Why V8 Supercars are THE HARDEST to Drive

[@doric_historic]

Great cars, scary circuits, loud noises, monster crashes, angry drivers and rain barely slows them down, what is there not to like?

[@mikblues_146]

About rain, they pretty much don't care if it rains or not?

[@doric_historic]

@@mikblues_146 Type into search 'supecars bathurst rain" 👍

[@louiscypher4186]

​@@mikblues_146 It's one of those Nah, yeah sort of things. The general rule is standing water on the track = red flag.

[@ifeeIcoke]

I’d imagine someone would say “the length”

[@DogFish-NZ]

Don't forget the world class product as a whole, the camera angles, the commentary the amazing explanation of everything and the graphics. Indycar would be amazing if they copied a bit from the aussies.

[@thirdwheel1985au]

Back in the mid-late 70s, Alan Moffatt teamed up with Jackie Ickx for the Bathurst 1000 - the story goes that Jackie took one lap in the car during practice, brought it back in and claimed the brakes weren't working. After a test lap, Moffatt said they were fine, to which Ickx said "but ze car, Alan, it does not stop!" Moffatt replied "I said it had brakes, I didn't say it would stop" 😂

[@roryhitchon5602]

great comment, thank you

[@goforbroke2]

Hilarious 😂

[@TheLexiconDevils]

can confirm XC falcons don’t like to stop

[@p4pking393]

yu sir are the legend

[@paulharper362]

I remember Jackie being asked in an interview after practice, how he found the Falcon. His only words were "chassis flexes a bit". 🙂

[@midslam]

MASSIVELY underrated on iRacing. Wish more people would drive it so we could get stacked grids.

[@CobraAce04]

Hopefully when iRacing updates to gen 3, the hype will bring people in. I for one will be there

[@Daz5Daz]

I think 90% of iRacers who have tried just regard it as too hard.

[@mareewalker1096]

Im on iracing have a simworx simulator from Melbourne but i drive the ferarri open series! I have a c grade licence with around 1000 iracing points! The v8s are to slippery! You have to be a serious driver to run them hard with g old times! I should of started on supercars! Because I chose a gt car there so much more enjoyable and easier to get great times and racing than the v8s! Each to there own!

[@SeanCampbell_iRacing]

@@Daz5Daz the problem with them is not that they are hard, because they aren’t, which is the whole issue. They are way too easy to drive, and they don’t drive like they do irl. The 2014 legacy cars actually drive closer to the current cars, and they are a riot to drive, but we have tried to get iracing to fix the 2020 cars and they don’t listen to anyone in the community.

[@HAU11N]

@@SeanCampbell_iRacing I had the 2014 Supercar and when i used to play it it was all about setup. I tried downloading a few setups and they helped but weren't quite right for me. Even then, touch a kerb - death. Wheelspin when turning - death. Do they have a fixed setup series now or is it still only for nerds who like numbers?

[@mickyzzzeee]

Being an Aussie and getting to witness these machines go around Bathurst is a privilege. The Ford v Holden rivalry has been going on for decades from the late 60s onwards. They switched to an open class in the 80s which saw BMW, Jaguar and then came the Nissan GTR v Ford Sierra with the Nissan blowing everything away. Nissans dominance led to Motorsport Australia deciding to go back to 2 manufacturers again in the mid 90s. It’s incredible racing and I recommend anyone visiting Australia to watch them live.

[@lnash9728]

I hadn’t even heard of this series until my recent visit to Australia, really enjoyed watching them at Albert Park.

[@grantadamson3478]

Perth this weekend. Go SVG!

[@tracklizard4018]

It's crazy how the nissans completely destroyed the competiton and got booed off stage to the point where they just banned them. Too fast for aus. V8 supercars are still some of my favs until recently because of the transmission, "assists" etc etc

[@Nizzino_40]

@@grantadamson3478 SVG and Chaz are goats!

[@grantadamson3478]

@@Nizzino_40 Agreed.

[@mozzaplaysgames7897]

I think they did some tests recently between the Mustang and Camaro, they found a difference of a 0.2% or something like that in something to do with the Centre of Gravity, Which they've since then tried to fix. But to put it into perspective, The difference between the ZB and the Mustang when it released was rumoured to be something like a difference of 2.2%.

[@orangejuicepony6881]

Degrees of COG, not % but same point

[@Grant80]

The ZB not racing this year. But yes there are issues with the current spec cars. Especially the current Camaro. It has an advantage in the HP department

[@mozzaplaysgames7897]

Rumored to have an advantage from 4th gear onwards

[@markhowells13]

Qualifying is decided by thousands of seconds ..that matters

[@markhowells13]

Fans want a H pattern back lol

[@crazycat6lad918]

As a south Australian, it fills my heart that international racing fans still remember how good the Adelaide Street track was

[@harrywalker968]

pity the europeans,,& ford,,couldnt run there own engines,,put holden to shame.. thats why its a 1 car race.. bathurst ended in 1989..all bs from then on..

[@DaBoomDude]

you mean is - it came back last season. and it saw a reinvigorated attendance of 258,000 over the 4 days (up from 206,000 in 2020)

[@kainestefaniak2751]

My favourite track on all v8 supercar games as a kid and hometown represent

[@codeman99-dev]

Google maps satellite views show the barrier walls still intact. Neat.

