MOTORSPORT: Chevrolet Camaro coming to Supercars

Plans to develop the Chevrolet Camaro for Supercars racing are expected to be revealed at this weekend’s Bathurst 1000 – the same event that will see Holden officially farewelled from Australian touring car racing.

Motorsport publication Auto Action is reporting that Supercars has gained critical intellectual property (IP) permissions from General Motors to develop the Camaro body shape for racing.

Supercars is expected to announce at Bathurst this week that it will press ahead with building a protype Camaro Supercar to the new Gen3 technical regulations due to be introduced in 2022.

It will be good news for Australia’s premier motorsport category, as the Holden factory will participate in its last event this Sunday at Mount Panorama, although the Commodore ZB will race on in the category in 2021.

But the arrival of the Camaro is critical beyond that to ensure an ongoing rivalry between at least two brands in the category. Ford has already signalled its ongoing desire to race in Supercars – but only if there is opposition.

While V8 and rear-wheel drive fundamentals are retained, the new Gen3 regulations are designed to hack a huge amount of cost out of building, running and repairing Supercars.

A modification to the current roll cage is designed to ensure both the racing Camaro and Ford Mustang retain a body shape closer to the production car.

The current Mustang, raced by the likes of triple Supercars champion and defending Bathurst winner Scott McLaughlin, has been criticised for its humped roof and bluff nose.

Intriguingly, the Camaro Supercar program may offer a glimmer of opportunity for the return of the Camaro to local sale under the GM Specialty Vehicles banner.

The Camaro was locally converted to right-hand drive and sold here by HSV from 2018, but that program has been halted.

Behind the scenes, Auto Action reports the creation of the Camaro is creating political angst and tensions between Supercars teams, which a not uncommon happening in the category.

Roland Dane, a powerful figure in Supercars and boss of Holden homologation team Triple Eight Race Engineering, is said to be pivotal to all this.

T8 has had key responsibilities for developing the new Gen3 chassis that will underpin the Camaro and while it won’t build the prototype Supercars will use for testing, Dane is looking to be heavily involved in the production version of the racer.

T8 has been the exclusive supplier of composite body panels for Holden Commodore Supercars, something that has annoyed other teams. According to AA, Dane wants to expand that deal, even pushing for the rights to sell the car internationally.