GM and Supercars have today confirmed the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will join the Supercars grid in 2022.
Eligible under the Gen3 rule package, GM and Supercars have confirmed the Camaro ZL1 will race in the Supercars Championship from 2022, replacing the now-dead Holden Commodore that will continue to race in 2021.
The news comes ahead of this weekend’s Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 which will be the final time factory-backed Commodores race. Current, until the end of this weekend, Holden factory team Triple Eight is leading the roll-out of the Camaro, tasked with the design of the Gen3 Camaro race car body by Supercars under the endorsement of GM.
“The Intellectual Property for the race car will be retained by Supercars, meaning other teams will also be able to race Camaros, either by purchasing complete cars from Triple Eight or by building their own,” Supercars said.
Category boss Sean Seamer said: “It’s great news to have GM continuing their presence in Australasia’s leading motorsports category.
“The Camaro will play a key role in the development of our new generation of race cars, so when it hits the track, it’s sure to excite not only our younger fans, but importantly, all those who remember the nameplate’s rich history in the sport.”
Former Holden boss and now GM president, Mark Reuss, added: “We at GM are thrilled to continue an involvement in Supercars in Australia and New Zealand.
“Chevy Camaro will be an exciting addition to the track, and we have every confidence Triple Eight will ensure the race-going version will be a faithful representation of the road-going Camaro ZL1’s DNA.”
Interim Chairman & Managing Director of General Motors Australia & New Zealand, Kristian Aquilina added: “We loved every minute of our 51-year involvement through Holden.
“There will never be another Holden, but we now welcome Camaro to the stage and hopefully a whole new generation of fans with it.”
So, what is the Gen3 Rule? In a nutshell, the intention, according to Supercars, is “Increased road relevance, improved racing and reduced costs”. This means that all cars will run on a control chassis which will be smaller than the current chassis to ensure a broader range of vehicles can compete.
And, Gen3 will require that all race cars have the same dimensions as the road cars they are based on, including doors, roof, windows and bonnet. Indeed, the rules state that those components must be interchangeable with the respective road car.
In addition, aerodynamics will be reduced by 50% with a new Dunlop control tyre currently being developed. Supercars has said there will also be “less reliance on engineering and data and more on driver skill is meanwhile set to make racing closer, while also reducing costs”.