[@crazycat6lad918]

@@codeman99-dev yeah it's still used every year, so some of the barriers are permanent. The rest they build up every year, because a local group blocked an attempt to make a bit portion of it permanent

[@Azeria]

4:51 GM _also_ stopped selling the Camaro, in fact, they stopped selling the Camaro before Holden was even shuttered. They replaced a zombie model with a zombie model.

[@utvpoop]

We keep losing the format "wins on Sunday, sells on Monday". TCR and escpecially Electric TCR are nowhere in popularity. V8 seems to be one the last frontiers but just with Mustang. Edit: yeah, I completely forgot about the epicness of BTCC.

[@valter_vava74]

Last year, during the 12h of Bathurst, one of the Aussies driving a GT3 said precisely the opposite: he felt the GT3 cars a lot more difficult to drive because you only had 1 racing line and as cars relied on aero downforce, that removed any margin to drive (and play) with the right foot. He said that the SupercarV8 were a handful, but playful and organic.

[@some_doofus]

I guess you could say it's harder to drive a Supercar, but harder to race a GT3

[@jaymack396]

Really its because we have to drive them upside-down here in Australia.

[@groundedgaming]

So is it downforce, or upforce now?

[@falcongamer58]

​@Grounded it's called lift

[@jaymack396]

scott did say they have no downforce for a reason ;)

[@SH_Hof]

True. They come from a land down under afterall.

[@BPF80MCar-vi1pg]

Exactly

[@matbeech7518]

It was originally called the Australian touring car championship and consisted of different car classes back in the 1960s. The Australian Ford and Holden clashes started then in the 1960s between the Falcon and the monaros, then later the toranas and Commodores while the Falcon name stayed. It was a series at the very essence of race on Sunday sell on Monday.

[@aaronmachado13]

Honestly people always compare completely different motorsport but V8 supercars requires the ability to manage the weight and grip as well as having the car setup for max “ chuckability “ where you can just send it into a car.

[@FLYGTRVIC]

Yup, you gotta chuck it.

[@joshbates6274]

Yes but it's still not the hardest for the actual driver or the most amount of skill required to drive the car in general at it's peak. V8 just needs good grip management then ur good to go if you know where limit of car is. That and the yare allowed to bump/use each other as a "safety net" if they lose grip whe ndiving down inside makes it even easier on the drivers in comparison to other racing series out there. Not saying there isn't any skill, but its far from the most skill required to compete in.

[@JasonAtlas]

All racing requires you manage the weight and grip.

[@TheTaxEvader]

As somebody that grew up in Australia in the 2000s it used to be so much more compelling when it was Holden and Ford. I know times change and things evolve but it used to be so much more fun.

[@Leynad778]

IMO the main reason why they are so hard to drive is missing: no limited slip differential, not even an open one, just a spool. This means both rear-tyres are always spinning at the same pace and the outer wheel is getting the full torque if the inner wheel jumps over a curb and probably a 90/10 torque-split in normal tight corners making those cars very understeering on entry and very oversteering on the throttle at the apex.

[@Spacecookie77]

Camaro has LSD

[@HJZ75driver]

@@Spacecookie77 Incorrect. Locked diff. Has been since the 80’s

[@discbrakefan]

@@Spacecookie77 These are nothing like the road cars

[@Spacecookie77]

@@HJZ75driver “The new 1LE package for Camaro 1SS models includes magnetic ride control, with a new FE4 suspension tuning and a new, segment-exclusive electronic limited slip differential (eLSD). Paired with massive Goodyear Eagle F1 tires, lateral acceleration will exceed 1G”

[@brdllc]

@@Spacecookie77they aren’t road cars…. We’re talking about the cars in the video above…

[@glab333]

Considering it's the only Sunday afternoon racing here in Australia thanks to timezone differences, I've always been grateful it's been a good series, particularly late 1990/2000s.

[@ladytimeoin]

I grew up in the 90s/2000s and I remember it being on the telly in the background. Bathurst was an occasion, hot chips and soft drink for the kids, beers for the adults...fond memories

[@ashdivakaran9664]

Thanks for doing a video on the V8s. I reckon it’s the best racing series in the world. Hopefully overtaking gets easier this year and hopefully there’s someone to compete with SVG

[@FredrikSoerlie]

I second this. The level of competition is insane, which is easy to see whenever these drivers have a go in other series. SVG prettu much dominates everytime he tries something else (GT3, F3, rallying, you name it). Mostert has won both the Daytona 24h and Bathurst 12h in a GT3 car and Scotty Mac beat Groesjean to rookie of the year in Indycar, despite having 0 single seater experience! That should not be possible, but these guys are so on top of their game that most people can't even comprehend it. I will argue quite strongly that due to the nature of the series and the great culture in Australia to focus on driver talent rather than rich daddy's boys, this is the most competitive racing series in the world, and probably has been for the last couple of decades. Can't wait to see how this season unfolds. Erebus is looking strong, and if anyone can take it to SVG, it could be Brodie!

[@GMCRaptor]

I agree , they are just so bloody hard to drive.

[@mikespearwood3914]

@@FredrikSoerlie Hah! SVG doesn't dominate in GT3, and is beaten pretty much by Mostert every time and his teammate Feeney! He has a massive advantage in Supercars with T8, and the Holden/GM bias. Supercars have neutered the Coyote engine in the Mustang, and it doesn't have the top end acceleration. He wins in other categories that are amateur at best. If he had the guts he'd do what Marcos Ambrose did and go to another category fulltime like Nascars.

