SUPERCARS ESERIES DROPS THE NURBURGRING

Supercars ESeries drops the Nurburgring – Photo: Supplied

Supercars has canned the plan to race at the fiercesome Nurburgring in round five of the BP All Stars Eseries next Wednesday night and will go it alone with the challenging Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium.

By BRUCE NEWTON

The round will be formatted like the trip to Mount Panorama for round three, with a top 10 shootout in qualifying, followed by two shorter eight-lap races with a single put stop for tyre.

The night is then completed by a longer 14 lap race with two fuel stops for tyres and fuel.

The second race will be a reverse grid while a new feature is the grid for race three will be determined by accrued points over the two shorter races in an attempt to reduce some of the carnage seen so far in the Eseries.

Second-generation racer Jack Doohan has already been confirmed as a wildcard joining the regular 25 car grid. While two more internationals and two Super2 drivers are expected to bring the field up to 30.

Supercars general manager – television and content, Nathan Prendergast, told Auto Action the decision was made to postpone a visit to the Nurburgring because both it and Spa are long tracks.

“Spa is massive, it’s seven kilometres and a two-minute eighteen lap. We’d still like to go to the Nurburgring because it’s a great track, we just have to see where it fits in.”

On using points to set the final grid of the night, Prendergast said: “It rewards consistency more … we don’t want carnage, we want close, good racing and we are constantly working at ways to make that happen.”

The fourth round of the Eseries at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Canada and Watkins Glen in the USA was won overall by Cameron Waters in the Tickford Racing/Monster Ford Mustang, although the four races were won by four different Holden Commodore drivers – Shane van Gisbergen Chaz Mostert, Anton De Pasquale and Jamie Whincup.

DJR Team Penske’s Scott Mclaughlin still leads the series ahead of Waters and van Gisbergen.

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