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maybe, but how where you going to make a 2.0L BMW competitive with a 5.0L Holden or Ford? I understand what your saying, but it wasn't realistic, they needed a catagory that was cheap (early V8 Supercars where VERY cheap to build and run) and also was very competitive, ie no one make winning everything and other makes not being competitive, and it had to appeal to the fans.
Taking all of these things into account, the V8's where the only realistic solution that made sense, it was unfortunate that BMW and Nissan had their feelings hurt, but at the end of the day after just one season of the V8's and the 2.0L's running together the 2.0L's went off and made their own series, the Australian Manufacturers championship, ie super tourers, and fact is Nissan NEVER joined, never even looked like joining, so really that just proves what I said that with Nissan shutting up their Australian operations, they where never realistically going to hang around with factory support for Australian motorsport, it was proven because the super tourers at first where quite popular with BMW, Audi, Volvo and even Hyundai getting involved as well as Ford and Holden providing under the table support to some privateers.
The fact Nissan never got involved just proves what I said. And yes they didn't sell the primera in Australia, but once the GTR was superceeded what where they planning to use anyway? Even if they where included in the new ATCC rules what where they planning on running? Obviously nothing...
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Very interesting thread, thanks a lot!
I think that if 5L cars won't be sell well in future (as thinks Alan Gow) it shouldn't be death for the V8S racing. Because people still will be in love with big powerful cars and teams will be build them special for racing. Look, F1 teams build cars which costs much more than any touring by definition and lives 60 years! Of course, "win on Sunday sell on Monday" will be in memories, but I don't think that S2000 cars in Bathurst 1000 which seems horrific now are real.
(excuse me in advance for rough English)
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well in all honesty dropping the powerful cars didn't do any harm to the BTCC in the early 90's
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different culture though mate... England's car heritage includes a lot of little nimble type cars, MG's etc, but Australia's car culture has ALWAYS been centred around big bangers, Big V8's, thats always been the thing over here and thats what our motorsport has been built off. Its all well and good saying "well europe and the UK don't use big cars so why does Australia need them" but its an entirely different situation. Australian motorsport has gone down the european route before with Group A and it nearly killed the Australian Touring Car Championship.
