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Tasman Series race formats confirmed
THE RACE formats for the upcoming S5000 Tasman Series have been locked in for the two event, seven race series that commences next week.
Each of the seven races will be treated individually in the context of the championship, however the final race at each event will carry a points and distance weighting over the others to add emphasis as the field competes for $50,000 in prizemoney.
The formats closely mirror those utilised successfully throughout the VHT S5000 Australian Drivers’ Championship earlier this year.
The opening round at Sydney Motorsport Park will see three races contested across the November 19-21 weekend.
The grid for race one will be determined based on the order from qualifying, while the second race grid will see the top 75% of the race one grid from Qualifying reversed.
Race three will see the grid determined based on the points gained by each driver from qualifying and the first two races.
The series then shifts to Mount Panorama, Bathurst, one week later with four races to be contested across the massive six-day festival of motorsport that culminates in the Bathurst 1000, on December 5.
Race 4 of the Tasman Series will again see the grid determined by the earlier qualifying session at Mount Panorama.
Race 5 will see the top 75% of the race four grid from Qualifying reversed.
Race 6 will see grid set with the top 50% of the Race 5 result reversed.
Race 7, the final race in the Tasman Series, will see the grid generated based on points gained by each driver across the previous three races and qualifying.
At both rounds, a points weighting will be applied to both the opening race and the final ‘feature’ event of the weekend.
The opening race at each round offers 30 points to the winner, any race with a reversed portion of the grid offers a maximum of 20, while the feature race awards 60 points to the winner.
As was the case in the S5000 Australian Drivers’ Championship, pole position at each round is worth a bonus 10 championship points, with points awarded down to 10th position (1 point) on the grid.
The driver with the most points at the conclusion of the seven races will receive the iconic Tasman Cup, with custodians Motorsport Australia and Motorsport New Zealand both approving of the historic award’s return to the Australasian motorsport scene for the first time in two decades.
TASMAN SERIES FORMAT:
ROUND 1 (Sydney Motorsport Park)
QUALIFYING: 10 points for pole down to 1 point for 10th.
RACE 1: Grid based on qualifying, 30 points to the winner.
RACE 2: Grid based on the top 75% of the Qualifying order being reversed. 20 points to the winner.
RACE 3: Grid based on points from qualifying, Race 1 and Race 2. 60 points to the winner.
ROUND 2 (Mount Panorama, Bathurst)
QUALIFYING: 10 points for pole down to 1 point for 10th.
RACE 4: Grid based on qualifying, 30 points to the winner.
RACE 5: Grid based on the top 75% of the Qualifying order being reversed. 20 points to the winner.
RACE 6: Grid based on the top 50% of the Race 5 finishing order being reversed. 20 points to the winner.
RACE 7: Grid based on points from Qualifying, Race 4, Race 5 and Race 6. 60 points to the winner.
LIAM CURKPATRICK: S5000 Category Administrator
“The Sporting regulations for the S5000 Tasman Series are based very closely on the successful formats we had in place for the Gold Star championship earlier this year,” Curkpatrick said.
“The only major change is the addition of an additional race to the program at Bathurst, Race 6, where we will reverse the top half of the grid from Race 5.
“The races where we reversed the top portion of the field were among the best of the season this year, so we wanted to ensure that continued, but we have also tried to minimize the impact on the Tasman Series standings by ensuring those races have less points on offer.
“The big-ticket races are the first of each weekend and then the final race at each round.
“We think the format is the best mixture of offering pure competition, giving competitive cars a chance to run at the front even if they don’t qualify there and offering plenty of entertainment for the many fans who will be watching.
“With the varied race formats, the driver who lifts the Tasman Cup will have absolutely earned it over two important qualifying sessions and seven races.”