V8 Supercars chief executive James Warburton has made no secret the category is considering dropping its V8-only policy in 2017 and beyond – and that suits Nissan and Volvo. Representatives from both manufacturers expressed willingness to dump their V8s in favour of smaller, turbocharged engines. Christian Dahl, owner of Volvo performance partner Polestar, said it was important for the Swedish brand to have a strong link between its racing and road cars.
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Volvo does not offer any V8 engines and is phasing out six-cylinder engines in favour of a range of 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbo power plants known as Drive-E.
"One of the reasons to do motor sport is to build credibility," Dahl said. "It would be good to include the Drive-E engine into the championship." Dahl has no concerns about producing enough power with a small turbo engine to match a V8 and is working on similar engines for Volvo road cars. Nissan Australia boss Richard Emery said the manufacturer would consider a turbocharged engine if the new rules came into effect.
"Nissan's global motor-sport program is quite varied in terms of the categories that we compete in and the engines we use in those categories," Emery said.
Ford future a mystery
Ford Australia president Bob Graziano was in the Bathurst pit lane but refused to comment on Ford's long-term future despite reports last week it will abandon the category in 2016. He confirmed the company remains in negotiations with Ford Performance Racing to extend its sponsorship into next year but gave no details on when, or even if, that deal will be sealed. Ford will remain a presence on the grid next year – with or without factory funding – as FPR and the new Team Penske-DJR organisation are committed to running the new Falcon FG X.
Co-drivers grab chances
The Bathurst 1000 is a key opportunity for co-drivers to impress potential employers and sponsors with strong performances. Semi-retired racer Paul Dumbrell has been the co-driver to beat in recent years and he remains in form to help Jamie Whincup push for victory with impressive drives in the second-tier Dunlop Series that included pole position, a category lap record and victory in a 250-kilometre support race this weekend.
Cameron Waters and Chris Pither followed him to the chequered flag, boosting their confidence before drives with Jack Perkins and Dale Wood in the main race.
Mark Winterbottom's co-driver Steve Owen set the fastest lap for a co-driver with a 2:06.77 effort that narrowly eclipsed a 2:06.79 attempt by Luke Youlden in a car he shares with Fabian Coulthard. Having lost his full-season ride with Garry Rogers Motorsport in the last off-season, Frenchman Alexandre Premat came back to impress in Scott McLaughlin's Volvo with clean, fast driving that made him the only other co-driver to crack a 2:06s lap around the 6.2-kilometre circuit.
Kiwi Greg Murphy has looked impressive in a Holden Racing Team Commodore shared with James Courtney, and Bathurst specialist Dean Canto joined Youlden as the only drivers to finish in the top five for both co-driver practice sessions.
