V8 Supercars has dramatically reduced the number of test days for the remainder of the season in a bid to reduce costs for its teams.
Each squad had been allocated 10 days of running between August 1st, 2012, and December 31, 2013, as part of the change-over to Car of the Future regulations – a substantial increase from the four previously in play per calendar year.
That 10 day allotment has now been cut back to six, which includes the recent compulsory pre-season hit-out at Sydney Motorsport Park and any already completed days.
All teams have at least three days remaining, however, as the majority of running seen so far have been Accredited Manufacturer days, two of which were allocated to each of the eight teams building their own cars.
Brad Jones Racing’s Jason Bright, who topped last weekend’s pre-season Sydney test in the Team BOC Holden, is a big advocate of the reduction.
“We got down to four or five days of testing in V8 Supercars (before the COTF) and I think that’s what it should be,” he told Speedcafe.com.
“I couldn’t believe it when they came up with 10 days for Car of the Future. The last thing you want is for teams with big budgets to go and make the most of all 10 days and teams with smaller budgets not able to do the entire allotment of days.
“Testing costs a lot more than you’d think. It obviously costs you track hire, wear and tear and accommodation, but the days in lieu that the guys don’t get after a race meeting because they’re preparing for the next test isn’t often taken into account. Testing that many times in a year is very hard on the guys.”
V8 Supercars Championship outfit Nissan Motorsport is testing at Winton Motor Raceway today – one of few teams to do so in the two-week gap between the Sydney test and the season opening Clipsal 500 Adelaide.
