Photo:

Shane van Gisbergen warns against Supercars Gen3 model becoming a spec series

By

Former Supercars champion and Triple Eight driver Shane van Gisbergen has said he embraces the recently announced Gen3 car concept for the sport with some reservations about the potential for the category to grow stale.

With a significant reduction in downforce, the new regulations are aimed at making the cars easier to race closely, something van Gisbergen has been vocal about after increases in levels throughout the 2019 season.

However, with the implementation of more control parts throughout the car, the 2016 champion is skeptical about the category moving to close to a “spec” vehicle, something he worries will take some of the excitement and differences away.

“As a driver I think it’s good but there’s going to be so many control parts,” van Gisbergen said.

“Everything’s going to be the same which is good to an extent but it sort of feels like Carrera Cup. We’re all going to have the same sort of things, there will be different body shapes and different engines which is good.

“Though when was the last time you saw a good Carrera Cup race? Never.”

van Gisbergen thinks the current formula, especially in the tight qualifying sessions, proves that the recipe right now doesn’t need too many alterations.

“Dropping downforce is good, I think, we can race again but there needs to be some differences between the cars. It’s awesome that we’re so close, the sessions that we’re doing now, a couple of tenths makes a difference and I rate that; you’ve got to be on top of your game all the time.

“There just needs to be some differences between the cars to keep it exciting, make it different to watch with cars that sound different, drive different. If there’s only going to be five sets of springs or something then we’re all going to end up on the same ones.

“It’s going to be exciting, being cheaper and trying to get more cars back, that’s probably what we’re lacking when we come to races like this, get some big grids again.

“I think it’ll be a positive, it just needs to be executed right.

“You need to see some development. Cars are trying different things, like when you see a Triple Eight car drive it looks way different to a DJR car on the exits.

“If we’ve all got the same stuff, it just looks the same; if you look at the cars now and take the paint off them, you could tell what (teams) they are by how they drive which is pretty cool.”

In Thursday practice for this weekend’s Bathurst 1000, van Gisbergen was able to finish the day in third as he and co-driver Garth Tander worked on the #97 Triple Eight car to move up the order throughout the day.