A whole new set of strategic challenges face the BNT V8 SuperTourers teams at the Pukekohe 500, final round of this year’s championship.
Extra-long races at the November 30-December 1 meeting will necessitate refuelling for the first time in this category, and possibly tyre changes as well.

Team bosses will be forced to devise new strategies – and be ready to change them at a moment’s notice when the race situation changes.

“It’s going to be good because we’re not going to know till the first race on Sunday what everyone does,” Nelson-based driver and team owner John McIntyre said.

“Whoever gets the strategy right the first time will look like a hero and then everyone will probably copy them after that.”

The Sunday will see two 70-lap races, after a 35-lap one on the Saturday.

BNT V8 SuperTourers operations manager Didier Debae says the seven-litre V8s will be able to cover 58 laps on a full tank of fuel and another 13 laps on one 25-litre refuelling can.

That means that covering the 70 laps is going to be marginal unless teams put in more than the extra 25 litres – which means extra time in the pits, time that can be very difficult to make up on the track. Emptying one 25-litre can into the car will take about eight seconds, Debae says.

McIntyre points out that safety-car periods – probably inevitable in such long races – could have a huge effect on the racing. Teams are allowed to pit for refuelling while a safety car is out and refuelling under a safety car could give a team a big advantage, if the timing is right.

“With safety cars you either win or you lose, there’s nothing in between,” he said. “It’s exciting stuff.”

And if most of the cars head for the pits at the same time there will probably be crowding, with some cars having difficulty getting in or out of their pit bay.

The Hankook race tyres have proved extremely durable but 70 laps is a very long way for any tyre.

“The big strategy play will be whether people decide to put new tyres on,” McIntyre said.

It might be necessary to change just one tyre, the left rear, but the wheels have five studs and changing a wheel could take up to 20 precious seconds.

Refuelling is not permitted during the compulsory driver change, but can be combined with a tyre change.

Each team will have its own fire-fighter in the pits in case of emergency.