DUNLOP Super2 Series stalwart Terry Wyhoon says he’s close to making the call to step out of the development category should Gen3 cars be made eligible for the series in 2027.
Wyhoon currently runs three cars in the series, two of his own and one Erebus Academy entry driven by Jobe Stewart on race weekends.
He says the push for Gen3 Camaros and Mustangs to be permitted to race in the feeder series from 2027 by a group of championship teams will likely force he and other independent outfits, (ie. non ‘main game’ Supercars teams) to leave the series.
Wyhoon and a range of other team owners – both Super2-specific and Supercars Championship squads that run cars in the series – are in favour of Gen3 being introduced in 2028, allowing teams that invested in ZB Commodores and Mustang Gen2 cars to recoup value on their investment in machinery over five years rather than four.
With a lack of clarity on the future of the series he’s made the call to place both of his current race-winning Erebus-built ZB Commodores on the market, available at the end of this year’s series, listed here in V8 Sleuth’s Online Showroom.
“We’ll probably be forced to step away from the series,” Wyhoon told V8 Sleuth this week should Gen3 cars come into Super2 for 2027.
“We’re talking the biggest ever change in the series’ history here and it’s not just the car.
“For two cars, spares and all of the equipment needed, we’re talking $2 million.
“That’s $650,000 to $700,000 a car, plus spares plus the equipment that doesn’t carry over from Gen2. It’s a huge, huge jump from a car worth $350,000 in Super2. A front bar for a ZB is $7000, it’s $18,000 for a Gen3 one!
“When we’ve changed cars prior, the wheels, wheel guns and nuts, air spike and so many other parts all carried over. None of that is applicable with Gen3. We have 60-plus wheels, so $60,000 worth of wheels and they won’t carry over and I doubt the new ones will be cheaper.
“We had a meeting at Queensland Raceway and only Triple Eight and Brad Jones Racing weren’t on board with it. Everyone else was clear, firstly that two more years for the current cars makes up the five-year period we’ve always had as minimum with an era of car and, secondly, there’s not enough Gen3 cars for sale anyway.
“No one has been able to give any costs for Gen3, how much do the teams want for their cars? Supercars said they would get back to us with those numbers after our meeting in Queensland and we’ve received nothing as of this week.
“If they don’t give any answers before the end of this year, it will be an easy decision for me to walk away. I’m not even sure I could afford to go Gen3 even if I wanted to. We all have a lot invested in this.
“We could ask Barry (Ryan) and Erebus for some figures, we’re fortunate enough to have that alliance, but from the collective of teams, as an overall category, everyone needs to know what’s going on as a whole.
“There’s a lot of options out there for young drivers now, with Trans Am in particular. Those cars are cheaper by a long shot and they are taking away some of the people that should be in Super2, by having a budget that is a third of Super2. Once Super2 goes to Gen3 cars, I’d hate to think what the per-season cost will be.
“There might be a handful that can afford an $800,000 budget per year, but that would be it.”
Wyhoon says he’s approached private investors to assist in bankrolling a potential Gen3 changeover but feels his hands are tied for the moment.
“I’ve approached some parties who are outside of motorsport and are keen to look at investing in the Gen3 model for Super2, but I can’t even answer how much it will cost or when the cars are coming into the series,” he says.
“I can’t even answer any of those simple questions given the current status of things!”
The Korumburra, Victoria-based team owner is an original of the series dating back to its debut as the Konica V8 Lites Series in 2000.
He was on the grid as a driver for the inaugural round at Eastern Creek in March 2000 and raced regularly in the category before turning to running his team and helping bring through the next generation of racers.
Wyhoon during the inaugural season of the Konica V8 Lites Series in 2000. Photo: an1images.com / Dirk Klynsmith.
The former AUSCAR Super Speedway champ and Aussie NASCAR race winner says there would be a way for him to entertain a Gen3 platform, but it wouldn’t fit in with the championship level teams that want to sell off their older cars and components ‘down the line’.
“If they came up with a control, low-cost Super2 engine that bolted straight into each of the cars, with controlled, locked in suspension geometry points and cheaper consumables, like front bars and the like, they’d have my attention.
“I’ve heard the arguments too that the cars in Super2 need to be Gen3 so they’re relevant for drivers moving up the ranks. That’s a total furphy. Look at NASCAR; the Xfinity cars are nothing like the Cup cars and they still develop drivers and progress. If you’re a good enough driver to progress, you jump in and start winning in the next series.”
The final round of this year’s Dunlop Super2 Series will be at the bp Adelaide Grand Final on November 27-30, where American Xfinity Series star Jesse Love will drive one of Wyhoon’s Commodores.