Supercars 2023: Experts make predictions for the upcoming series
Take a note of this name, it is one Supercars fans will know well by the end of the year according to our motorsport experts. See their full 2023 predictions here.
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Supercars has undergone the biggest change in the motorsport championship’s history but will the move to Gen3 revamp the series and indeed shake up the podium?
CALLUM DICK
Who will win the 2023 Supercars Championship? Shane van Gisbergen, Triple Eight
If the hope was that Gen3 would bring van Gisbergen back to the chasing pack, I fear the opposite could instead hold true. If you ask the majority of the drivers on the grid, they still feel the reigning champion is the man to beat - and not just because he had the single most dominant Supercars season in history last year.
SVG has raced more cars in more conditions than any other driver on the grid. If there is anyone with the skillset to adapt to the Gen3 car, it’s him. Add to that he drives for the best team and - seemingly - has the superior car between the two manufacturers, and the deck looks stacked in his favour once again.
Chevrolet or Ford? Chevrolet
As Mark Winterbottom put it, consistency will be key this season and a few bad rounds could leave you playing catch up. That’s a little what it feels like for Ford at the moment.
Just how genuine the parity problem is will only be uncovered come Sunday evening in Newcastle, after we’ve had 500kms worth of racing to test the theory. But for now, it’s allegedly slower than the Camaro and that could make a big difference.
The big spanner in this plan is Andretti’s swap to Ford. If Mostert and Percat can master the Mustang, then Ford has a stable of top-tier drivers behind DJR and Tickford to make it a battle.
Who wins Bathurst? Shane van Gisbergen and Richie Stanaway, Triple Eight
If you’re going to throw a needle in a haystack and go searching for it, best to throw the biggest and brightest needle possible.
With so much unknown as we enter the Gen3 era, picking a Bathurst winner this far out is a tough ask. But it’s hard to go past SVG, given he won the Great Race in 2022 and is my pick for champion once again this year.
Stanaway impressed as a co-driver to Greg Murphy in the Erebus wildcard entry last year, finishing 11th, and has the chops to help deliver van Gisbergen another King of the Mountain title in 2023.
Best performing rookie driver? Declan Fraser, Tickford Racing
It could be the North Queensland homer in me, but my money is on Super2 champion Declan Fraser having the best rookie season in 2023.
He outdrive fellow rookies Matt Payne (third) and Cameron Hill (fifth) in Super2 last season and lands at Tickford off the back of an impressive co-driver stint with Craig Lowndes at Bathurst.
The eighth-place finish at Mt Panorama made Lowndes-Fraser the best-performed wildcard entry in the history of the Great Race and the 22 year old’s performance opposite one of the all-time greats turned plenty of heads.
He did miss the official test day through illness so will be starting behind on experience when compared to his fellow rookies, but the Mackay man’s class should rise to the top over the course of the year.
The driver under the most pressure is? Chaz Mostert, Walkinshaw Andretti United
One of the presumptive title challengers to SVG, the spotlight will be on Mostert and WAU as a team after its swap from Holden to Ford for the Gen3 era. Rusted on Holden fans will look for any chink in the armour. There is also a lot of expectation on Mostert and Lee Holdsworth to perform at Bathurst this year, after reprising their winning partnership from 2021.
When will the championship be decided? Final round in Adelaide
SVG had one of the most dominant seasons in Supercars history and it still took until the penultimate round on the Gold Coast for him to sow up the championship.
While I still think the reigning champ will win it all once again in 2023, I don’t think he’ll have it all his own way this time.
Not since 2018 have we had a final round title decider but here’s hoping that changes on the streets of Adelaide in late November.
REBECCA WILLIAMS
Who will win the 2023 Supercars championship? Shane van Gisbergen, Triple Eight
There’s only one answer here - Shane van Gisbergen. Don’t worry about car parity, this guy is that far ahead of the rest of the field as a driver, he could start off a handicap and still win.
Chevrolet or Ford? Chevrolet
The new kids on the block will pick up where their cousins Holden left off to make a splash in the debut Gen3 season.
Who wins Bathurst? Chaz Mostert and Lee Holdsworth
Two years after their victory for Walkinshaw Andretti United at Mount Panorama, the pair will reunite for another crack at the Great Race. They’ll be one of the strongest pairings in the field, but will have a fight to beat van Gisbergen and Richie Stanaway or a potential David Reynolds and Garth Tander pairing (Grove Racing is yet to confirm who Tander will team with).
Best performing rookie driver? Declan Fraser, Tickford Racing
The reigning Super2 champion deserved his shot at the main game, having defected from Triple Eight to rivals Tickford Racing for his opportunity. Race wins will be a challenge, but expect him to still showcase his potential.
The driver under the most pressure is? Cameron Waters
The Tickford Racing star remains Ford’s biggest hope in the championship fight against van Gisbergen. He has now finished runner-up twice in the championship in the past three years and the pressure will be on for him to try and thwart a van Gisbergen title hat-trick.
When will the championship be decided? Gold Coast
He might not finish two rounds clear like he did in his dominant 2022 campaign, but van Gisbergen is still every chance of wrapping up this year’s title with a round to spare.
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