Garry Rogers Motorsport
Encyclopedia
Garry Rogers Motorsport is an Australian motor racing team presently competing in V8 Supercar
.
in Sports Sedans with some success, before moving onto an ex-Ian Geoghegan
Holden Monaro
. Around this time, in late 1978, Rogers also moved into the Australian Touring Car Championship
as a privateer in an ex-Bob Jane
Holden Torana
. He ran through until the end of 1979 in touring cars before turning his attention back to Sports Sedans, putting in a big effort in the 1981 Australian Sports Sedan Championship
.
The team disbanded while Rogers concentrated on business and drove for other teams until GRM re-emerged in 1986 when he ran a Bob Jane backed BMW 635CSi
throughout that years touring car season. The year included a win in one of the AMSCAR Series races at Amaroo Park. After spending 1987 on ice, the team came back in late-1988 with a Commodore at Bathurst, which was also run throughout 1989 in the Australian Touring Car Championship. In the early 1990s GRM turned its attention to the Calder Park Thunderdome and the AUSCAR series running Ford Falcon
s during the category's heyday. At first, Rogers drove the car himself alongside Paul Fordham. Garry slowly eased himself out of regular driving, putting Steven Richards
in the seat. In this time the team also competed in Production Car racing at events such as the Winton 300 and Bathurst 12 Hour
. The team used a Nissan Pulsar
and a 300ZX
due to Rogers' links with Nissan (he owns a Nissan dealership in Melbourne). Rogers also ran and then assisted Formula Ford teams during the 1990s, helping title sponsor Valvoline's promotion of Australian motorsport.
piloting the teams Alfa Romeo 155
. Quickly Richards was established as one of the series leading privateers, finishing ninth in the burgeoning championship. In 1995 the team replaced the Alfa with a Honda Accord
and used it to win the Privateers Cup and finished fifth in the championship behind the two factory supported BMWs and Audis. The team continued into 1996, replacing the Honda with a Nissan Primera
but the teams form slipped, distracted by their new V8 Supercar and finished seventh, losing the Privateers Cup to Cameron McLean.
in 1996 with Richards a driving a Holden VS Commodore
sourced from Gibson Motor Sport
. The team expanded to two cars in 1998, with Jason Bargwanna
driving the second car. Richards went to the United Kingdom
for a test drive with the Nissan team in the British Touring Car Championship
and was replaced by 1997 Australian Formula Ford
champion Garth Tander
.
Tander scored the team's first round win in 1999 at Queensland Raceway
and he and Bargwanna finished 2nd in the Queensland 500
in the same year.
in the title. Tander led the series early in the season but a couple of bad rounds in the middle of the season allowed Skaife to take the championship lead. Comapared to 2000, 2001 was a poor season for the team, with Tander and Bargwanna finishing 10th and 15th in the points respectively and a best finish of 2nd for Tander in Canberra
. Bargwanna took his final win for the team at Surfers Paradise in 2002 before switching to Larkham Motor Sport
for the 2003 season. He was replaced by 2002 Australian Formula Ford
champion Jamie Whincup
.
GRM was one of the first teams to use the Holden VY Commodore for the 2003 season, with Tander driving the new model car. Whincup would drive an older model VX Commodore
. Whincup was sacked at the end of the season and was replaced by Cameron McConville
for 2004. McConville took the team's first round win in two years in controversial circumstances at Winton
when he passed Rick Kelly
on the second last corner of the race just after the end of a yellow flag zone. Tander left the team at the end of 2004 for what was then called Kmart Racing and was replaced by Andrew Jones. Jones was sacked before the end of the 2005 season and was replaced by Dean Canto
for the end of 2005 and the 2006 season. Lee Holdsworth
also joined the 2006, with McConville moving to Paul Weel Racing. The team scored one race win in 2006 with Canto winning the reverse grid race at Barbagallo
after Team Kiwi Racing
driver Paul Radisich
spun off the track at the last corner.
2007 saw the team's first major livery change since joining the sport, with the traditional blue, white and red replaced by black, silver and red. Major sponsor Repco also left the team. Holdsworth and Canto remained with the team with Canto driving a new Holden VE Commodore. Holdsworth remained in a VZ Commodore until the Queensland Raceway
round. Holdsworth was involved in a serious crash in Roudn 4 at Winton when his car slid off the circuit and went backwards into the wall at high speed. Holdsworth rebounded quickly to score his maiden V8 Supercar round win at Oran Park Raceway
. After qualifying a career best 4th, Holdsworth dominated the final race of the weekend in very wet weather after a good strategy call from the team at the start of the race. Holdsworth was commended for his composure during the race while other, more experienced drivers made errors.
