Supercars officials have this morning confirmed that the category’s new Gen3 regulations will be further delayed until 2023.
The news comes following a tumultuous build-up for the new-generation models. Supercars cites that teams have faced challenges caused by Covid-19, including lockdowns in various states, supply shortages, and more.
Intended as a follow-up to the current ‘Car of the Future’-specification vehicles, Gen3 intends to bring the costs of cars down while also making them more comparable with their road-going counterparts.
Gen3 was already known to be behind schedule, with Supercars confirming earlier this year that it was considering introducing the new cars part-way through the 2022 season; a step many thought was questionable.
“Factors outside the control of Supercars, including the ongoing challenges with international supply chains and domestic disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic are among the major contributing factors,” read Supercars’ statement.
“Lockdowns in various states which have forced Supercars to condense its racing program over the final three months of 2021, have also limited the Gen3 testing program as originally planned.
“Supercars has arrived at this decision following consultation with key stakeholders including Repco, Ford, General Motors and Supercars’ broadcast partners.
“The manufacturers’ respective homologation teams (Triple Eight Race Engineering and Dick Johnson Racing) continue to forge ahead with the development of the prototypes.”
Still, despite the delay, Supercars claims that the Gen3 cars will make a public debut later this year at the Repco Bathurst 1000 on December 3. The series notes that General Motors and Ford remain committed to the project.
“Throughout the course of 2022, fans will see the first-ever Gen3 race car come to life ahead of the program’s racing debut. Cars will conduct significant on-track exhibitions and testing at many of Supercars’ events next year,” it adds.
“Mark Larkham will continue to bring behind-the-scenes updates of Gen3 prototypes and testing through Repco Supercars Championship broadcast and digital channels.”
