Ford versus Holden rivalry: not over yet.
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By Allan Edwards 3:46 PM Sat 13 March, 2010
Source: BigPond Sport
V8 Supercars Australia Chairman Tony Cochrane is confident that the sport can prosper whether new manufacturers join the series or not.
Cochrane revealed that the Car of the Future regulations will be announced at a special press conference to be held at Melbourne’s Crown Casino on the Monday after the Australian Grand Prix.
The Car of the Future (CoF) regulations have been designed to make it easier for manufacturers other than the traditional Ford and Holden to take part in the Championship.
However, Cochrane said it is not paramount that new manufacturers enter the field to ensure the future success of the category.
“I am delighted with our two manufactures… I have no issue if it just stays Holden and Ford,” Cochrane said.
“I have no issue if it (the number of manufacturers) doesn’t expand; if it expands by one, great, if it expands by two, great, if it expands by three, then that’s fantastic, (but) I am comfortable with the way that it is running.”
However, Cochrane said the CoF Committee does have a list of manufacturers earmarked who could enter the sport. He told the assembled media that the number of new manufacturers on that list was “greater than one and less than 10”.
“Several manufacturers have shown genuine interest… they are undertaking their own feasibility studies and looking at costs; they are talking to us about our future plans,” Cochrane said.
While not giving too much away before the official announcement in just over a fortnight, Cochrane revealed the following about the Car of the Future regulations: the cars will have to be powered by a V8 engine, the cars will be authentic and not a silhouette based, they will have to have four doors and fit on the current Project Blueprint floor plan, they will cost less than $250,000 per car allowing teams to have spare cars, and there will still be 29 Racing Entitlement Contracts (RECs) meaning any new manufacturer would have to do a deal with an existing team, and finally there will be no limit to the number of manufacturers who can compete in the sport.
Cochrane said that the COF regulations are likely to be introduced in 2012, as next year is too close to realistically allow enough time for their implementation.