Michael Caruso joined the team for 2008, replacing Canto. No wins came for the team in this season, however Holdsworth finished 2nd at the Clipsal 500
and he and Caruso finished 5th at the L&H 500
. Caruso won his first race in 2009, holding off a late race charge from Alex Davison
in the Sunday race at Hidden Valley
. Holdsworth was again on the podium at the Clipsal 500
, finishing 2nd in the Saturday race. The team also achieved a podium at Bathurst, with Holdsworth and Caruso finishing 3rd. The second car of Greg Ritter
and David Besnard
looked like being in a position to win the race in the closing stages before a poorly timed safety car meant that they only finished 9th.
2010 saw the team's major sponsor change from Valvoline to Fujitsu with the livery changing in accordance, to red and white separated by black lines. The Clipsal 500
saw Holdsworth finish on the podium at the event for the third year in a row, Holdsworth taking 3rd place on Sunday. The team came very close to winning the Bathurst 1000, with Holdsworth and Besnard leading the majority of the race. A drive-through penalty for speeding in pit lane with thirty laps to go meant that the pair would only finish in 7th place, while Caruso and Ritter finished 10th. Holdsworth won the final race of the year at Sydney 500 after taking both pole positions for the event.
Holdsworth and Caruso entered their fourth season as team mates in 2011. Holdsworth scored a pair of podiums, one at Hamilton
and one at Winton.
In 2002 Holden Motorsport was looking at running a Holden Monaro
in Bathurst 24 Hour
for exotic sports cars against the likes of the Lamborghini Diablo
GT, Ferrari F360 GT, Chrysler Viper ACR, Porsche
911 GT3 RS & Porsche
GT3 Cup. Its most 'exotic' car was the Monaro
. Garry Rogers Motorsport was given the job of building the car as well as running it. The car ran a GRM version of the Corvette
C5-R 427cui motor. In its race debut, the 2002 Bathurst 24hr it overcame fuel cell problems to win the race by 24 laps driven by Garth Tander
, Steven Richards
, Cameron McConville
and Nathan Pretty. Pretty then drove the car in the 2003 Australian Nations Cup Championship
scoring numerous race wins but not the title. In 2003 GRM built a second car for the legendary Peter Brock
. It was this second car which won the second Bathurst 24hr race with Jason Bright
, Todd Kelly
and Greg Murphy
sharing the driving with Brock. The winning car from 2002, driven by the same four drivers as the previous year finished second less than one second behind after 24 hours of racing. A third car was later built for Team Brock
.
V8 Supercar
V8 Supercars is a touring car racing category based in Australia and run as an International Series under Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile regulations...
.
The early years
Garry Rogers Motorsport has its origins in Garry Rogers' own exploits in Sports Sedans during the late 1960s and the 1970s. In the mid-1970s Rogers got more serious, running a BDA EscortFord Escort
Ford Escort may refer to:* Ford Escort , a vehicle manufactured by Ford Motor Company's European division from 1968 through 2003* Ford Escort , a compact car that was manufactured by the Ford Motor Company for the North American market...
in Sports Sedans with some success, before moving onto an ex-Ian Geoghegan
Ian Geoghegan
Ian "Pete" Geoghegan, was an Australian race car driver, known for a quick wit and natural driving skills. Geoghegan was one of the iconic characters of the 1960s and 1970s Australian motor racing scene...
Holden Monaro
Holden Monaro
The Holden Monaro is an automobile that was produced by GM Holden Ltd, an Australian subsidiary of General Motors, between 1968 and 1977 and between 2001 and 2005...
. Around this time, in late 1978, Rogers also moved into the Australian Touring Car Championship
Australian Touring Car Championship
The Australian Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing award held in Australia since 1960. The series itself is no longer contested, but the title lives on, with the winner of the V8 Supercar Championship Series awarded the trophy and title of Australian Touring Car Champion.-History:The...
as a privateer in an ex-Bob Jane
Bob Jane
Robert "Bob" Jane is an Australian former race car driver and prominent businessman. A four-time winner of the Armstrong 500, the race that became the prestigious Bathurst 1000 and a four-time Australian Touring Car Champion, Jane is perhaps known best nowadays for his chain of tyre retailers,...
Holden Torana
Holden Torana
The Holden Torana is a car which was produced by General Motors–Holden's , the Australian subsidiary of General Motors from 1967 to 1980. The name comes from an Aboriginal word meaning "to fly". The first Torana appeared in 1967 and was a four-cylinder compact vehicle that had its origins in the...
