Motorsports

Tune in for the Telecast on Channel 7
This week the V8 Supercars are at the Top End of Australia, and the heat of Darwin’s Hidden Valley Raceway. For the first time in 18 months there’s a new leader in the Championship with James Courtney having displaced reigning Champ Jamie Whincup.  Tune in for an action packed weekend of racing.

Saturday June 19th from 2.30 – 5.30pm
Qualifying, Shootout and Race 13 ( 120km )
Sunday June 20th from 1.30 - 5pm Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane
3.15 - 5.30pm Adelaide and 11.30am - 3pm Perth
Qualifying and Race 14 ( 200km )

Hosted by Matt White, along with commentators Neil Crompton, Mark Skaife and pit reporter Mark Larkham.

It feels like ages since the V8 Supercars last hit the track, but in reality it’s only been five weeks since the last round at Winton. So get ready, the Northern Territory is hosting the V8 Supercars for the 13th consecutive year and Australians have voted the V8 round at Hidden Valley, the best in the nation.

SKYCITY Triple Crown is also a favourite amongst the drivers, teams and the thousands of visitors who witness the action trackside every year. The event injects more than $8 million into the local economy and attracts crowds of 40,000 people. It’s not just a weekend for motor sports enthusiasts to enjoy the roar of the engines, the colour and the glamour. It’s also a chance to showcase Territory business, attractions and great lifestyle.

Both Toll Holden Racing Team (HRT) drivers will debut new Walkinshaw Racing chassis at Darwin, while Jamie Whincup also debuts a new Triple Eight one. HRT driver Garth Tander said testing the new VE Commodores at Winton in the lead up to the Hidden Valley event was very productive and encouraging. Teammate Will Davison hopes his brand new car – the first he has ever had in his V8 career – does him proud at Darwin.

Bundaberg Red Racing driver Fabian Coulthard inherits GT’s old car, but he is under no illusion that it will be the magic bullet to his below par year.

Whincup lost the Championship lead for the first time in 18 months at the conclusion of the Winton event. He said his new Commodore, which he has named Georgia, had no mechanical issues when he gave it a 20-lap shakedown earlier this month.

Each driver will compete in the 120km Saturday on the control tyre and also use one set of softs for the 200km Sunday race.

“There’s no secret the sprint tyres are my weakness at the moment, but we will be putting our focus into turning that around for Sunday’s race in Darwin,” Whincup said. New Championship leader James Courtney said the return to the control tyre does not concern him. “I’ve won races on soft and hard-compound tyres so there’s no reason why I can’t be competitive on both types of rubber in the Top End,” the Jim Beam Racing driver said. “It’s possible we might clear out and run away from them again, regardless of what tyres we’re on. “My team has momentum from four wins in a row so the pressure is back on the others to see what they can do.” It hasn’t all been hard work for the teams in the lead-up to the SkyCity Triple Crown.