[@FredrikSoerlie]

@@mikespearwood3914 Ok, so your biased, that's ok. However, you are simply incorrect. SVG has won numerous GT3 races, beating more experienced full time racers on a regular basis. So has Mostert. but that is my point. The level these guys operate on is way above anything else. If you don't see it, that's ok too, but any racing driver or race engineer will be happy to explain it to you.

[@ashdivakaran9664]

@@FredrikSoerlie spot on mate. If you look at the lap records on most tracks it’s usually a Supercars mid-fielder in a GT car. I think Tim Slade has the lap record for Philip Island

[@roymoorman5990]

Very well explained! Been a fan of these series ever since I saw them in person in the Bathurst 1000 in 2011. You forgot to mention that they've got a spool diff, meaning the rear wheels are effectively always rotating at the same speed, making corner entry very crucial where in tight corners the inner rear wheel should lift from the deck like a go kart.

[@irmaobarbado]

Hey Scott, what about a video talking about Brazilian Stock Car Pro Series? We have a rich history since the 1970's and now we're on the 5th gen cars, using GM (Chevrolet Cruze) and Toyota (Corolla) body with LS engines equally tuned, some cool tracks and a grid with lots of ex-F1 and Indy drivers, like Antônio Pizzonia, Rubens Barrichello (2 times Champion of the pro series), Felipe Massa, Tony Kanaan, Luciano Burti and Nelson Piquet Jr, just no name a few. We also had races were the drivers share the car with another drivers, and names like Jacques Villeneuve and Antonio Felix da Costa raced here. I guess it worths to take a look!

[@itsdokko2990]

Very underrated series. As a fellow south american, i would love to know more about the brazilian Stock Car.

[@lucasmorandi8535]

Yeah that's the first thing I thought after this video! Would be amazing a video about our Stock Car Series

[@doshwhop]

I would love to learn more about this

[@sriley064]

Didn't Winterbottom go over there years ago and kick ass?

[@dirtbikedave9055]

Sounds pretty good

[@neilkinsey8523]

Moved to Australia 13 years ago, the domestic racing scene and crowd attendance numbers make the events absolutely unmissable.

[@ashdivakaran9664]

I moved here 16 years ago. Apparently it was a lot better back then but it’s still good now

[@jarrodbrimble1433]

@@ashdivakaran9664 It definitely peaked in the mid-2000s, but the big events such as Bathurst and Adelaide 500 still draw big crowds.

[@ashdivakaran9664]

@@jarrodbrimble1433 to me the crowds aren’t as important as the quality of racing. And that’s not hard to improve. Crowds will return if they telecast it on free-to-air. After it when to Foxtel most people stopped following the sport

[@jarrodbrimble1433]

@@ashdivakaran9664 Agree, need to keep it on free to air in order to keep the interest of the general public

[@beatles42ohgg94]

its crazy to think that this is essentially NASCAR but on real race tracks.

[@bennyb.1742]

I miss the live axle days. Those setups were so insane, all the weird tech that went into making the solid axle work well was cool.

[@HJZ75driver]

Perkins Engineering was on the top of the game there

[@V8VRUte]

@@HJZ75driver Didn't they bend the housing, and then use a pillow bearing for the axle to allow the misalignment it caused? I guess that's one way to get some camber.

[@Stewpkiddable]

"the very best in all of spring care racing are FOUR WIDE! Stand UP AND MAKE UP SOME NOISE! you wanted the best you got 'em four abreast, Often imitated never duplicated its the Greatest show on DIRT, the World of Outlaws" live axles all night long. they may be the baddest motherf@#$ers still racing.

[@drifm4niac662]

Thy had to get rid of this idea due to the high amount of mustangs crashing into crowds

[@bennyb.1742]

@@V8VRUte They had CV joints on the ends and knuckles like an IRS car, but the knuckles were attached to the axle tube! Look up a picture of it, its crazy. Like this big complicated truss thing with a live axle living inside it somewhere.

[@JrBlades]

You forgot one of the biggest factors as to why theyre so hard to drive, they have a solid rear axel and dont want to turn

[@TheWretchedWorld]

The new Gen 3 format reduced downforce by 40 percent the Gen 2 Supercars are only second or 2 off a gt3 race car on bathurst despite being much harder to drive with far less downforce

[@mozzaplaysgames7897]

They're also 30km/h faster down Conrod than a GT3 car because of all the downforce piled on but the Supercars don't drive much differently across the top of the mountain in the last of the Gen2 era :D

[@John-ro3sh]

60%*

[@Illuminacent]

Difference between them is Supercars have more pronounced weight transfer so its more like a street car to drive. GT3 is planted as hell.

[@mozzaplaysgames7897]

@@Illuminacent Nothing like watching a Supercar bounce over kerbs and whatever else! I'd like to see a GT3 attempt it :S... Although GT3's are awesome in their own respects

[@harrywalker968]

its a 1 car race.. no competition.. this is why ford, & all of europe pulled out.. boo hoo holden,,

[@asdfreii]

I’m 34 and have spent 33 years watching these cars… the last gen cars you wouldn’t know they’re hard to drive. Current gen trying to take them back to the VY/BA era and I love it

[@harrywalker968]

last bathurst,,was 1989.. sht after that..

