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Holden commits to Supercars championship with Triple Eight, eschewing Walkinshaw

Triple Eight will become the sole Holden factory outfit in 2017.

Holden Racing Team moves to Triple Eight Racing for 2017, which will also build next-gen turbocharged Commodore Supercar.

After six years of supporting two front-line Supercar racing teams, Holden has thrown its lot in with Queensland-based Triple Eight Racing (T8), all but ending a 26-year relationship with Walkinshaw Racing.

The deal sees T8 become the official factory team of Holden, which has committed to competing in the Supercar Championship until at least 2020 with an all-new Commodore that will come on stream from the start of the 2018 season.

T8 will also become the sole supplier of new Holden race cars to the entire category, and will design and develop a car based on the incoming Opel Insignia that’s set to replace the current VF Commodore at the end of 2017.

In a further departure from the status quo, it’s expected that T8 will fit the new car with a twin-turbo six-cylinder engine in place of the current 5.0-litre V8 that’s been the mainstay of the Holden camp since the inception of the Supercar category in 1997.

A rule change announced last year allows teams to use alternative powerplants from 2017, with a name change dropping the ‘V8’ from the Supercars moniker a reflection of the new direction.

T8 currently runs three Commodores in a field dominated by Holdens; two in Red Bull Racing colours for six-time champion Jamie Whincup and young gun Kiwi Shane van Gisbergen, and a single-car satellite operation for series stalwart Craig Lowndes in Caltex livery.

The only other factory team currently involved in the sport is Nissan, which is yet to confirm its status for next year.

It also produces chassis and parts for other competitors in the Supercar category.

The only other factory team currently involved in the sport is Nissan, which is yet to confirm its status for next year. Volvo will exit the category in an official capacity at the end of the year, while Ford’s involvement ended at the conclusion of the 2015 season.

For its part, Walkinshaw Racing will continue to race in the Supercars championship in 2017 with the same level of parts and marketing support extended to other Holden teams like Brad Jones Racing.

Its current high-profile driver pairing, James Courtney and Garth Tander, are both off contract at the end of the 2016 season, with Courtney currently linked to a return to the Japanese Super GT series for next year.

Our relationship with Holden remains strong and we will continue to work closely on future road car initiatives in line with our HSV business.

“After being Holden’s factory team for 26 years we are naturally disappointed,” said team owner Ryan Walkinshaw, the owner of both Holden Special Vehicles and the racing team that bears his family’s name, and who has overseen a steady decline in the team’s fortunes since taking over from his late father Tom in 2011. 

“While our official motorsport partnership may have ended, our relationship with Holden remains strong and we will continue to work closely on future road car initiatives in line with our HSV business.”

The team also runs a Porsche 911 GT3 R in the Australian GT Championship, and is considering adding more GT3 cars to its stable.

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.

However, the entrance of the UK 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 HRT team has struggled for results, in contrast, with a 2011 Bathurst 1000 win for Tander and rookie Nick Percat the last major piece of tinware to head to the team’s Clayton base. 

No more HRT? Turbo Commodores? What do you think of the new look Supercars series? Tell us what you think in the comments below.