The short and compact nature of the 2.4km Symmons Plains circuit makes for tense qualifying sessions where drivers battle for track position, with the revised format intended to leverage that tense nature in the name of entertainment.
Under the new format, qualifying will be split into two sessions, with part one featuring the full field on track for a 10-minute session.
Following a short break under parc ferme conditions, the top eight fastest competitors will then return to the track for part two, which consists of a five-minute run where the top eight will battle for pole.
2024 series champion Adam Marjoram detailed his excitement for the format change.
“I’m personally very excited about the new qualifying format. It adds another level of strategy and consistency that we did not have before,” Marjoram said.
“We’ll have to make our tyres do two runs, so keeping them together will be interesting.
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“However it’ll be cool for the top eight to have a more uninterrupted ending with all eyeballs on us as we push for pole position.
“I think it will increase the intensity in the last area of qualifying as we’ll have more space on the track when it counts to be able to push.
“If the conditions allow, I think you’ll see us much faster this year than last.”
Marjoram described the change as “fresh”.
“I’m a big fan of this category as they keep exploring new ways to connect with the fans, and create a new dynamic that should appeal to drivers and fans alike,” he added.
Category manager Filippa Guarna noted the importance of the category’s evolution.
“As a category, we’re always looking at ways we can continue evolving the product both competitively and entertainment-wise,” Guarna said.
“Symmons Plains is a circuit where qualifying can be heavily strategy-based, especially when it comes to getting the most out of your tyres.
“You want to preserve the life of the green tyres in qualifying as much as possible for racing later, there’s the anti-clockwise layout which also affects tyre degradation, there are less braking areas compared to other circuits, and the colder temperatures also are a factor on tyre growth.
“So at a circuit like this you don’t normally see the full-field out the whole time during the session.
“This new format gives us an opportunity to create more intensity, more pressure on the drivers to show us their best right from the get-go, and ultimately a more exciting spectacle for fans watching.
“We also see this as an opportunity to test a format that could potentially be rolled out at other circuits in the future where it suits.
“The best part is that every lap in that final session matters – once those times are reset, it becomes a genuine shootout for the Uniden Pole Position award.”
Round two of the V8 SuperUte Series will be held in support of the Tasmania Super440 on May 22-24, with qualifying scheduled for 12:20pm AEST on Friday May 22.
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