Boys Day-In: V8 Supercars

Being a motorsport enthusiast, capturing the attitude of the casual fan of V8 Supercars has always been an interesting activity due to the tribal nature of the Holden versus Ford rivalry.

With this year seeing the end of this exclusive rivalry due to the introduction of new manufacturers, Nissan and AMG Mercedes, as well as Car of the Future regulations, the reactions of the relatively uninformed are starting to become some of the most interesting moments of a day-in with some friends watching the opening round in Adelaide.

“That’s stupid. It’s always been Holden and Ford,” is one of the most common catch-cries of the day. But it does

seem to be accompanied by, “It’s just going to show that Aussie cars are better.”

But the reality was, on the day, that no-one else was overly fussed about different cars in the category.

The boys responded quite well to Mark Larkham’s informative segments, as did I. It meant I could watch more, and explain less.

Until Fabian Coulthard turned Garth Tander around at the end of the session when it looked like a fight was going to break out, no one really seemed to be interested by the qualifying session.

For the record, Shane van Gisbergen won that Sunday’s race quite easily after starting from pole, but it was the late battle for second, third and fourth between the two Red Bull drivers and Russell Ingall that got everyone excited.

With motorsport being my main interest in the sporting world – no explanations needed – it’s arguably the best part of the day, even if it means having to put my beer down and explain the qualifying format to everyone.

Overall, a day like this is great for casual fans, let alone dedicated followers of V8 Supercars. However, television coverage tends to drag on throughout the day.