Holden dumps Walkinshaw

[RANGEREST]

http://www.motorsport.com/v8supercar...-eight-807468/
The Walkinshaw-run Holden Racing Team will be no more after the end of the 2016 season, with Holden announcing its primary backing will switch to Triple Eight Race Engineering.

Holden has made a fresh commitment to Supercars following months of speculation about its future as an official manufacturer in the series.
But the decision has come at the expense of the current Holden Racing Team, the carmaker opting to switch its primary backing from the current Walkinshaw Racing-run HRT setup over to what is currently Holden’s most successful team, Triple Eight Race Engineering.
A new three-year deal will see the Brisbane-based team run under the Red Bull Holden Racing Team banner from 2017 onwards, as it shifts to a “single factory-team motorsport strategy”.
The deal will also include Triple Eight undertaking the development of a new-generation Commodore Supercar, which will compete in the series from 2018 onwards.
It has not yet been revealed whether or not the new-gen Commodore racecar will be powered by the current V8 engine, or if Holden will become the first manufacturer to adopt the Gen2 regulations and use a smaller capacity turbo powerplant.
“Motorsport has played a significant role in Holden’s heritage and we’re proud to be carrying on that tradition with the new Red Bull Holden Racing Team, while reshaping our brand and presence in the market and in motorsport,” said Holden’s chairman and managing director Mark Bernhard. “We’re taking our company forward.
“I’d also like to thank and pay homage to Walkinshaw Racing with whom we have shared a proud history over many years.
“We’ll also continue to help Walkinshaw wherever we can. We support every Holden team in pit lane through various avenues such as marketing support, technical support, sponsorship acquisition, even down to helping design certain race liveries.
“We’ll continue that with Walkinshaw and I wish them all the best. Our relationship with Walkinshaw remains strong and we are working closely on future road vehicle initiatives as part of our ongoing HSV relationship.
“Fans around the country will see the new Red Bull Holden Racing Team on the grid from next year but I’m especially excited about our next-generation Commodore hitting the racetrack in 2018. Australia can rest assured that our next-gen Commodore will live up to the iconic nameplate, on and off the track.
“Triple Eight is the most successful team of the modern era, they are simply the best at what they do. We’re very proud to continue our partnership with them.”
As alluded to in Bernhard’s comments, Walkinshaw Racing will continue to be aligned with Holden through its work with the Holden Special Vehicles brand, and will receive racing support similar to that given to other non-factory Holden squads.
It is expected the team will look to field two Commodores in Supercars beyond the end of the 2016 season.

[Blue Shadow]

Yep, just heard it on the news, they are only going to sponsor 888 racing. No more Holden racing team, FPR will probably follow suit too.

[ford71V8]

FPR is already gone

[SensationFG8]

Yep fpr is now prodrive racing Australia.

At least Holden are still backing a team, ford have completely pulled out.

[Blue Shadow]

Pro drive owned fpr?

[turbo4]

Originally Posted by Blue Shadow

Pro drive owned fpr?

FPR was just a trading name.

[Blue Shadow]

Originally Posted by turbo4

FPR was just a trading name.

Someone still has to own it

[RANGEREST]

Originally Posted by Blue Shadow

Someone still has to own it

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prod...cing_Australia
In January 2013 the team was sold by Prodrive to Rusty French and Rod Nash.[1]

In 2015, Ford Performance Racing was renamed as Prodrive Racing Australia, as a result of Ford's decision to progressively withdraw its V8 Supercars support by 2016

[Blue Shadow]

Originally Posted by RANGEREST

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prod...cing_Australia
In January 2013 the team was sold by Prodrive to Rusty French and Rod Nash.[1]

In 2015, Ford Performance Racing was renamed as Prodrive Racing Australia, as a result of Ford's decision to progressively withdraw its V8 Supercars support by 2016

There you have it ty

[malazn mafia]

Always thought with a car so unfortunately named, the driver would be Walking For Sure.

[roddy1960]

G'day all..I think they've now pulled the pin with HRT too..was something in the paper today...Pretty much privateers comp now by the looks of it. except for RedBull getting Holden backing .Cheers Rod..

[Blue Roo]

Well, at least Holden has learnt a lesson from Fords mistake and has decided to keep 888 Red Bull Racing.

[RANGEREST]

Originally Posted by roddy1960

G'day all..I think they've now pulled the pin with HRT too..was something in the paper today...Pretty much privateers comp now by the looks of it. except for RedBull getting Holden backing .Cheers Rod..

Walkinshaw Racing is HRT.same same

[Nikked]

So...Holden's factory facing team will race blue cars...an odd turn of events.

[au2000]

Just a guess, but let me get this straight , the mob who produce hot holden road cars are no longer the factory racing team.?
So, I'll make a call here, in the not too distant future the death of HSV will be announced also.

[EBSXR6]

Originally Posted by au2000

Just a guess, but let me get this straight , the mob who produce hot holden road cars are no longer the factory racing team.?
So, I'll make a call here, in the not too distant future the death of HSV will be announced also.

I think it is a very good call. The vast majority of HSV Sales over the years are V8 products, no V8 Holdens no HSV. HSV have tried other products there was not a huge demand for them.

[Random Ranger]

Originally Posted by malazn mafia

Always thought with a car so unfortunately named, the driver would be Walking For Sure.

Hmmm, dad jokes

[wozman]

No more government money to keep paying for them all LOL

[Express]

Originally Posted by au2000

Just a guess, but let me get this straight , the mob who produce hot holden road cars are no longer the factory racing team.?
So, I'll make a call here, in the not too distant future the death of HSV will be announced also.

It will be interesting to see how that plays out as Holden or I should say GM are part owners of HSV along with Walkinshaw Performance.

[blackf6]

Meh same same. Ryan and Dane are equal tools.

[Grunter]

Ex-Holden big wig slams Walkinshaw errors

Holden Racing Team's loss of factory support is the result of poor decisions by the team's owner, an ex-Holden motorsport boss has claimed.

John Crennan, who guided the HRT and Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) operations for two decades from 1991, says Walkinshaw Racing boss Ryan Walkinshaw is to blame for the decline of Supercars' most successful team.

On Tuesday, Holden announced they would only provide factory funding for the Triple Eight Race Engineering outfit owned by Roland Dane from next year onwards. It brings an end to a 26-year relationship between Holden and Walkinshaw Racing which resulted in six drivers' championships and seven Bathurst 1000 wins. Crennan says Walkinshaw has made "monumental mistakes" since inheriting ownership of the team following the death of his father Tom in 2010.

Crennan, who is currently working as a consultant for American giant Roger Penske's Australian operations, says among Walkinshaw's mistakes is an outspoken presence on social media and not moving from England to Australia to oversee operations. He also says the poaching of respected team manager Adrian Burgess from Dane's team in 2013 put Walkinshaw in his fellow Englishman's crosshairs.
"His appointment of Adrian Burgess created an intense enemy in Roland Dane whose experience, influence and guile to my mind was always going to see a monster come back at some point," Crennan told motorsports website Speedcafe.com. "It worried me at the time and I thought there would be a reset on that at some point."

In the wake of Holden's announcement, Walkinshaw has committed to racing a two-car team in next year's Supercars championship. While partnering with a new manufacturer, such as Japanese brand Toyota, has been mooted, Crennan believes associating the team with the name of legendary driver Peter Brock could be the key going forward.

"I would be seeking to gain permission from the Brock family to use the Brock name and I would have that seen as a memorial to Peter Brock so that the Brock name could live on with his connection to HDT (Holden Dealer Team) and HRT," Crennan said.

http://www.msn.com/en-au/sport/motor...cid=spartanntp

[roddy1960]

Originally Posted by RANGEREST

Walkinshaw Racing is HRT.same same

G'day..Shows you how much I know about Holden , sorry about that..All I really knew of Walkinshaw links was with the HSV performance arm such as the W427 etc...Never studied the direct link with Holden Racing Team and the article I saw in our local paper never mentioned Walkinshaw.Now I know not that it matters in the future..Cheers Rod...

[EBSXR6]

My understanding is Peter Champion has the HDT name https://hdt.com.au.

[Dr Terry]

Originally Posted by EBSXR6

My understanding is Peter Champion has the HDT name https://hdt.com.au.

HDT (Holden Dealer Team) & HRT (Holden Racing Team) are not related.

HDT was the one begun be Harry Firth back in 1969 & Taken over by John Sheppard in 1977 & then Brock in 1980.

It also morphed into a Special Vehicles operation under Brock's ownership. It was then sold to several other entities & as you say, is now owned by Peter Champion.

When the Brock HDT operation lost the contract to build Special Vehicles, this was taken up by TWR, who operate as HSV (Holden Special Vehicles) which build Clubsports, GTSs, Senators & Maloos etc. Their racing team had the rights (up till now) to use the name Holden Racing Team, & are in reality the closest thing that Holden have to a factory run team.

BTW, pre-1969 it was run by David McKay & was named the Holden Dealer Racing Team, just to muddy the waters.

Dr Terry

[FoxtrotGolfXray 5.0]

"His appointment of Adrian Burgess created an intense enemy in Roland Dane whose experience, influence and guile to my mind was always going to see a monster come back at some point," Crennan told motorsports website Speedcafe.com. "It worried me at the time and I thought there would be a reset on that at some point."

Very careful wording there from Crennan, instead of using the word revenge. Just goes to show what sort of a person Dane really is if that approach is that well known.