So, what do the Supercar greats have to say? Does their invaluable grasp on what works for fans and Supercars culture say it all, or are they simply stuck in the nostalgia of the golden years and refusing to move with the times?Īccording to legend Greg Murphy and our good friend John Bowe, a move to paddle shifting is a giant leap from what makes great racing, and is destined to fail to entertain fans who love seeing the physicality of the gear changes, and a disservice to championship drivers who should be tested on their full skillset. “That process of heel-and-toe, getting the timing of the change right… if you take all that stuff away you’re a step closer to sitting on the PlayStation.” The Red Bull Racing Team leader was backed by fellow podium finishers Brodie Kostecki and David Reynolds who publicly applauded his comments.Īs far back as 2017, there’s been opposition to the suggestion of a move from stick shift to paddle shifting. The strongest statement comes from current championship leader Shane van Gisbergen, who didn’t mince words when saying, “Throw paddle shift in the bin.” When it comes to big name drivers, there’s a lot of vocal support for keeping the status quo. How much input the current bidders have in the current conversation is anyone’s guess- but we’d love to be a fly on the wall. With Formula One and Indy Car already making the switch to paddle shift, there’s also the argument that resisting change will give Supercars a point of difference to an international audience, which could be an important priority for the new Supercars majority owners and their approach to future marketing. Paddle proponents also point to the stick shift adding to the fractured wrist and leg Chaz Mostert suffered in his horrific high speed crash at Bathurst in 2015. Despite initial opposition, the sequential gearbox still symbolises the joy a talented driver getting physical behind the wheel. While the impetus for change was to get rid of the dreaded miss-shift which caused damage to the transmission and engine, there were additional concerns about driver safety (although anyone who remembers Tim Slade’s Bathurst collision this year will say that sequential shifting isn’t without its faults). It is known colloquially as “The Lap of the Gods” and widely regarded as one of the finest moments in Bathurst folklore.Īt the time, Jason Richards famously stated, “A sequential shift is like traction control, it takes away another element of the driving skill.” Greg Murphy claims he shifted into the wrong gear in his Bathurst 1000 pole position time of 2:06.8594 which was set in 2003 and stood as the fastest lap ever recorded at Mount Panorama Circuit, until eclipsed seven years later, well after the move to sequential. The idea of just hitting a lever to click through the gears was sacreligious to many who enjoyed the thrill of drivers skipping slots on a down change and the character that H-patterns add to the cars. The sequential gearboxīack in 2008, debate was raging about the controversial move from the traditional H-pattern to the sequential stick shift. However, key stakeholders with the power (and the cheque books) seem invested in the move to the paddle shift, citing safety improvements, engine longevity and a potential cost motivation that fits with Supercars’ recent announcement that, “an overall targeted cost reduction of 30-40 percent” was in the works.īut what do the drivers think? Let’s have a closer look at each gear style and what the teams have to say. The team at Triple Eight Racing have led the conversation through action, having already developed a paddle-shift that works with the category’s Albins control gearbox and Motec ECU, which they’ve been running on the Sandman ride car since 2014. Their key argument: people just don’t drive manual cars anymore. The general consensus amongst drivers is that a move to the paddle shift will at best kill the theatrics of the sport, and at worst, degrade the skill of talented drivers so they’re doing no more than engaging in a game of glorified “PlayStation”.ĭespite this, there’s still those in the supporters’ corner, vying for a modernisation that will align Supercars with other international categories who’ve made the switch to reflect trends in the consumer market. This has, of course, sparked division and vocal opposition. This move comes off the back of years of speculation, and a recent decision to go with an automatic gear shift (AGM) system regardless of whether or not the category mandates a move to paddle. In case you missed it, V8 Supercars Australia CEO Sean Seamer has officially announced that the latest Gen3 Supercar prototypes will test both the paddle shift and the current sequential stick shift. A quick recap on the stick vs paddle debate
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |