Yas V8 400 Overview

Yas Marina Circuit hosted its first V8 Supercars race weekend on 19-20 February 2010.

V8 Supercars is a touring car championship in Australia and runs as an international series under FIA regulations. V8 Supercars is noted for the close-contact nature of its racing. As well as enjoying popularity in Australia and New Zealand, it is growing in stature across the world as a premier Touring Car racing series. V8 Supercars events take place in all states of Australia, as well as rounds in the Northern Territory, New Zealand, Bahrain and Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.

V8 Supercars have drawn crowds of over 250,000 spectators. Race formats vary. They can be sprint races, with either a 100 km or 200 km race on Saturday and one 200 km race on Sunday; or two 250 km races over the weekend (Adelaide and Sydney); or endurance races such as Bathurst, which runs over a 1000 km race distance, and Phillip Island, which runs over 500 km.

Due to the tight government and regulation of all aspects of car performance, at many events the field of 29 drivers is separated by less than one second over qualifying laps. The series is renowned for its focus on providing entertainment for spectators, with open access to the teams and drivers.

All twenty-nine competing V8 Supercars take as their basis either the Ford Falcon or GM (Holden) Commodore. Although the cars bear an outward resemblance to the production models, they undergo a high degree of modification to suit their application to such a physical form of motorsport. They are strictly governed in all aspects of performance in an effort to keep all the drivers on an even footing and to create closer, more exciting racing.