THE latest initiative in the Australian Auto-Sport Alliance’s revolution is to drop the need for race car numbers to be emblazoned on body panels.
It’s a move that comes as a surprise given AASA competition and commercial director Marcos Ambrose’s background in NASCAR, where door numbers tend to be a hit with fans, but it’s been described as a win for drivers and sponsors alike.
With immediate effect, AASA will make it optional to run numbers on panels; instead they will only be required on front windscreen and side windows, if applicable, provided they are identifiable from the sidelines.
“With the benefit of modern technology, the use of large racing numbers on the sides and front of vehicles is not necessary,” explained Ambrose.
“In modern circuit racing we are fortunate to have transponder-based timing and scoring systems which basically eliminates the need for visual aids (numbers) to identify cars.
“AASA would like to empower our competitors to use that space to increase valuable sponsorship ‘real estate’ and offer freedom to design their vehicle liveries to maximise this increased area.
“Many racing sanctioning bodies around the world have followed this trend including the commercially successful Brazilian Stock Cars and Argentinian TC2000 series in recent years.
“AASA continue look for ways to make racing easier, simpler, and more convenient for our competitors. Enforcement of font, size and dimension requirements for race car numbers can be unsightly and annoying for the competitors to manage, especially when they are of limited benefit.
“At AASA we want our competitors to have as much freedom to design and brand their cars to maximise sponsorship value and make sure their race cars look as ‘racey’ as possible.
“We also want to have as few restrictions, rules and regulations as possible for our competitors to keep racing fun and convenient for them.
“This is an option, not a rule. Some racers love the identity of their race number, and they are free keep their numbers visible on their cars if they wish.”