Supercars 2023: All the news ahead the Supercars endurance season at the Sandown 500
The Supercars grid is set for a radical rule shake-up next year to reward in-form teams and drivers. Full details.
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The Supercars grid is set for a radical rule shake-up next year to mix up the pit lane order in a move to reward in-form teams and drivers.
In a dramatic regulation change for the 2024 championship, the Supercars Commission has approved the introduction of a “live pit lane” order.
It comes as Supercars is also set to discuss a proposal to introduce a demerit points system for careless, reckless and dangerous driving in the sport’s feeder Dunlop Series – and potentially the main game.
Under the live pit lane concept, Supercars squads would change their pit lane order for each round depending on where they sit in the Teams Championship standings.
The team leading the championship at the end of each round would then be granted prime position in the pit lane for the next event.
The rule change still requires the final sign-off from the Supercars board, but it is expected to get the green light.
Under the current rule, the pit lane order is set at the start of the season based on where teams finished in the championship the year prior. Teams are stationed in the same pit garages all season.
Position can be critical in gaining advantages during pit stops, which have the potential to make or break races.
Triple Eight Race Engineering holds the top spot in pit lane – closest to pit exit – this year.
But under the live pit lane concept, the series leading Erebus Motorsport squad would hold the prime garage position heading into the Supercars endurance season, which kicks off with the Sandown 500 this week.
Brad Jones Racing would also be a big beneficiary of the new rule if it was in place this year and would now be the third-ranked team behind Erebus and Triple Eight – up from their current eighth spot.
A demerit point system is understood to be up for discussion for the Super2 and Super3 feeder series next year to deter drivers from careless, reckless and dangerous driving.
Under the demerit system, stewards would impose demerit points on a driver when a penalty was applied under the driver code of conduct.
When a driver accrued 10 demerit points, the stewards would then impose a penalty for the next race, which could have ramifications on championship standings.
It’s understood the system will be up for debate for possible introduction in Supercars at the sport’s next commission meeting.
Ahead of the start of Supercars’ critical endurance season at Sandown, Erebus Motorsport’s Brodie Kostecki holds a 137-point lead over Triple Eight’s Shane van Gisbergen.
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Originally published as Supercars 2023: All the news ahead the Supercars endurance season at the Sandown 500
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