T8 or WAU

[REM]

WAU are on the hunt for a new manufacturer, but frankly GM looks dead in the water to me in Australia, so I ask, if you were considering entering T8 Supercars...would you go with T8 or WAU?

[stevo qld]

That is a very limited choice, probably neither of the above,

But, certainly not WAU.

[Joe5619]

I dont understand the question... T8 is not available, so by default it's WAU.

[stevo qld]

I dont understand the question... T8 is not available, so by default it's WAU.

The only choices are DJR developed Mustang and 888 developed Camaro and we have yet to see the 2023 Mustang shape.

[djr18fan]

I dont understand the question... T8 is not available, so by default it's WAU.

I think he's suggesting GM is dead in the water,  therefore T8 would be available.

But if I was a manufacturer I wouldn't enter supercars at all, because I read here that the series would be rigged against me.

[REM]

I dont understand the question... T8 is not available, so by default it's WAU.

I think he's suggesting GM is dead in the water,  therefore T8 would be available.

But if I was a manufacturer I wouldn't enter supercars at all, because I read here that the series would be rigged against me.

pretty much, say BMW or alike were seriously looking at Supercars......would they go past T8 to go to WAU? Would T8 let that happen? I suggest not....

[murph_fan51]

I think it's hard to look past the fact that there are 2 Red Bull cars at T8 and some nti and Optus cars at WAU. The obvious choice is to have Red Bull BMW...? I think there have been factory Red Bull BMWs around the world racing at some point.

[TheArrow]

Or pay more than both Optus and NTI and be a fully-fledged factory team like FPR (with 5 and 7/19 in the early years) or HRT before they picked up more than just Mobil 1 as the real only other 'main' sponsor.

[stevo qld]

I think it's hard to look past the fact that there are 2 Red Bull cars at T8 and some nti and Optus cars at WAU. The obvious choice is to have Red Bull BMW...? I think there have been factory Red Bull BMWs around the world racing at some point.

There are some problems with this suggestion.

BMW have said that they have no interest in the class. BMW widely participate in many, many racing classes throughout the world. BMW are not even a top 10 sales company, or, at least, haven't been. The market for BMW in Australia has inclined toward smaller cars and will, in future, include a lot of electric or possibly hybrid cars. In Australia, the market for largish V8 cars, or any large cars, is diminishing.

The only participants in 2023 are low volume niche type cars, one of which is apparently not going to be made in RHD for Australia and may not even be produced at all. The other seems to be going electric in at least one version.

GM have a Government legislated compulsion to continue selling parts for superseded cars and are using this series to promote sales of genuine GM parts, as apposed to non-genuine parts sold by other auto sales organisations. Plus they may introduce the Corvette which is built in RHD and may benefit from the GM publicity.

Ford are selling very few Mustangs and probably not making enough profit on them to pay for Supercars. I understand that Ford are selling other cars, but cant recall any of them except trucks. ( Side topic: I drove past a former major motor-racing Ford dealership today. It went bust a few years ago and is looking abandoned and overgrown).

GM probably had some commitment to 888 and swapped that commitment from Holden (Yes, Yes, I know they were made in Europe by a GM company sold to PSA) to GM.

Gen 3 may be the last strike for the Supercars Series, a restricted entertainment class.

In Australia with a relatively very small new car market, with far too many racing categories, I cannot see ANY manufacturer wanting to enter the Supercar Series.

This may change if Gen 4 racecars are a lot smaller and have electric power.

Let's face it: there is nothing in a restricted, entertainment class for Mustang and Camaro look-alike vehicles that isn't being done very well by TA2.