Supercars introduces pit restrictions to cut costs

The series has announced that teams will no longer be able to run pressure sensors on air lines for impact tools, while data loggers recording pitstop performance are also now banned from pit equipment.

Supercars has also banned the use of heating and cooling fans on the grid pre-race, in a bid to stop teams trying to work around the minimum tyre pressure rule.

It's common knowledge that, under the pre-Townsville regulations, drivers purposely try to build significant brake and tyre heat on the out-lap so that the tyres can then be bled back to the 17 psi minimum.

The rush to get to the grid to bleed tyres is thought to have contributed to the bizarre out-lap shunt between Scott McLaughlin and Cam Waters at the Australian Grand Prix earlier this year.

According to Supercars' Head of Motorsport Adrian Burgess, keeping a lid on costs is at the heart of the changes.

"Teams are spending more and more money on their pit booms and equipment, so we’ve moved to rein that back in,” he told the Supercars website.

LED lighting trial in Townsville

The category has also confirmed that it will trial a GT-style LED lights system in Townsville.

Electronic panels will run on select cars during the North Queensland event, conveying information such as positions, car number, pitstop time or driver's name.

Lights from both Motec and Lumirank are expected to be trialled.

“We’ll be testing the systems in Townsville, looking towards 2020,” Burgess added.

“They can be programmed on the run to display a lot of different information to help the fans better follow the races.

“The plan is to run two or three of each type in two or three different cars in Townsville and assess how they look at the track and on television.”