Shannons Supercar Showdown

The Shannons Supercar Showdown was an Australian reality television show based around the International V8 Supercars Championship, with drivers competing for a test driver role with Ford Performance Racing. Aired on 7mate in Australia, seasons two and three of the series have appeared in syndication in the United States on Vibrant TV Network.

Shannons Supercar Showdown
GenreReality TV
Presented byGrant Denyer
Rick Kelly
Todd Kelly
(2011–2012)
Briony Ingerson
Will Davison
Mark Winterbottom
(2013)
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes30
Production
Running time30 minutes (including commercials)
Original release
Network7mate
Release24 July 2011 (2011-07-24) –
9 November 2013 (2013-11-09)
Related
Shannons Legends of Motorsport

Seasons 1 and 2

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The first two seasons saw ten drivers from various disciplines competing against each other in a series of challenges to win a drive in the Bathurst 1000 with V8 Supercar team Kelly Racing. The winning driver would co-drive with the show's host, TV personality and racing driver Grant Denyer.[1] Denyer withdrew from the 2012 Bathurst race with a shoulder injury and he was replaced by the 2011 series winner Cameron Waters.[2]

The inaugural series was won by Formula Ford racer Cameron Waters defeating British Touring Car Championship racer Andrew Jordan in the series finale. The second series saw V8 Utes series racer Jesse Dixon defeating Formula Ford racer Glen Wood and Carrera Cup racer Andre Heimgartner in the finale.

Season Episodes Air dates Drivers[3][4] Winner
1 11 24 July 2011[1]
2 October 2011[5]
  Amber Anderson
  Nick Cassidy
  Shae Davies
  Nick Foster
  Andrew Jordan
  Samantha Reid
  David Sera
  Ben Small
  Hayley Swanson
  Cameron Waters
  Cameron Waters[6]
2 11 16 July 2012[4]
1 October 2012[7]
  Adrian Cottrell
  Jesse Dixon
  Sarah Harley
  Ryal Harris
  Andre Heimgartner
  Jack Le Brocq
  Andrew McLean
  Ed Sevadjian
  Samantha Stevens
  Glen Wood
  Jesse Dixon[7]

Season 3

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The format of the show underwent a major change for the third season. Eight drivers, in two teams of four, competed for a test driver role with Ford Performance Racing in a series of challenges at Calder Park Raceway. The season was presented by Briony Ingerson. The two teams were called Team Davison and Team Winterbottom, named for the mentors of the two teams, Will Davison and Mark Winterbottom.[8]

In the final showdown the two drivers, both from Team Davison faced off. They were Formula 3 drivers Todd Hazelwood and Tim Macrow. Hazelwood was proclaimed the series winner and won a drive in the Dunlop V8 Supercar Series in a Minda Motorsport prepared Holden Commodore V8 Supercar before taking on a test driver role with Ford Performance Racing in season 2014.

Season Episodes Air dates Drivers[9] Current series Winner
3 8[10] 14 September 2013–
9 November 2013[10]
  Chelsea Angelo Victorian Formula Ford   Todd Hazelwood
  Daniel Cammish British Formula Ford
  Adrian Campfield Karting
  Craig Dontas V8 Utes
  James Golding Victorian Formula Ford
  Todd Hazelwood Australian Formula Three
  Macauley Jones Australian Formula Ford
  Tim Macrow Australian Formula Three

Fate of the drivers

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Competition winners

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  • Cameron Waters made his Development Series debut in 2012, contesting a half-campaign before joining Ford Performance Racing as a junior driver. Waters would go on to compete in the second tier for another three seasons, winning the championship in 2015 and moving into the Supercars Championship full-time, where as of the conclusion of the 2020 season he has won two races – one of which was the 2017 Sandown 500.
  • Jesse Dixon returned to the V8 Utes category, finishing 3rd overall in 2014 before stepping into the Development Series. He completed five rounds of the 2015 season for Image Racing before running out of funding, making a one-off appearance in Adelaide in 2016 before a lack of sponsorship prevented him from furthering his career.
  • Todd Hazelwood continued his relationship with Matt Stone Racing after his debut season with the team in 2014, and remained with them until 2019. Like Waters, Hazelwood also won the Super2 Series, in 2017, and subsequently moved into the Supercars Championship. He moved to Brad Jones Racing in 2020 with whom he scored his first podium.

Other notable drivers

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Results of the program

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Bathurst 1000

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Year Team Car Drivers Position Laps
2011 Kelly Racing Holden Commodore VE   Grant Denyer
  Cameron Waters
DNF 95
2012 Kelly Racing Holden Commodore VE   Cameron Waters
  Jesse Dixon
20th 158

Development Series

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(key) (Round results only)

Super2 Series results
Year Driver Team Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Position Points
2013   Todd Hazelwood Minda Motorsport Holden Commodore VE ADE BAR TOW QLD WIN BAT SOP
DNS
NC 0
2014 Matt Stone Racing Ford Falcon FG ADE
11
WIN
12
BAR
4
TOW
10
QLD
19
BAT
5
SOP
7
8th 1131

References

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  1. ^ a b "Shannons Supercar Showdown to hit screens in July". Shannons Insurance. 22 June 2011. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
  2. ^ "Grant Denyer withdraws from Bathurst 1000 drive". SpeedCafe. 27 September 2012. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
  3. ^ "Denyer to lead reality TV Bathurst 1000 entry". SpeedCafe. 22 June 2011. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
  4. ^ a b "Shannons Supercar Showdown contestants named". V8X Magazine. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
  5. ^ "Final Three Contestants Test Shannons Mars Racing V8 Supercar This Sunday On Shannons Supercar Showdown". Oz Racing Wrap. 24 September 2011. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
  6. ^ "Waters wins Shannons Supercar Showdown". SpeedCafe. 2 October 2011. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
  7. ^ a b "Jesse Dixon crowned Supercar Showdown Champion!". Shannons Supercar Showdown. 1 October 2012. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
  8. ^ "Shannons Supercar Showdown returns with FPR". SpeedCafe. 4 July 2013. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
  9. ^ "Meet the Drivers". Shannons Supercar Showdown. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  10. ^ a b "Older and wiser win through as 2013 Shannons Supercar Showdown begins". Shannons Supercar Showdown. 16 September 2013. Retrieved 17 September 2013.
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