[@asdfreii]

@@harrywalker968 you’ve missed some great races then Bazza

[@grillhouse8036]

Super cool video. I was actually working under the chicane grandstand in adelaide during that footage. I remember seeing the cars getting airbourne over the chicane

[@joefawcett9237]

A video on Formula Ford could be interesting as well. Best development category out of go karts for Super cars. Relatively low cost. Proper race cars to drive, no downforce at all, 4 speed H pattern dog box, clutch, narrow tyres (205mm wide), incredible driving etc.

[@Rondigity92]

As a Holden fan the fanbase isnt the same with the Camaros... the race used to be Ford Falcon vs Holden Commodore, 2 affordable family sedans, and many australians owned the factory models of them, thats what made us soo passionate about the race. Most Australians cannot relate to expensive overseas performance race cars like the Camaro and Mustang.

[@viperidaenz1]

It's not even that now. It's two identical space frame chassis with different body panels. These are nothing like the cars you can actually buy.

[@Rondigity92]

@@viperidaenz1 exactly

[@thehawk05]

This series is so great to watch. Back in the early ‘90’s I used to buy the year end VHS tapes of the kinda similar BTCC (which the V8 Supercars remind of) That series was also so amazing to watch too and buying those tapes was the only way for us to watch in Canada as nobody aired it.

[@zack4892-g4m]

The clips I see of the V8 races are awesome. I always love building my own Aussie super car each time a new Forza game comes out. There's something about pushing a big car around a track that is really satisfying.

[@blastfromthepast7119]

Invest in a steering wheel and a driving simulator like iracing . Completely different experience.

[@zack4892-g4m]

@@blastfromthepast7119 I know it would be a world of a difference but I'm happier not spending that kind of money, especially when I dont have the space for it.

[@ChefofWar33]

​@@blastfromthepast7119You can't customize your cars in Iracing. And it's also for rich snobby purists.

[@blastfromthepast7119]

@@ChefofWar33 im not 12, i dont need or want a car customization game, i want a driving simulator.

[@ChefofWar33]

@@blastfromthepast7119 Good. Stick to Iracing then

[@George-xb5ey]

Greg Murphy's lap around the mountain in the holden was insane.

[@tuckervfx]

left foot braking in a H pattern gearbox car. that lap was perfection

[@mikespearwood3914]

I think the most famous lap ever was Brock's laps on slicks in the rain. Managed to control the car and put in good lap times to boot!

[@glenmccabe3364]

​@@mikespearwood3914 either that or Brock setting a lap record on the last lap of the race for its sheer bravado :)

[@tuckervfx]

@@mikespearwood3914 That was a great lap, but it wasn't on the same level as the lap of the gods

[@uraniumcranium2613]

Chaz's race of the gods cant be matched, 2016 bathurst last to first.

[@flameburstgt6503]

thanks for making a video about V8 Supercars. it was one of the first racing series i watched and i fell in love with it although i don't watch it as often now. i also learned about the sequantial gearbox and straight cut gears from the series. the gearbox whine is truely amazing

[@AyyFuji]

Respect being shown to V8's, FINALLY. As an Aussie kid growing up on V8's and MotoGP (both were on free-to-air TV, F1 was on our paid TV) this series is legendary, and always holds a special place in my heart. Even If I don't watch the rest of the season, Bathurst is a must, every year. Top 10 Shootout on Saturday is a must watch, and the race is always great. Sure, the middle part can be boring, but it sets up the finishes so often, 2019 with McLaughlin staying out, SVG pitting for fuel and tires, 2014 being utterly insane, like, those stick in my mind, but you are always guaranteed a close finish at the end. Wish the international attempts they made worked better, because this series needs more people watching.

[@AJS86]

I remember watching Godzilla's racing at Sandown. Was there live in 92. Mid-late 90s were my favourite period. Wasn't so cut and polished overall but racing was closer. They had way bigger fields with privateer teams etc

[@Ttywywuwu]

Dude im the EXACT same

[@BenDunlop]

That thumbnail is the chicane on the gold coast street circuit. The first V8 track I ever shot with photog pass/accreditation. Drivers take a lot of pride in getting photos of themselves getting air through that section.

[@bunky8077]

Forgot to mention the spooled/locked diff. The cars are often setup so that on slow corners where the turning radius is tight, the inside rear wheel is as unloaded as possible to avoid the push understeer from both rear tyres turning the same speed. On street circuits hitting the inside curb and putting the car up on 2 wheels can be more benificial even though the entire load is going through the outside tyres. Makes putting power down out of some corners harder too, the Basin (turn 6) hairpin at the bottom of the hill at Wanneroo raceway has the cars accelerating uphill with some residual steering angle as the corner radius opens up. It's really easy for the drivers to cook the rear inside tyre there. They can also use left foot braking and blipping the throttle just comes down to driver's personal preference

[@dons1932]

Absolutely came to comment the same. That makes them extremely hard to drive because the locked diff wants to PUSH the car straight on, causing a lot of understeer into corners, and then you have to carry the brake right into the apex and almost get the car completely straight, before you ease onto the throttle very gently. If you have any amount of steering lock while you jump on the throttle, the spooled rear-end will swing the car around like a pendulum. The best brakers really are the fastest in these cars for these reasons.

[@Darth_Visceral]

The Australian Supercar Series hasn’t always just been v8’s though. The series did have Nissan Skylines with straight 6’s once upon a time, it is where that model skyline picked up the nickname “Godzilla”, they were absolutely smashing the rest of the field of V8’s in every season they were in & were banned through regulation changes only allowing V8 engines

[@briefcandle]

When I was younger I worked hours that essentially made me nocturnal and used to obsessively watch V8 Supercars here in the states. Dare I say that to this day, I think it's the most exciting form of racing out there. If only NASCAR would employ their model of racing... I'd be hooked!

