Endurance driver rule change

The 2010 endurance rounds of the V8 Supercar Championship will feature a new rule, meaning that full time series drivers will not be allowed to partner each other.

The change is being put into place to create a better spectacle for the fans, as more of the full time drivers will be on track for longer periods of time.

The V8 Supercars Australia Board approved the change in the rule at a recent meeting, of which the preliminary rule outlines that a full time V8 Supercar driver is will not be permitted to compete for more than one Racing Entitlement Contract.

This would mean that 2009 Endurance winners, the Toll Holden Racing Team duo of Garth Tander and Will Davison, would not be allowed to pair up.

This would also mean that the Bathurst hat-trick pairing of Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes won’t be able to claim a fourth victory as a pair whilst the rule is in place, or until one of them moves away from full time driving in the series.

Instead, they would have to remain in their own car (Racing Entitlement Contract), and draft in a co-driver with sufficient experience and speed to put up a solid challenge for outright victory at the Phillip Island and Bathurst events.

As such, co-drivers will become hot property, with all teams looking to find the perfect pairing in their cars.

The precise rule is yet to be published, and is subject to alteration.