Volvo keen to add more V8 Supercars

Volvo is getting ready to join the V8 Supercars next year – fielding two S60 sedans under the banner of Volvo Polestar Racing in partnership with Garry Rogers Motorsport (GRM).

However the Swedish brand is already thinking about increasing the number of cars the following year. In 2014, Volvo’s racers -- Scott McLaughlin and a second one yet to be named – will pilot their two cars Holden’s 13 Commodores, Ford's six Falcons, four Nissan Altimas and three Mercedes-Benz E63 AMGS.

But Volvo's global motorsport boss Derek Crabb said the prospect of having more S60s appealed to him. "Clearly, the more cars on the grid, the more exposure Volvo gets and the more chances Volvo has of getting a win, which we need," Crabb said. "But then you have to put the cost back into it. So yeah, we dream about year two and year three but let's get through year one first."

Polestar Racing owner Christian Dahl agreed. "I think if you are going to fight for the championship in the long term, you need more cars out there because there are a lot of Holdens and only two Volvos," Dahl said. "But that is a question for the future." But for the moment Volvo is dealing with GRM’s sponsor since 2010, Fujitsu, announcing yesterday it would not renew its association with the team next year due to a shift in their "commercial focus".

However Garry Rogers is optimistic about finding a new sponsor. "Next year's program has generated a lot of interest and we will now be following up all avenues so as to secure suitable commercial business partners to join the GRM team," he said.