[@craigyirush3492]

I watched NASCAR at Watkins Glen last year and it was a lot like this.

[@__boomer2__]

As a big Nascar fan I agree. I'd like to watch more but it's hard to stay up till 4 AM watching a race lol

[@ChefofWar33]

NASCAR needs to get rid of the boring ass ovals and it would actually be a solid series. It's literally the only thing that is bad about it. Maybe have 1 or 2 per year. With the Daytona and Talladega. But that's it.

[@__boomer2__]

@@ChefofWar33 lol are you high? Ovals are what Nascar does, and a lot of them are good

[@ChefofWar33]

@__boomer2__ Maybe that's why no one watches then. It kind of funny that F1 is more popular in the US than NASCAR nowadays.

[@LogCabin-to4lr]

As someone who grew up with the vf commodore and the fg falcon, it’s sad to see that Aussie designed and made cars were replaced by American muscle cars. It was bad enough when the mustang and zb commodore (which is a German made opel insignia) but now that ‘a’ commodore, no matter what type, isn’t even in the v8 supercars is sad. End of an era. Ford vs Holden is over.

[@Gnrnrvids]

Commodore was always just an Australian tweaked opel omega. Door skins in the VT era were transferable.... Falcon was always an Aussie Product once they started making them here.

[@LogCabin-to4lr]

@@Gnrnrvids I see where you got this wrong, but the commodore wasn’t a rebadged opel. The Holden commodore was rebadged as an opel commodore for Europe. They were rebadged to be imported all over the world which is why it’s common to see them with Chevy logos on them unlike falcon where after the first generation, they were only in Australia, but the original 1960-71 falcon was redesigned in Australia for the harsher conditions Edit: And if they are rebadged opels, they were still always built in Australia plus some New Zealand factories to assist with production

[@Gnrnrvids]

@@LogCabin-to4lr Cool story Bro, but i never said it was a rebadged car. The commodore was always based on an overseas vehicle to the extent that the VT shared some panels with the car it was based off. The commodore was the next size car up in the range, but always had been based on the Omega. The VT took that to an extreme and the original engineering mules were Omegas cut and shut to lengthen and widen them. It's also a lot of fun to tweak the die hard Holden fans that think the car was fully Australian. Holden denied and denied for years their car was based on the Omega and then called the base model an omega once VT came along......

[@LogCabin-to4lr]

@@Gnrnrvids alright I’ll give you this, they were based off of other cars. Still Australian designed (sort of) but with of some help with other countries. I did just take a look at both the omega and VT and there are some obvious similarities with the sides of the car with the front and back being the only different features on the exterior and that’s the main places people look at to identify a car, but the VE and VF commodore were 100% Australian because they stopped making the Opel omega. Also, it makes sense why they would be based off of the opel omega. GM own them. Cheap bastards 😂 so I was right but so were you (P.S. I also love to screw with die-hard fans too. Super funny when they get defensive) Edit: Also I know see that the Opel commodore was a different car completely sorry for the argument if you even want to call it that

[@LogCabin-to4lr]

Sorry for the essays 😂😂😂

[@motorhole]

I don't know if they do anymore but in the 2000s & 2010s they used to run spool diffs too - really sort the men from the boys when the rain fell! IMO, V8 supercars was/is the best 4 wheeled circuit racing to watch as a spectator. Drivers have nowhere to hide - when they're properly on it, it's laid bare for all those watching to see and it's absolutely spectacular.

[@riotact9718]

drink every time scott mentions skinny tyres and low downforce

[@muzzaball]

Excellent summation mate. People outside of Aus usually get stuff wrong. but you did a fantastic job of explaining our favourite motor racing series. Cheers.

[@crouchedcrusader9839]

If other Americans are wondering, our equivalent series is Trans-Am. Really good racing comes out of both series.

[@richardmillhousenixon]

Being unfamiliar with this racing series, I thought I was about to get a video talking about how V8-powered supercars are harder to control, not a video about the previously unknown to me V8 supercar racing series. Still watched the entire video, and I am not disappointed.

[@joseacuna3239]

Súper interesting to know the details of this series, it’s hard to be a motorsports fan but be discouraged to watch it because of the massive differences between teams. With a level ground we can see real ability put into the test.

[@FredrikSoerlie]

On shorter tracks it is common to have the entire field separated by .8 seconds in qualifying. They measure time down to .0001 and for good reason!

[@mint_au]

F1 is a perfect example of cars not being equal even though its probably the most expensive sprot to get into in the world with the amount of staff, research, development data logging equipment etc and the many more things that come with it

[@A.S.104]

Hi @Driver61! I really enjoy your content. But here's a small thing that caught my attention: at 1:31, you mentioned "if the friction isn't enough to equal the torque, then you get wheelspin". Although torque is the rotational analogue of linear force, under no circumstances can the two be the same.

[@VAspeed3]

ASC is probably my favorite racing series when I can find a way to see it. Thank you for detailing the differences and features of the cars.

