Holden has confirmed at least three more years in the V8 Supercars and a move of the official Holden Racing Team brand from Walkinshaw Racing to Triple Eight Race Engineering.
Advertisement
While his Triple Eight team has enjoyed Holden factory support since 2010, this latest announcement confirms the squad, now branded as Red Bull Racing Australia, will become the lone factory-supported Holden team on the Supercars grid.
And Triple Eight will be the sole supplier of that all-new Holden racer so other teams who race Holden-badged vehicles – such as Brad Jones Racing, Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport, Tekno Autosports and even Walkinshaw Racing – will be sourcing those cars from Triple Eight.
Despite losing its official factory team status, Walkinshaw Racing has confirmed it will be staying in the Supercars Championship next year with a pair of Holden Commodores and while there will be no financial backing from his company, Holden Managing Director Mark Bernhard said, like other teams racing Commodores, Walkinshaw Racing will have available other support such as marketing and technical assistance.
Triple Eight boss Roland Dane told CarAdvice he was both honoured and aware of the responsibility attached to becoming the official, factory-backed Holden team in Supercars.
The relationship between Walkinshaw and Holden has been a strong one, with the team scoring 260 race wins, nine Bathurst 1000 crowns and eight Driver’s Championships, the last coming for Tander in 2007.
While news on which overseas-based model will replace the locally-built Commodore in 2018 remains scant, it is expected the new-generation Opel Insignia, due to be released globally in 2017, will morph into Holden Commodore Down Under.
Holden has confirmed it will continue to race in Australia’s premier motorsport category, Supercars, beyond the end of this year with a new three-year agreement to remain on the grid. “We’re very proud to continue our partnership with them”.
However, the entrance of the United Kingdom racing powerhouse Triple Eight to the Australian scene saw the balance of power shift, with T8 claiming six titles in the last eight years.
The proposed switch means Walkinshaw will lose its factory backing after 26 seasons and a tenure as one of the most popular and recognisable teams in the sport. “It’s up to Holden when they choose to share timelines and any other information around it”.
“We are naturally disappointed but respect Holden’s decision”, Walkinshaw said.
Holden chairman Mark Bernhard said the manufacturer would continue to work with Walkinshaw Racing in a non-factory support role but to maintain a presence in Supercars, a decision on funding had to be made.
Advertisement
“We will continue to work with Walkinshaw Racing to ensure it remains an integral part of the Championship”.
