Racing versions of the Ford Ranger and Mitsubishi Triton destined for Supercars' new SuperUtes series in 2018 have broken cover.
They were unveiled this afternoon in Townsville in advance of this weekend's Supercars championship event, along with the name of the 2018 series sponsor, East Coast Bullbars.
Supercars also confirmed the Mazda BT-50, Toyota HiLux, Isuzu D-Max and Holden Colorado had been homologated to contest the series.
As yet it is unknown how many of those brands will be represented on the grid in 2018, or what the total size of the grid will be. Supercars thinks it will have a better understanding of those issues by late September, 2017.
The series for diesel utes will replace the current V8 Utes, which is based on the discontinued Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore, the latter soon ceasing production.
The Ranger shown in Townsville was built by legendary Ford team owner Ross Stone, who has helped Supercars develop the technical basis for the championship and will enter a three-ute team in the series.
The Ford Ranger itself is owned by Michael Formosa, who runs the Sydney-based Allgate industrial garage door and gate business, and will be raced by his son, Christopher.
The Triton belongs to the Sieders Racing Team, which will run it as part of a multiple entry operation with V8 Utes regular Craig Dontas confirmed as one of their drivers in 2018.
Three times V8 Ute champion Ryal Harris was a late addition to the Townsville proceedings, showing off the Mazda BT-50 he will race in SuperUtes.
SuperUtes to launch at Clipsal 500 in Adelaide
Supercars is showing the first new-generation utes at the venue where it originally intended to stage the first race for the series. However, it announced in early May it had decided to push back the debut until the Clipsal 500 next March to get the technical package right.
The intention is to conduct the 2018 series over eight rounds, with five of them at marquee events that are televised live on Network Ten, as well as pay channel Fox Sports, but the calendar is subject to change.
The SuperUtes are expected to punch out around 260kW and 400Nm from their turbo-diesel engines, while a race kit is expected to cost around $60,000 on top of the cost of the base production-vehicle. Labour costs and racing budget are also on top of that number.
Current V8 Utes competitors will be briefed about the new Series and its costs today in Townsville.
Based on dual cab bodies, the rear wheel drive racing vehicles will have:
- Engine performance controlled by Supercars
- Control Motec ECU
- Minimum weight of 1800kg
- Control rollcage
- Control gearbox ratios
- Control rear axle assembly, including controlled Detroit locker and ratio
The Supercars-approved racing kit will include a Motec dash, exhaust, Supashock suspension and Brembo brakes.
In a press release issued by Supercars, Stone said the SuperUtes would be "a really good thing".
"It won't be over the top with data but we're going to have enough for a young driver to learn and have a good base of knowledge to progress into Dunlop Super2 Series or the main game.
"I've really enjoyed getting in and helping the Supercars technical guys put the package together. It's been a lot of work, but once the series is up and running I'll just be a competitor," he said.
Supercars managing director Matt Braid pointed to the high sales of road-going utes as a motivator for developing the series.
"This week the Ford Ranger and the Toyota Hi-Lux were again the most popular cars in Australia, selling more units than any other model in the country," he said.
"These SuperUtes not only look stunning but are a purpose-built race car which will be amazing to drive, is market relevant, affordable and with the highest safety levels. This will be a fantastic series to compete in and for spectators to watch."