The V8 Sleuth Touring Car Classic is the latest category to confirm its place in the Shannons Nationals at Winton Motor Raceway later this year. 

The Classic joins an impressive line up of categories already committed to the event with TCR Australia, S5000 and National Sports Sedan Series confirmed to compete at the Victorian event beginning on the last weekend of August.

Open to former V8 Supercars/five-litre V8 touring cars, two-litre Super Tourers, V8 Future Tourers and invited cars, the Classic aims to commemorate the history of Australian touring car racing. 

CAMS’ General Manager of Motor Sport Michael Smith was excited to have the V8 Sleuth Touring Car Classic as part of the Nationals at Winton.

“We’re really thrilled to support the Touring Car Classic concept and make it part of our Winton round of the Shannons Nationals later in the year,” Smith said. 

“The concept of celebrating Australian touring car racing in this way is a really exciting one. 

“The cars and eras covered by this Classic format are diverse and will bring back many memories for fans of V8 and two-litre racing from the last few decades.”

Within the event will be two major classes, one featuring a host of Fords and Commodores from the 1992-2002 eras, while the second will feature post-Project Blueprint cars from 2003 to 2007, including the VZ Commodore and BF Falcon.

There will also be special classes dedicated to V8 Future Tourers and Two-litre Super Tourers that competed in Australia and/or overseas throughout history. 

Co-created by V8 Sleuth’s Aaron Noonan and Kumho Super3 Series category manager Liam Curkpatrick, the Classic is targeted at collectors and prospective racers who have an interest in early era five-litre/V8 Supercars.

With such a large array of vehicles making up the successful history of Australian Touring Car racing, Noonan believed it was time to get them racing together. 

“There’s huge interest among car owners and fans of the early era of V8 Supercars covering the early 1990s to the early 2000s,” Noonan explained. 

“There were over 150 Falcons and Commodores built and raced between 1992 and 2002 and, with the vast majority of them still around, that’s a fairly large potential pool of cars which could race now and into the future.

“So the time is right for the previous generation cars to be included in an event like this and encourage more of them to come out and race.

“We also want to help unite owners with Super Tourers and Future Tourers too. We know there are some of those cars around but they have, in essence, nowhere to race. The Classic gives them somewhere to enjoy their cars.

“Ultimately, the Classic is about celebrating a beloved era of motor sport, which is what V8 Sleuth does 52 weeks a year through its work in print, online and television - this event is the next step."

The event will feature as part of the Shannons live stream and will consist of an optional Friday private practice, multiple practice sessions, qualifying and three races.   

Awards for the Classic will involve trophies for each class with every trophy to be named in honour of drivers that made a significant contribution in each of the eras. 

For more information on the event and how to enter, click here.

The Shannons Nationals' fifth round of the year will take place at Winton Motor Raceway on 31 August – 1 September.