spend more money is the way they activate their program and that’s entirely up to them,” he said.
Whitaker also outlined how important it is for V8 Supercars to entice other manufacturers to join Holden and Ford as a result of CotF.
“I think it is crucial for the sport,” he said. “This is difficult for me in one sense because I have come into a sport that is very much Red and Blue. But at the same time I think the Red and Blue camps are the first to recognise they are in a competitive market place… we talk about evolution of the sport but it’s evolution of the motor industry as well.”
While V8 Supercars has said seven manufacturers are interested in joining the category, V8X reports that only two would confirm future meetings with V8 Supercars Australia.
“I am pretty much convinced you will get one or two manufacturers in there by the introduction year (for CotF), 2012,” said Whitaker.
