Experienced Supercars driver Tim Slade is expecting an "unpredictable" pair of season-opening races in Newcastle as the category transitions to a new type of car.
Slade, who has twice finished on the podium at the Newcastle 500 - which returns on March 10-12 for the first time since 2019 - will bring up his 400th Supercars start at the event, driving for a new team in PremiAir Racing and in the Chevrolet Camaro, which has replaced the Holden Commodore.
But while the switch from Blanchard Racing and the Ford Mustang he drove last year is a significant change on its own, Slade says the launch of the "Gen 3-era" is the far greater challenge, and not just for himself.
All teams are essentially having to build entirely new cars, and every driver on the grid will only have had limited time behind the wheel for testing before Newcastle.
"Everything in the first part of the year is going to be unpredictable, which is a good thing from a show and entertainment point of view," Slade told the Newcastle Herald.
"All the teams are pushing crazy hard right now to get the cars built for testing. You'd be a pretty brave man to try and predict who is going to win the first race of the year."
Speaking from his base on the Gold Coast, Slade, 37, said the Gen-3 vehicle was the most significant tweak to Supercars since he debuted as a full-time driver in 2009.
"In my career, there's never been such a big change," he said. "Literally everything; pedal box, steering wheel, wheels, brakes - everything except for the transaxle.
"I drove the prototype twice last year ... it's still got the Supercars DNA, but it was quite different. It's going to be intriguing to see different teams' philosophies, particularly at the start of the year with how they set them up and how they get speed out of them."
Some teams are more advanced with their builds, which could play a role in how they fare in the early races.
PremiAir has formed an alliance with Triple Eight Racing and is buying its cars from the powerhouse team featuring reigning Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen.
Slade, who finished 11th in the 2022 championship standings, hopes the relationship can provide an edge.
"Our mechanics are actually building our cars with the TripleEight guys," he said.
"We're positioned pretty well in that respect and have a technical relationship during the year as well. It was PremiAir's first year racing as a team last year and they ended up showing some pretty good speed with [James] Golding. Hopefully we keep building and I'm sure the results will come."
On his 400th race, Slade said the milestone showed his longevity but he would treat it like any other. However the Hornsby-born driver, who grew up in Adelaide, would be stoked to add to the thirds he achieved at Newcastle in 2017 and 2019.
"I'm just excited to get going again for the year and especially with my new team and car," he said.
"It would be the perfect way to get that relationship started with some positive results and that's what I'm hoping for.
"But there's so much unknown with the Gen 3 side of things."
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