[@Ethan-mn9gi]

Idk if it’s the exact same for super cars but I know when SVG ran the nascar Chicago street course he was the only driver heal toeing going into the turns but I specifically remember he said that it is to help the car be more stable and not as loose entering the turn. Now I’m not a professional by any means but I’d assume that’s because if you didn’t heal toe and let it engine brake it takes the weight off the rear wheels making the car more lose on corner entry until you get back on the gas and if you heal toe it then it allows the rear suspension to stay planted to the ground therefore causing the car to be tighter because the rear end has more grip

[@discbrakefan]

Yep that sounds right to me

[@BigShmeels]

If you want to experience how difficult it is, try the V8 Supercar in Automobilista 2 at Mount Panorama!

[@nelsongranzow1197]

there was a time trial on ams2 for the V8 super at Adelaide back in January, I couldn't even complete a single lap without crashing 😅

[@steveskrobot9496]

@Driver61, Holden went to Chev Camaro & Ford to Mustang in V8 Supercars because Automobile Manufacturing seized altogether in Australia in 2017. An end of an era.So they didnt stop selling Falcon & Commodore, it was source the cars from the parent companies in the USA, or theres no more V8 Supercars ever again in Australia.Sorry about the very late message. Also, You'll find the slicks on the V8 Supercars are not so skinny mate.

[@discbrakefan]

They are skinny for the power the car has. That was the point. It’s well known they are under-tyred.

[@Erudite512]

Got a race coming up on the 28th in Perth...... Definitely one of the more interesting racing series to watch. fuel, brake and even driver changes feature a lot into the strategy over a race.

[@CoreyC225]

Wanneroo is one of my favorite race tracks. I have a love for short road courses and V8 scratches that itch a lot. Love Symmons Plains, really bummed Pukekohe is being removed.

[@CoreyC225]

Man, i cant forget about Surfers, Sandown, Newcastle. All amazing shorter road circuits

[@Erudite512]

@Corey Chick surfers and Qld raceway (the paperclip) are definitely my favourites... bummered that Qld Raceway was removed. Was a good spectator track, could see the entire track no matter where you sat

[@CoreyC225]

@@Erudite512 that's the biggest allure to me as an American is that they are such great road courses for spectators to watch a race at. It's a rarity. Especially Qld, like you said. That and the low lap times make them fun to perfect on any sort of game. I've been to the Charlotte Roval for a race and that was great for spectators for obvious reasons, but I'm hesitant to take a trip to a road course where you only get some of the action. Ovals definitely spoil a spectator.

[@Erudite512]

@Corey Chick we did send the supercars to the US once..... COTA decided to rip up the contract. It was run in 2013 and there was meant to be more. COTA decided to put xgames in during 2014 instead of what was contracted

[@carbonated_seamen]

Love that u mentioned Adelaide,we have a great street circuit,little bit shorter then the old f1 track but it's pritty much the same....

[@boigercat]

It's odd to think Adelaide was almost gone forever. So glad it is back

[@ferglesnerk]

Back? It never left!

[@Preso_]

@@ferglesnerk nah the old government sold all the infrastructure for the event after 2020 and it only returned last year as the opposition at the time promised to bring it back.

[@DaniMacYo]

Miss the Holden was a fan of Holden Supercars since I was a kid. I understand how the Falcon fans feel now. The V8 Supercars have always been amazing to watch especially Bathurst they really come alive and showcase the best from the cars and drivers. Highly recommend it. I like how there’s more interest in Supercars nowadays than when I was growing up from those outside of Australia. I feel Toca Race Driver helped those kids outside of Australia and New Zealand figure out what this form of motorsports was back in the day. Now it’s iRacing that can help familiarise people with Supercars. If they can’t watch on their sports channels.

[@mint_au]

Even though I've always been an Aussie kid I remember me and my brother waking up on christmas morning and we got a ps2 and one of those games was v8 supercars 3 or toca race driver 3 in the rest of the world even though it is the exact same game I liked how one of its main focuses was the v8 supercars and I would have spent hundreds of hours and thousands of laps just me and my brother racing each other and seeing who could set the fastest times

[@DaniMacYo]

@@mint_au Yeah those games were awesome. I played 3 so much.

[@waynemackie3113]

Scott, I've been working on these for 6 years now. You actually missed the most important factor to what makes these the most difficult cars to drive, a spool axle. All the other aspects you can find on many other cars around the world but when you add into it the spool, you find that the driver has to work harder all the way through the corner. Like Lucas said, the end of the braking zone is most important, as these cars do not like any roll time. If you are not braking or applying throttle you are understeering. This means you have to manage your braking distance every lap to make sure you can keep trail braking all the way to the apex without losing too much speed.

[@Chris.Davies]

I tried many many MANY times to drive a V8-Supercar fast around Bathurst, and over the mountain. I have always failed. And I have no trouble keeping a 911 RSR on the track, or running pretty quickly around the Nürburgring. Edit: in my simulator of course. I have broken billions of dollars worth of virtual RSRs. :)

[@Sanelora1]

I honestly think that you missed the main reason they are so difficult to drive: the mandatory spool diff, effectively locking the rear tyres at the same speed. It just makes all the other stuff you mentioned that much more challenging

[@TassieLorenzo]

Did he not mention that? Yikes! It's the main factor why the cars handle strangely.

[@anxdmeme4208]

Yeah it makes braking and accelerating much more difficult. When braking you risk locking both rear wheels from heavy braking and vice versa with accelerating.

[@kelvin869]

The Ford, Holden rivalry goes way back before the 1990's. Bathurst has been going since the 60's I believe. It was originally opened to all road cars.

