2008 V8 Supercar season
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The 2008 V8 Supercar season will be the tenth V8 Supercar Championship Series and the twelfth series in which V8Supercars contested the senior Australian touring car series. The season began on February 21 at the Clipsal 500 on the streets of Adelaide and will finish on December 7 at Oran Park Raceway. The season will consist of 14 rounds covering all states and the Northern Territory of Australia as well as rounds in New Zealand and Bahrain.
[edit] Race Calendar* - fastest lap of official pre-season test days [edit] Teams and DriversThe following teams and drivers have been confirmed or are currently speculated for the 2008 V8 Supercar season. [edit] Rule ChangesThe points system has changed for 2008. Points will be awarded to the top 30 drivers, with 300 points being the most available to a driver in each round[3] In Friday practise sessions, drivers who finished in the top 15 in the 2007 season will not be permitted to participate for the first 30 minutes.[4] [edit] Driver changesRussell Ingall has signed with Team Sirromet Wines and will race under the identity of Supercheap Auto Racing. In a complicated series of moves several drivers have been shuffled around the Holden teams. The juggling began with Todd Kelly has signing with Jack Daniel's Racing. Reigning series champion Garth Tander has announced he will take the #1 plate to the Holden Racing Team with Toll sponsorship and some key personnel led by Rob Crawford transfer across teams with him. And finally, former Supercheap Auto driver Paul Dumbrell took Tander's seat at the HSV Dealer Team. Second tier Fujitsu series champion team Tony D'Alberto Racing will move to the V8Supercar series, and will take over the running of the Rod Nash Racing owned franchise, replacing Independent Racing Cars who previously operated the team. Tony D'Alberto will likewise replace Steve Owen as driver.[5] Paul Cruickshank Racing have confirmed signing Fabian Coulthard to replace the retiring John Bowe.[6] Marcus Marshall will drive the Irwin backed Falcon at Britek Motorsport.[6] Dean Canto has announced on his website that he has had his contract with Garry Rogers Motorsport terminated a year early and that he will be seeking an endurance drive for the Phillip Island and Bathurst rounds with another team as it is too late to find a seat with another team so close to season start.[7] Garry Rogers Motorsport have announced their new driver as Fujitsu series runner up, and WPS Racing enduro driver, Michael Caruso.[8] Team Kiwi Racing have purchased a former Triple Eight Race Engineering Falcon and will run the car themselves. While the team has not made a formal announcement, V8Supercars have published Fujitsu series front runner Kayne Scott as the teams driver.[9][10] Although due to a date clash with Round 2 and the final of the New Zealand V8 series, Scott will not be available and will be replaced by Chris Pither.[11] Reversing a previous decision to fold their team, Paul Weel Racing announced their return for the 2008 season and will run a single VE Commodore for Andrew Thompson.[12] Former PWR racer Cameron McConville has signed with WOW Racing, a team he raced for previously in the mid-90s when it ran the Audi touring car program. The team will change manufacturer camps to become a Holden team and run with the technical assistance of the Tom Walkinshaw Performance Group, the organisation that runs Holden Racing Team and HSV Dealer Team.[13] Ford Rising Stars Racing have named Formula 3 Euroseries racer Michael Patrizi as the driver for their début season. However the team will not be ready to start their season until the second round of the year at Eastern Creek Raceway at the earliest. The team will be utilising the second of the two PWR franchise slots.[14] Stone Brothers Racing has named teenager Shane Van Gisbergen to the #9 Ford Falcon, replacing Russell Ingall. Van Gisbergen was linked to SBR last season and was placed with Team Kiwi Racing in the second half of the season after TKR's previous partnership with Ford Performance Racing dissolved.[15] Despite previously announcing that they would be forced to sell their franchise from lack of a major sponsor and technical partner,[16] Walden Motorsport have committed to run and V8Supercar's website have named Australian Production Car Championship racer Garth Walden as the driver in the teams Ford Falcon, although it has yet to be confirmed that the team actually have possession an eligible car.[10] After failing to appear at the first two rounds the franchise has been placed for sale.[17] WPS Racing has announced the closure of the team with the vehicles and equipment to be sold off to new owners. The franchises have already been sold within TEGA. The team cite business and health issues affecting team principal Craig Gore.[18]. [edit] Results and Standings[edit] Drivers Championship
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