2010 V8 Supercar season
The 2010 V8 Supercar season was the fourteenth series in which V8 Supercars have contested the senior Australian touring car series. It was the 51st year of touring car racing in Australia since the first runnings of the Australian Touring Car Championship, known today as the V8 Supercar Championship Series, and the fore-runner of the present day Bathurst 1000, the Armstrong 500.
The season began on 18 February at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi and finished on 5 December at the Homebush Street Circuit. 2010 featured the fourteenth V8 Supercar Championship Series, consisting of 14 events covering five states and the Northern Territory of Australia as well as events in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and New Zealand. There was also a stand-alone event supporting the 2010 Australian Grand Prix. It also featured the eleventh second-tier Development Series, this year referred to as the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series. It was a seven-round series. A third third-tier series was run, the Shannons V8 Touring Car National Series. Its five-round series was held on Shannons Nationals Motor Racing Championships events.
Season review
The first title to be decided saw Tony Evangelou dominate Shannons V8 Touring Car National Series, wrapping up the series a round early at Eastern Creek on 12 September.Steve Owen clinched the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series with a race to spare, and eventually won the championship by over 300 points, taking four of the seven round victories over the course of the season, and a total of eight race wins. Tim Blanchard finished as season runner-up, taking a round victory at Townsville where he won his only race of the season. Consistent finishing helped James Moffat and Nick Percat – neither won a race – finish in third and fourth places respectively, ahead of David Russell, who won the round at Bathurst. Cameron McConville took the other round win, in a single appearance at Winton, while Taz Douglas, Jack Perkins and Paul Morris each took race victories.
The main V8 Supercar Championship Series was last to be decided, with the championship not being decided until the final race in Homebush on 5 December. James Courtney won his first championship, finishing every race en route to a 65-point title-winning margin over two-time defending champion Jamie Whincup. Courtney's championship was the first for Dick Johnson Racing since John Bowe won the title in 1995. Courtney took five race wins to Whincup's nine, but retirements for the latter at Ipswich and Homebush denied him the opportunity of matching Mark Skaife as a three-time successive champion.
Mark Winterbottom finished third in the championship, winning races at Hidden Valley, Townsville and Symmons Plains, as he finished 60 points over Whincup's team-mate Craig Lowndes. Lowndes won the endurance rounds at Phillip Island and Bathurst with Skaife, as well as a solo win at Symmons Plains. Holden Racing Team's Garth Tander rounded out the top five in the drivers' championship, recovering from a poor beginning to the season, taking a double victory in Adelaide, a win in Surfers Paradise, as well as a victory in the non-championship BRC IMPCO V8 Supercars GP Challenge for V8 Supercar Championship Series competitors.
Other race victories were taken by Lee Holdsworth, Paul Dumbrell, Jonathon Webb and Steve Owen, which were the first victories for each driver with the exception of Holdsworth. Triple Eight Race Engineering won the Teams' Championship via the top four championship placings of Whincup and Lowndes.
Race calendar
Dates sourced from:| Race Title | Circuit | City / State | Round | Date | Winner | Team | Report |
 Yas V8 400 | Yas Marina Circuit | Yas Island United Arab Emirates | VSC 1 VSC 2 | 18–20 February | Jamie Whincup Jamie Whincup | Triple Eight Race Engineering Triple Eight Race Engineering | report |
 Desert 400 | Bahrain International Circuit | Manama Bahrain | VSC 3 VSC 4 | 25–27 February | Jamie Whincup Jamie Whincup | Triple Eight Race Engineering Triple Eight Race Engineering | report |
