V8 Supercars return to Phillip Island for 2005

[fpv_gtho]

http://www.v8supercars.com.au/news/l...nd=M&gid=13067

V8 Supercar Championship Series returns to Phillip Island

Release Date: 19/09/2004

The V8 Supercar Championship Series will return to the world class Phillip Island Circuit next year as the final round on the calendar.

Australian Vee Eight Supercar Championship Series Chairman Tony Cochrane announced live on Network 10 this afternoon that Phillip Island was one of the 13 locations hosting an event in 2005.

The V8 Supercar Championship Series has not raced at the circuit since 2003. Unlike previous years, AVESCO will manage and promote the Phillip Island event.

The event will be held in the last weekend of November. The 2005 calendar has been shortened slightly as part of an ongoing commitment to make the sport more attractive to spectators and supporters.

The decision not to race at the venue in 2004 created much controversy. At the time AVESCO was concerned with circuit design issues and falling attendance levels over a period of time.

AVESCO is satisfied that by making the event the last round of the series when better weather is expected, significant circuit upgrades and plans for further development will redress these issues.

“The circuit is now under new ownership and the Linfox Corporation has invested a significant amount of money to address concerns we had with the design of the track,” Mr Cochrane said.

“This is one of the world’s greatest road racing circuits and we always knew that. We were always working towards a goal to return there and the new management has ensured this has occurred.

“There are still substantial works to be completed by the end of next year that will ensure it is a fantastic venue for our sport.”

The V8 Supercar Championship Series will stage events across Australia, New Zealand and China in 2005. There remains an even spread across the Australian states to guarantee the sport’s truly national status.

“This adds to the fact that our series will expand into a truly international sport with the addition of Shanghai to the calendar in June, an event which all Australians will be proud of,” Mr Cochrane said.

“Our growing international recognition is further reflected by the fact that our championship is broadcast to 70 countries and some 800 million people across the world.”

The most noticeable changes in 2005, apart from the Phillip Island announcement, are the forward movement of New Zealand by a fortnight and Perth by a month.

These decisions were based on trying to ensure better weather and best fit with locked in dates such as the Australian Grand Prix and the Clipsal 500 at the start of the season.

2005 V8 Supercar Championship Series Calendar:

Non/Champ Mar 4-6 Australian Grand Prix Melbourne

Round 1: Mar 17-20 Clipsal 500 Adelaide

Round 2: Apr 15-17 V8 International New Zealand

Round 3: May 6-8 Barbagallo Perth

Round 4: May 27-29 Eastern Creek Sydney

Round 5: June 10-12 Shanghai China

Round 6: July 1-3 Hidden Valley Darwin

Round 7: July 22-24 Queensland Raceway Ipswich

Round 8: Aug 12-14 Oran Park Sydney

Round 9: Sep 9-11 Sandown 500 Melbourne

Round 10: Oct 6-9 Bathurst 1000 Bathurst

Round 11: Oct 20-23 V8 Supercar Challenge Surfers Paradise

Round 12: Nov 11-13 Symmons Plains Tasmania

Round 13: Nov 25-27 BigPond Grande Finale Phillip Island

[Blue Supra]

Bathurst is up next! CMON HOLDEN!
although if there was a mitsubishi team id back them

[fpv_gtho]

Theyre going to need something good to keep up with Ambrose and Ritter after Sandown, i think its safe to say Ford means business after taking the 1-2-3

[Blue Supra]

yeah you're right there. Holdenll have to pull something special out if they wanna win
<------700th Post
(thats 100 in under 24hr)

[fpv_gtho]

well at least the guys that won last year will still be paired together, that could be their edge

[holdens]

maybe but im not so sure they will do so well this year round... they just seem to be in a lull... im backing bright and wheel i no they didnt do the best in sandown but i recon they will have learnt from those mistakes.
GO HOLDEN!!

[fpv_gtho]

Bright and Weel should be strong, but i dont think that they'll be the strongest, but Bathurst always has its share of bad luck so you never know. Ambrose will be giving it 110% though, his goal for this year was to win the rounds he missed out on last year. Already he's gotten Adelaide, Queensland Raceway and Sandown.

[Blue Supra]

cant say i follow it too closely, but im hoping for a holden win at bathurts, its the only race ill sit down and watch all day, dad backs holden so yeah, bit of a family thing

[fpv_gtho]

yeah, they reckon itsfrom your family that you decide which of the 2 you rather. it annoys me sometime though how people will pick Bathurst out of the rest of the races, not so much in watching it, but last year i copped alot for holden winning bathurst, yet no one said anything about ambrose winning the championship

[Blue Supra]

Its cause its built up as "the great aussie thing to do" i watch bathurst cause its a great excuse to have a barbie and the mates over, drink some beer and do absolutly nothing for a whole day. I picked Holden when I was younger because they won all the time...

[fpv_gtho]

your right about the BBQ thing......i think the V8's are more like a culture to some than a sport.....but then again, to some sport is a culture full stop

[SlickHolden]

V8 supercars are great and you can have heaps of fun in the crowd like my brother found out.
On the warm up lap a guy yelled to his mate shit mate look at skaife i have never seen him drive that fast.

[Blue Supra]

ROFL, cant say ive been to a V8 race, even when they were in canberra, i wasnt that interested in cars then. Althogh i may make the Journey to Bathurst this year with a buncha mates!

[fpv_gtho]

Originally Posted by SlickHolden

V8 supercars are great and you can have heaps of fun in the crowd like my brother found out.
On the warm up lap a guy yelled to his mate shit mate look at skaife i have never seen him drive that fast.

ROFLMFAO!!

[Blue Supra]

the best thing you can see at ANY sporting event is the pissed guy standing by himself trying to start up a chant! Then theres me (the other pissed guy) SIT DOWN AND DRINK YOUR BEER YOUR NOT MADE OF GLASS!!!