Thursday, 25 February 2021:
 | | SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN driver of the #17 Shell V-Power Racing Team Ford Falcon FGX looks on during qalifying for the Supercars Tasmania SuperSprint in Hobart, Australia. | |
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FIVE MAJOR SUPERCARS TALKING POINTS AHEAD OF THIS WEEKEND'S SEASON OPENER AT BATHURST
* Can DJR stay at the top without Scott McLaughlin or Roger Penske? The three-time champion and the American billionaire have both exited the championship after being the series' dominant force for years. Can new drivers Anton De Pasquale and Will Davison fill the void or will the Ford powerhouse fall back into the pack?
* Will Jamie Whincup end his championship drought and finish his phenomenal career on top? The seven-time champion has announced he'll be retiring from full-time racing at the end of 2021 but will be desperate to add one more title to his record after three years in McLaughlin's shadow.
* Is it time for Cam Waters to become the face of Ford? The Tickford Racing driver claimed his first solo race win last year at the Bend and was on pole position at the Bathurst 1000. With McLaughlin gone the Blue Oval will need a new hero and the 26-year-old is the man most likely.
* Will David Reynolds and Fabian Coulthard fall back into the pack after their off-season switches? Reynolds walked out on Erebus just one year into a mammoth 10-year contract after a troubled 2020 campaign on and off the track. He's joined the new-look Kelly Grove Racing team. Coulthard will be hoping to bring about a change in results for strugglers Team Sydney after his exit from DJR.
* With his main rival gone, is 2021 the year Shane Van Gisbergen becomes a multiple championship winner? No driver pushed McLaughlin harder over the past three years and the Red Bull ace is the reigning Bathurst 1000 champion after his win with Garth Tander in last year's endurance classic. The Kiwi looks the man to beat in 2021 with McLaughlin off racing IndyCars.