[@lucasgilham9193]

Being an Aussie racing fan and owning a Commodore I loved seeing a racing video based on Australia 🇦🇺

[@kburke1965]

Also they have a live rear axle and no diff which makes them equivalent to farm equipment in chassis setup. Very difficult to make them consistently neutral in all phases of the corner. Inherently they have dreadful powerboat understeer until the back tyres break away then it’s the opposite. Engineering and driving around this tendency is the hardest thing about these cars imo. That’s why the best drivers are so smooth and always well ahead of the car.

[@MadRS]

One of the bigger points that was missed is that the Supercar runs a locked/spooled rear diff. This makes the car inherently want to understeer into a corner and oversteer on exit. That is why you will see suspension setups used that will lift the rear inside tyre just a little to help the car rotate through a corner better.

[@harryseldom6472]

Lived in Australia for 10 years and V8 Supercars was always the thing to watch, loved it, wish there was something similar in Europe...

[@MMM-wg2vm]

I wonder how driving a NASCAR stock car compares. Similar engines which are currently restricted to 670 but can make up to 900, skinny rears, not too much in the way of downforce, big v8. There must be a lot of carry over.

[@transformerdied]

8:32 it is worth noting that some drivers do not heel-toe, Murphy is one of them if I'm not mistaken.

[@MJTAUTOMOTIVE]

That is correct He is a left foot braker. He still uses His right foot to blip the throttle on downshifts. There are a few of the drivers that left foot brake, but most of the field used their right foot and does heel and toe. But i think all the drivers in the current gen3 cars right foot brake due to differences in the new engine and ECU mapping.

[@rafaelcruz2109]

Great video! Can you make a comparison of current Supercars vs current Nascar cars?

[@namgreb9063]

I think SVG showed in Chicago how skillful supercar drivers are

[@gg2324]

damn they must have very high downforce in order to drive upside down

[@awesomefacematt]

It's called upforce

[@kingo1539]

@@awesomefacematt No it's called Lift

[@gg2324]

@@kingo1539 well if the ground is above you it's still downforce isn't it?

[@kingo1539]

@@gg2324 No, it's only downforce if it pushes you down

[@rvladimiro]

This championship pops up from time to time in my country and I absolutely LOVE the door to door relentless racing the aussies put on. I love F1 but this is truly outstanding.

[@velocityjet1884]

I would like to see GT3 replace V8 Supercars in Australia. In the Mid 90's this sport went downhill, and it's been basically a one-sided winner, Nissan,Volvo Mercedes all go in and all go out, It needs to go!

[@goodshipkaraboudjan]

I think at some point to stay alive and keep people in their jobs they're going to just have to go GT3 soon.

[@themoviehobbit355]

Wow Said no true blue Aussie

[@zadokegaming]

Among other youtube channels about motor sports... this one is best... the explanation the info and the visual presentation all makes me feel like I'm a driver... thanks a lot for all the information. ❤

[@edreimatunog3075]

What i have understood from this video is that this cars are actually made for real drivers. Literally man and machine. None of the driver aids. In a nutshell racing for those who have balls of steel 600+ hp almost no downforce, skinny tires no abs. hill toe downshifts narrow streets. I mean. That for me is wild

[@MC-bh8ph]

Excellent video. Ive always thought v8 supercars races are more exciting to watch than other disciplines and your video has revealed some reasons I either hadnt thought about or didnt know about

[@meejinhuang]

Even Ken Block spun on his first drive in a Supercar. He was told not to accelerate too soon out of a corner.

[@TassieLorenzo]

Yes, that was a fun video!

[@gallagherrides28]

Makes me so happy as an Australian that you covered the V8 Supercars.

[@QuantumS1ngularity]

Getting rid of the Falcon and the Commodore is like getting rid of Ferrari and McLaren in Formula 1. They became synonymous with V8 Supercars. Now Camaro and Mustang ?! What is this - NASCAR? The appeal of the Commodore and the Falcon was that they were based on BIG 4-door saloon cars. The Camaro and the Mustang are already small 2-door coupes. it's not even close.

[@SomethingStupidProductions]

On the mention of nascar, V8 supercars and nascar cup series cars are now quite similar, which explains why supercar drivers are actually quite good in stock cars

[@Mr83rt]

The reason why they turned it from a touring car series with different classes to just a v8 supercar series was all because of the Nissan skyline also known as Godzilla. The skylines were only in the series for 2 years and absolutely dominated the touring car championship.

[@Woody265]

I am suprised you went through all that and failed to mention that these cars have a spool differential.

[@discbrakefan]

Agree. My understanding is this is what makes them particularly difficult.

[@TheCarDoc1]

I was waiting for this too! 😅

[@TarenGarond]

I myself isn't surprised at all as I've seen other videos on this channel! XD

[@kevincamp2913]

The braking techniques from V8 Supercars paid huge dividends for Van Gisbergen in the Chicago NASCAR street race. He ate them alive under braking and off-brake-to-throttle.

[@benson_weaver]

all the same points can be made for NASCAR. Jenson button ran a race, and almost had to retire due to heat exhaustion

[@ggsimmonds1]

Biggest difference seems to be downforce. Nascar increased the downforce for the next-gen car.

[@benson_weaver]

@@ggsimmonds1 they decreased it significantly for road courses this year though

[@eroffroad5438]

I grew up watching Aussie touring cars, when the car rolled off the factory line it could've been a taxi, police car, family car or a v8 super car. Its not the same any more. There were some good personalities driving these cars back in the day, maybe the sport doesn't allow it these days.

