These and no-doubt a whole range of issues will have to be considered, researched, discussed and negotiated when deciding on the future direction of V8SC and of course Toyota’s intentions in Australian Motorsport considering they already have considerable investment in F1, NASCAR and Japanese Motorsport and ofcourse supporting facets such as TRD Australia’s current commitments such as ARC, Drag Racing, Drift and the Off-Road Championship (buggies) baring in mind this excludes the various other minor events Toyota participates in America, Asia and Europe.

This is what i mean it will be intersting to see how events unfold.

Then again – Toyota may not even consider further development of the Aurion and challenge CAMS / AVESCO to enter the RWD 5.0 V8 IS-F instead which already applies to many requirements albiet locally manufactuered.

Actually, considering Ford sells a 5.4 v8 and Holden a 6.0 and 6.2 (HSV) V8 on the market, in some respects the IS-F satisfies more requirements then Holden and Ford currently do … worth extra thought !!

This is a single example of many loop holes that can be easily challenged and exploited !!

I guess we will have to wait and see what is agreed upon and decided as future momentum. Don’t forget that any possible Toyota entry in V8SC will have to be considered if it will bring any real life benefits considering the global recognition of it’s participation in F1 and NASCAR … !!

Make no mistake of it … Toyota could easily develope and support a highly competitive and winning racing package in the V8SC but much of it simply depends if it moulds with Toyota’s current interests / commitments.

At the end of the day – it’s about business, investment and returns.

Interesting times indeed.

Just because Toyota don’t have a [factory backed] team competing in it doesn’t; mean it ceases to exist!!

When Tom Phillips was CEO at Mitsubishi he wanted to make the New 380 RWD; so they could compete in the V8 Supercars but Tokyo was adamant that it was going to be based on the USA Galant which is FWD as they wanted to reduce costs… who knows If they had said Yes Mitsubishi might still be in Oz.

I can’t see it happening because of the costs ivolved in engineering and modifying the platform from one car to fit another to make an over engineered one off prototype racer. However; If Toyota do make an AWD Aurion the next logical step would be to offer a RWD Aution

What that means is you may have car with an engine capable of producing 620BHP yet it depends on how efficiently and effectively that power is transferred to the road..its a very fine balance

I very much doubt that a Fully Blown [FWD] Aurion could handle double the power it has already without something giving way/breaking.

I mean when you look at Merc-Benz; BMW; Audi; Porsche; Aston-Martin Ferrari Lamborghini; Konnigsiegg etc….
how many FWD cars do they have that are capable of producing the same amount of power/speed as a V8 Supercar. None they’re either RWD or AWD

Its rather interesting because apart from the overall winner there are sub categories for each individual class of car depending its layout; engine capacity or body style be it FWD/AWD/RWD – Hatch/Sedan/Coupe etc

ATM there are a few major manufacturers involved in Production Car Racing such as Ferrari who will also fight to protect their interests as I don’t think they wouldn’t want a second Production Car Competiton

As for regulation change, it is every possibility they could just as well be more involved then anticipated becuase any other manufactuer who comes to the negotiating table wil be there with thier own interest as a priority and i can tell you now – companies like Toyota, Nissan or any other will not go with Holden or Ford components … PERIOD !!

If particular components are to be shared to reduce costs then the chances are, they will have to be developed by a mutual organisation that is not a car manufactuer.

Personally, i believe outside interests will pressure to allow thier own platforms to be used which coincidently will assist Holden and Ford aswell becuase it means they will not be restricted to thier current platforms. For example, Ford and GM have an array of perfromance vehicles in thier global intenary and with less restricted regulations will allow them greater oppurtunites to evolve.

But, it also allows others to bring thier arsenal to the track and this myfriend would be the single most worrying thought with CAMS/AVESCO and the Blue & Red brigade.

At the end of the day, any other manufactuer who may express interest in what is currently known as V8SC, will simply ‘get up and leave’ if they are not satisfied that thier own interests are catered satisfactory.

Is this worrying times for Holden and Ford in Australian Motorsport … ABSOLUTELY !!

Can you image a Nissan GTR, BMW M3, Lexus IS-F or even a fully blown race spec V6 AWD Aurion blast in the circuits -incrediable.

So don’t think that if Toyota do compete in the best touring car competition in the world that they will have it all there own way

I mean the category operates under what is known as Project Blueprint whereby inorder to reduce costs the cars share various components. Therefore; it could well be that if Toyota do decide to compete they may have to use a Ford Diff or Holden suspension etc….

And project blueprint has resulted in the closest most competitive racing Australian motorsport fans have seen in years [30 odd cars covered by less than 7 seconds]

I know you like to think the GT-R was banned because of its dominance; which in a way is true it was a victim of its own success.
Yet if you talk to Fred Gibson who was manager of Winfield Racing he will tell you that the costs involved in running the GT-Rs were almost too much for him..

Infact he has said that even if the GT-R was still able to compete he doubts that he would have continued raced them after 92 because of the costs

So they should change their motto from OH WHAT A FEELING to OH LOOK WHAT I AM STEALING or OH WHAT AM I STEALING?

Cobra – they would probably say Bathurst winning Falcon
Monaro – they would probably say HK, HQ-GTS Coupe
GTHO – they would probably say Worlds fastest 4 door sedan in 1971
Torana – they would probably say SLR/5000 A9-X GTR-XU1
Charger – they would probably say Hemi 265 6-pack or The best car never to win Bathurst
HDT – they would probably say Brocky VK SS VC SL/X
Toyota – they would probably say WHAT THE…?

History does have an effect on sales – its not just quality

Most people my age who follow ford and holden do because thats what our parents drove when we were young.. we had fun in them and always dreamed about owning one particularly a GT Cobra Monaro or Torana.. and now we are able to afford one be it an original classic from the 1960-70s or a modern car with the same name as the mere mention of the word Mustang for example inspiores memories of our youth when life was simpler etc.

Then there’s the other side where we have either had heard or read about a bad experience with a particular car…
Look what happened to sales of the A class Mercs after one rolled during a Moose test.

and Most people my age who can

Sure it means theyre operating at full capacity and therefore are probably operatong 3 shifts which reduces the chance of any job losses.

However; it could potentially mean that their quality and reliability could suffer which is something Toyota prides itself on

So whilst Toyota are operating flat out a parts supplier in either Japan Europe or the USA might have problems in keeping up with Toyotas demand

Which may mean Toyota has to find another supplier whose quality isn’t as good or temporarily halt production which would increase pressure to clear the backlog when the new shipment of parts arrives – which increases the possibility of further mistakes

And very few manufacturers keep excessive amounts of parts on site at their assembly lines as it takes up space and costs money – most operate on a just in time basis

In regard to Holden and Ford continuing to sell from what they have made in the past,of course they will,I mean look what happened to the limited edition Cobras last year sold out, 400 in the first 2 weeks ,bet TRD would love to have a classic they made in the past that they could turn out now and cash in on like Ford did! Same with the Monaros,and I imagine the Torana when it comes out.You seen an old Monaros or Toranas I bet ks for ks against a Toyota of the same era the Holden and Fords would come out on top when it comes to quality. Then again does anyone collect old Corollas ?

Not because they relied so much on history.. I mean if it wasnt for the past we would have nothing to go by inorder to make the various developments advancements and improvements that we have today – particularly in relation to the car.

We learn from our experiences of the past as we need a reference point inorder to make comparisons and figure out what worked and what didn’t…. its all relative

You still haven’t read the V8 Supercars rules and regulations have you Dingo?

Anyone can compete provided they meet the current criteria in relation to technical specifications etc