. He ran through until the end of 1979 in touring cars before turning his attention back to Sports Sedans, putting in a big effort in the 1981 Australian Sports Sedan Championship
1981 Australian Sports Sedan Championship
The 1981 Australian Sports Sedan Championship was a CAMS sanctioned national motor racing title for drivers of Sports Sedans complying with CAMS Group B regulations.-Calendar:The championship was contested over an eleven round series....
.
The team disbanded while Rogers concentrated on business and drove for other teams until GRM re-emerged in 1986 when he ran a Bob Jane backed BMW 635CSi
BMW E24
The BMW E24 series was the first BMW 6 Series coupé, produced by the German automaker BMW between the 1976 and 1989 model years. The 6 Series name reappeared with the BMW E63 chassis beginning in the 2004 model year. The E24 borrowed heavily from contemporary 5-series cars .- Model history :The...
throughout that years touring car season. The year included a win in one of the AMSCAR Series races at Amaroo Park. After spending 1987 on ice, the team came back in late-1988 with a Commodore at Bathurst, which was also run throughout 1989 in the Australian Touring Car Championship. In the early 1990s GRM turned its attention to the Calder Park Thunderdome and the AUSCAR series running Ford Falcon
Ford Falcon
The Ford Falcon is a full-size car which has been manufactured by Ford Australia since 1960. Each model from the XA series of 1972 onward has been designed, developed and built in Australia and/or New Zealand, following the phasing out of the American Falcon of 1960–71 which had been re-engineered...
s during the category's heyday. At first, Rogers drove the car himself alongside Paul Fordham. Garry slowly eased himself out of regular driving, putting Steven Richards
Steven Richards
Steven Richards is a New Zealand racing driver, currently competing in the with the team. He previously raced in the V8 Supercar series for Ford Performance Racing....
in the seat. In this time the team also competed in Production Car racing at events such as the Winton 300 and Bathurst 12 Hour
Bathurst 12 Hour
The Bathurst 12 Hour is an endurance event for production racing cars held at the Mount Panorama Circuit, near Bathurst, Australia in February annually. The event was inspired by the long running Bathurst 1000 touring car race, which began in the early 1960s as a race for cars with minimal...
. The team used a Nissan Pulsar
Nissan Pulsar
The Nissan Pulsar is an automobile that was produced by the Japanese automaker Nissan from 1978, when it debuted as a subcompact car, to 2007, when it was replaced in all markets by the Nissan Tiida. It was originally conceived as a replacement for Nissan's first front-wheel drive platform, the...
and a 300ZX
Nissan 300ZX
The Z31 chassis designation was first introduced in 1983 as a 1984 Nissan/Datsun 300ZX in the US only. The 300ZX, as its predecessors, was known as a Nissan in other parts of the world. This continued in the US until 1985 model year when Nissan standardized their brand name worldwide and dropped...
due to Rogers' links with Nissan (he owns a Nissan dealership in Melbourne). Rogers also ran and then assisted Formula Ford teams during the 1990s, helping title sponsor Valvoline's promotion of Australian motorsport.
Super Touring
GRM joined the fledging Australian Super Touring Car Championship in 1994 with young lead driver Steven RichardsSteven Richards
Steven Richards is a New Zealand racing driver, currently competing in the with the team. He previously raced in the V8 Supercar series for Ford Performance Racing....
piloting the teams Alfa Romeo 155
Alfa Romeo 155
The Alfa Romeo 155 is a compact executive car produced under the Italian Alfa Romeo marque between 1992 and 1998.-Design:Built to replace the 75 and based on the parent Fiat Group's Type Three platform, the 155 was somewhat larger in dimension than the 75 but evolved its styling from that of its...
. Quickly Richards was established as one of the series leading privateers, finishing ninth in the burgeoning championship. In 1995 the team replaced the Alfa with a Honda Accord
Honda Accord
The Honda Accord is a series of compact, mid-size and full-size automobiles manufactured by Honda since 1976, and sold in a majority of automotive markets throughout the world....
and used it to win the Privateers Cup and finished fifth in the championship behind the two factory supported BMWs and Audis. The team continued into 1996, replacing the Honda with a Nissan Primera
Nissan Primera
The Nissan Primera is a medium sized family car produced by the Japanese automaker Nissan for the Japanese domestic and European markets.-Nissan Primera P10 :...
but the teams form slipped, distracted by their new V8 Supercar and finished seventh, losing the Privateers Cup to Cameron McLean.