[@TracksideViews]

Basically NASCAR down under

[@connorbingel7134]

They should run on an oval sometime

[@mozzaplaysgames7897]

Ehhh yes and no

[@ashdivakaran9664]

And tight corners

[@Rmagid]

more like touring car racing but with locked diffs

[@mickyzzzeee]

Ahhh no. Nothing like fibreglass shells running around in circles at all. Circuit racing with real cars….. NASCAR sucks

[@chrisbee9643]

I am German and got to say Indy and Supercars are the kings on 4 wheels to me... MotoGP and Irish Road Racers are the ones on two. :)

[@yt_Ajay_]

Imagine driving that in the rain..

[@HJZ75driver]

Sketchy

[@HJZ75driver]

Have a look for Chas Mostert, Craig Lowndes and SVG drifting at Eastern Creek in the rain

[@comicquartz9129]

Look at the Bathurst 1000 that happened recently, it was pouring

[@The1stJesusMachine]

Thanks for putting a spotlight on Supercars! One of the greatest motorsport festivals in the world is the weekend of the Bathurst 1000 where there is also the unique shoot out for qualifying.

[@jarrahjackson]

no one talks about when mini destroyed bathurst ☠

[@travis6692]

I have to say, that was The smoothest transition into a Brilliant in-video ad I have ever seen. Genuinely, Nice One :) Also, it is nice to see a breakdown of these style of racing cars. I'm a casual racing fan, and it is nice to see these style of breakdowns. Thanks :)

[@phoenixsui]

Much better then the boring F1 drama.

[@tomo9224]

Mount Panorama needs an episode on its own

[@wez492]

The Aussie v8s are a distant relative to the NASCAR racecars. Today's NASCAR is becoming more & more like a modified touring car . I frigging love the Australian v8 supercars, Peter Brock has got to be my favorite Aussie driver iv learned about. Mark skaife, Lowndes are just sme of my favorites . I would love to see the Aussie V8s touring here in America.

[@ldnwholesale8552]

No realtive to American racing trucks. Ok on ovals but [still] a circus anywhere else.

[@katea6885]

They did for a while. There used to be one or two international rounds every year, and I remember a few at Circuit of the Americas. It didn't take off.

[@avocadoarms358]

Mid race driver interviews are the best

[@farnarkleboy]

Australian here , V8 supercars is now culturally irrelevant and reviled in the homegrown motoring community. It has no connection to Australia other than its on Australian circuits. Camaros are virtually non existant on the roads here and Mustangs are (poor quality )ego cars for old men that have retired from work. The whole series has a made for US TV feel and none of the grass roots authenticity that made it so popular in the 70's-2000's.

[@tweedvalleyoutdooradventur9168]

Awesome, great video and explainer. I'm an Aussie and never knew what really makes our home grown V8 racing so different. Thanks

[@jebediahgentry7029]

Dude you need to do one of these on NASCAR if you think these are hard to drive. Skinnier tires and even less downforce and heavier.

[@mickyzzzeee]

Yea ok mate…lol

[@imr991]

With the gen 7 they have wider tires but they do have low downforce packages such as the new short track package

[@jebediahgentry7029]

@@imr991 they still sound like they are a handful to drive compared to other cars. It was fun listening to Jenson Button and Jordan Taylor talk about how hard they are to drive

[@mint_au]

the cars that turn left and only time they use there brakes is to stop for fuel and tyres? ok mate haha

[@jebediahgentry7029]

@@mint_au bless your ignorant naive little heart

[@aeroflopper]

i watch these in the F1 off season, some real good racing going on here

[@burger406]

put me behind the wheel and i will set records (i got my loisence 2 weeks ago) -burger40

[@BenKuyt64]

Thank you so much for telling people that physical difficulty on the body and difficulty driving are different. Drivers like Kmag and Romain Grosjean, Ericsson, etc have said that IMSA sportscars, Indycars, etc are more difficult to drive than F1 cars. Lack of downforce, less tire grip etc all get taken into account.

[@ColtCapperrune]

I truly hope Formula One never goes this spec route… One of my favorite things about racing is the engineering that the teams are able to pull off.

[@canaldapoeira]

Please... PLEASE, make a video in this style about the brazilian StockCar. It has an amazing story, with great drivers (even from F1).

[@johnfogarty4588]

Great summary of the great racing that is Supercars. The best racing series outside of F1 and NASCAR

[@mint_au]

you can compare this to that nascar crap of driving in circles and f1 isnt even fair with what engines theyre running its so different and unfair its beyond a joke

[@adamstokes]

Great review mate. You brought back a lot of good memories and new information with this video - greatly appreciated.

[@airplane1831]

Interesting video Mr Mansell but surprisingly you failed to mention the locked differential. This aspect makes the cars very different and thereby challenging to drive. The rules demand that the differential be locked 'ridged' so that huge amounts of money are not spend by the teams on developing all kinds of clever mechanical limited slip differentials which would only only shave off a few tenths of a second from a less optimised limited slip differential.

[@Tobi_1301]

Never watched one of the races. I think I should change that at the next opportunity!

[@niftykeentypedog]

They also run a spool differential which makes turning even harder.

[@LimeGuy101]

Much respect for the Adelaide reference, best track in the country outside the mountain.