This was seen with the Red Bull cars on Saturday and also to a more severe degree with Mostert and Walkinshaw Andretti United, who even admitted that leaning towards a faster qualifying car meant they would struggle with degradation during the races. [72] The Gold Coast 600 was to have also become a night race. [88], LED panels were to be fitted in the windows of all cars. It was also the new qualifying lap record for a Supercars racer at the Mount Panorama circuit, eclipsing the previous best time set by Chaz Mostert last year, which was a 2m 03.789s in a Tickford Mustang too. Under the series' sporting regulations, an REC may be leased from its owner for two years, after which it must be purchased or returned to its owner. [71][78] Supercars' management later announced that should an event be postponed, the calendar would have been altered to complete the 2020 fixture,[79] and that a January 2021 finish may have been required to do so. The change was made in response to Auckland Council passing legislation that prohibited from running any event at the circuit on key dates, with Anzac Day falling on the Saturday of the round. Become a member to join in Australia's biggest sporting debate, submit articles, receive updates straight to your inbox and keep up with your favourite teams and authors. The total has been left capped at five sets per weekend, though there have been rounds where that has been a mix of the Dunlop soft and hard compounds that created some exciting racing and mixed results. This spike also caused the Sandown event to be removed from the calendar and replaced with two rounds at The Bend Motorsport Park on the weekends of September 19–20 and 26–27. Virgin Australia Supercars Championship; Dunlop Super2 Series; Drivers Championship. Team Penske at last announced 27-year-old McLaughlin was bound for Florida immediately after the conclusion of the Supercars season at the Bathurst 1000 to contest the IndyCar finale at St Petersburg. Smith had previously competed for Brad Jones Racing in the Super2 Series and at selected Supercars rounds as a wildcard in 2019. The piston ring and rocker ratios became control components and engines must complete 4,000 km (2,485 mi) before being rebuilt. Kelly Racing scaled down from a four-car team racing Nissan Altimas to a two-car team with Ford Mustangs. [51][50][52] Matt Stone Racing acquired a second REC from Garry Rogers Motorsport to replace the one it had been leasing from Britek Motorsport. The Sandown round, the first sprint round at the circuit since 2011, will be known as the Sandown Super400. [81][82] Races at Gold Coast and Newcastle were removed from the schedule.[83]. [85], A control shock absorber manufactured by Supashock was introduced in a bid to reducing costs. Under the SuperLites regulations, Goddard and Kostecki will be permitted to partner each other for the endurance races. Sydney Motorsport Park will continue to host the event. We want to see it! To accommodate this, the car number on the front windscreen moved from the top-right to top-left corner. [25] He replaced Tim Slade who will join DJR Team Penske as a co-driver. The 2020 Supercars Championship (known for commercial reasons as the 2020 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship)[1] is a motor racing series for Supercars. The V8 engine will roar on too, with Gen3 set to exclusively run on the eight-cylinder powerplants, with consideration also from Supercars to supply a spec engine to attract new manufacturers to the series without the added significant cost of developing an engine programme. And it was looking good and well for the Monster Energy Mustang in the race until a cool-suit failure hampered Waters in the penultimate stints. Hazelwood explains ‘world’s slowest spin’, McLaughlin holds off SVG, closes on title. The pair were nose to tail for most of the opening lap before Whincup made the bold manoeuvre down the inside to pass the championship leader into turn 17. [72] The Gold Coast 600 was to have also become a night race. [34] He was replaced by Alex Davison. There was anguish too for Matt Stone Racing, as both his cars failed to finish and an emotional Garry Jacobson wallowing in an engine oil leak that cruelled their race. [47] Nathan Herne from the Australian TA2 Racing Series was originally signed in Ojeda's place however his entry was blocked as Motorsport Australia denied him of the required licence. Oops! Ultimately Van Gisbergen broke the resolve of the Tickford Mustang in the penultimate stint. Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? Van Gisben, the 2016 Supercars champion, first jumped in the car on lap 34, when ironically his Red Bull teammate Jamie Whincup crashed out of the race. The leading Kiwi, however, in typical fashion, would not yield, allowing Lee Holdsworth and the recovering McLaughlin into contention also. Points were awarded for each race at an event, to the driver or drivers of a car that completed at least 75% of the race distance and was running at the completion of the race. The 2020 Supercars Championship (known for commercial reasons as the 2020 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship) is a motor racing series for Supercars.It is the twenty-fourth running of the Supercars Championship and the twenty-fourth series in which Supercars have contested the Australian Touring Car Championship, the premier title in Australian motorsport. Qualifying down in 11th while championship rival McLaughlin was on pole position, the 37-year-old had an uphill battle in the midfield to catch and challenge the cars ahead. Under the SuperLites regulations, Goddard and Kostecki will be permitted to partner each other for the endurance races.