 Clipsal 500 | Adelaide Street Circuit | Adelaide South Australia | VSC 5 VSC 6 | 11–14 March | Garth Tander Garth Tander | Holden Racing Team Holden Racing Team | report |
| Clipsal 500 | Adelaide Street Circuit | Adelaide South Australia | FVS 1 | 11–14 March | Steve Owen | Greg Murphy Racing | |
 BRC IMPCO V8 SupercarsGP Challenge | Albert Park | Melbourne Victoria | 26–28 March | Garth Tander | Holden Racing Team | report | |
 Launceston | Symmons Plains Raceway | Launceston Tasmania | SVTC 1 | 10–11 April | Terry Wyhoon | Image Racing | |
 ITM Hamilton 400 | Hamilton Street Circuit | Hamilton New Zealand | VSC 7 VSC 8 | 16–18 April | Jamie Whincup Jamie Whincup | Triple Eight Race Engineering Triple Eight Race Engineering | report |
 Ipswich 300 | Queensland Raceway | Ipswich Queensland | VSC 9 VSC 10 | 30 April - 2 May | James Courtney James Courtney | Dick Johnson Racing Dick Johnson Racing | report |
| Ipswich 300 | Queensland Raceway | Ipswich Queensland | FVS 2 | 30 April - 2 May | Steve Owen | Greg Murphy Racing | |
| Winton | Winton Motor Raceway | Benalla Victoria | VSC 11 VSC 12 | 14–16 May | James Courtney James Courtney | Dick Johnson Racing Dick Johnson Racing | report |
| Winton | Winton Motor Raceway | Benalla Victoria | FVS 3 | 14–16 May | Cameron McConville | Eggleston Motorsport | |
| Mallala | Mallala Motor Sport Park | Mallala South Australia | SVTC 2 | 29–30 May | Tony Evangelou | A.N.T. Racing | |
 Skycity Triple Crown | Hidden Valley Raceway | Darwin Northern Territory | VSC 13 VSC 14 | 18–20 June | Mark Winterbottom Jamie Whincup | Ford Performance Racing Triple Eight Race Engineering | report |
| Winton | Winton Motor Raceway | Benalla Victoria | SVTC 3 | 26–27 June | Tony Evangelou | A.N.T. Racing | |
| Sucrogen Townsville 400 | Townsville Street Circuit | Townsville Queensland | VSC 15 VSC 16 | 9–11 July | Jamie Whincup Mark Winterbottom | Triple Eight Race Engineering Ford Performance Racing | report |
| Sucrogen Townsville 400 | Townsville Street Circuit | Townsville Queensland | FVS 4 | 9–11 July | Tim Blanchard | Sonic Motor Racing Services | |
| L & H 500 | Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit | Phillip Island Victoria | VSC 17 | 10–12 September | Craig Lowndes Mark Skaife | Triple Eight Race Engineering | report |
 Eastern Creek | Eastern Creek Raceway | Sydney New South Wales | SVTC 4 | 11–12 September | Tony Evangelou | A.N.T. Racing | |
| Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 | Mount Panorama Circuit | Bathurst New South Wales | VSC 18 | 7–10 October | Craig Lowndes Mark Skaife | Triple Eight Race Engineering | report |
| Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 | Mount Panorama Circuit | Bathurst New South Wales | FVS 5 | 7–10 October | David Russell | MW Motorsport | |
| Armor All Gold Coast 600 | Surfers Paradise Street Circuit | Surfers Paradise Queensland | VSC 19 VSC 20 | 21–24 October | Garth Tander Cameron McConville Jamie Whincup Steve Owen | Holden Racing Team Triple Eight Race Engineering | report |
| Sandown | Sandown Raceway | Melbourne Victoria | SVTC 5 | 23–24 October | Tony Evangelou | A.N.T. Racing | |
| Falken Tasmania Challenge | Symmons Plains Raceway | Launceston Tasmania | VSC 21 VSC 22 | 12–14 November | Craig Lowndes Mark Winterbottom | Triple Eight Race Engineering Ford Performance Racing | report |
| Norton 360 Sandown Challenge | Sandown Raceway | Melbourne Victoria | VSC 23 VSC 24 | 19–21 November | Paul Dumbrell James Courtney | Rod Nash Racing Dick Johnson Racing | |
| Norton 360 Sandown Challenge | Sandown Raceway | Melbourne Victoria | FVS 6 | 19–21 November | Steve Owen | Greg Murphy Racing | |
| Sydney Telstra 500 | Homebush Street Circuit | Sydney New South Wales | VSC 25 VSC 26 | 3–5 December | Jonathon Webb Lee Holdsworth | Tekno Autosports Garry Rogers Motorsport | |
| Sydney Telstra 500 | Homebush Street Circuit | Sydney New South Wales | FVS 7 | 3–5 December | Steve Owen | Greg Murphy Racing |
- VSC - V8 Supercar Championship Series
- SVTC - Shannons V8 Touring Car Series
- FVS - Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series
V8 Supercar Championship Series