1990s
Garry Rogers Motorsport joined the Australian Touring Car ChampionshipAustralian Touring Car Championship
The Australian Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing award held in Australia since 1960. The series itself is no longer contested, but the title lives on, with the winner of the V8 Supercar Championship Series awarded the trophy and title of Australian Touring Car Champion.-History:The...
in 1996 with Richards a driving a Holden VS Commodore
Holden VS Commodore
The Holden VS Commodore, released in 1995, was the ninth model of the Holden Commodore, a large car built by Holden, the Australian subsidiary of General Motors. The VS Commodore served as a mechanical update of the second generation architecture, destined to assist sales before the all-new VT model...
sourced from Gibson Motor Sport
Gibson Motor Sport
Gibson Motor Sport was an Australian motor racing team. Originally established by Howard Marsden as the in-house factory Nissan motorsport operation, the team later passed into the ownership of Fred Gibson., who had won the 1967 Bathurst 500 as a driver, sharing with Harry Firth. In 1993 the team...
. The team expanded to two cars in 1998, with Jason Bargwanna
Jason Bargwanna
Jason Bargwanna is an Australian racing driver who competes in the V8 Supercar Championship Series.-Career history:Bargwanna commenced his racing career in the late 1980s, initially competing in the Formula Vee category...
driving the second car. Richards went to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
for a test drive with the Nissan team in the British Touring Car Championship
British Touring Car Championship
The British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom. The Championship was established in 1958 as the British Saloon Car Championship and has run to various rules over the years – "production cars", then FIA Group 1 or 2 in the late 1960s...
and was replaced by 1997 Australian Formula Ford
Australian Formula Ford Championship
The Australian Formula Ford Championship is a CAMS sanctioned national motor racing title for drivers of Formula Ford racing cars. It has been held annually since 1970, originally as a national series, and later as the 'Driver-to-Europe' series...
champion Garth Tander
Garth Tander
Garth Tander is a multiple-championship winning Australian motor racing driver. Since 1998 Tander has been a competitor in touring car racing series V8 Supercar Championship Series. Tander was the 2007 series champion for the HSV Dealer Team and is a three-time winner in Australia's most...
.
Tander scored the team's first round win in 1999 at Queensland Raceway
Queensland Raceway
Queensland Raceway nicknamed "the paperclip" is a motor racing circuit located near Ipswich in Queensland, Australia.The circuit plays host to V8 Supercars, the Australian Superbike Championship, Drifting as well as club level racing and ride days....
and he and Bargwanna finished 2nd in the Queensland 500
1999 Queensland 500
The 1999 Queensland 500 was an endurance race for V8 Supercars held at the Queensland Raceway, near Ipswich, in Queensland, Australia on 19 September 1999...
in the same year.
2000s
The 2000 season remains the team's most successful season to date. Tander won three rounds (including the Bathurst 1000 with Bargwanna) and finished runner-up to Mark SkaifeMark Skaife
Mark Stephen Skaife OAM is an Australian motor racing driver. Skaife is a five time winner of the V8 Supercar Championship Series, including its predecessor the Australian Touring Car Championship. He is also a six-time winner of Australia's most prestigious domestic motor race, the Bathurst 1000...
in the title. Tander led the series early in the season but a couple of bad rounds in the middle of the season allowed Skaife to take the championship lead. Comapared to 2000, 2001 was a poor season for the team, with Tander and Bargwanna finishing 10th and 15th in the points respectively and a best finish of 2nd for Tander in Canberra
Canberra 400
The Canberra 400, also known as both the GMC 400, Stegbar Canberra 400 and in its infancy, National Capital 100 was a V8 Supercar race run on the streets of Australia's capital, Canberra.- Getting Started :...
. Bargwanna took his final win for the team at Surfers Paradise in 2002 before switching to Larkham Motor Sport
Larkham Motor Sport
Larkham Motor Sport was a motorsport team contesting the V8 Supercar Championship. The team ceased operations at the end of 2005, with the owner Mark Larkham selling the team to WPS Racing.- History :...
for the 2003 season. He was replaced by 2002 Australian Formula Ford
2002 Australian Formula Ford Championship
The 2002 Australian Formula Ford Championship was open to drivers of Racing Cars complying with CAMS Formula Ford regulations.-Calendar:The title was contested over an eight round series with two races per round....
champion Jamie Whincup
Jamie Whincup
Jamie Whincup is Australian auto racing driver who competes in the V8 Supercar, driving for TeamVodafone. He is a two-time V8 Supercars champion and three-time Bathurst 1000 winner.-Early career:...
.
GRM was one of the first teams to use the Holden VY Commodore for the 2003 season, with Tander driving the new model car. Whincup would drive an older model VX Commodore
Holden VX Commodore
The Holden VX Commodore, Berlina and Calais range of full-size cars were the eleventh instalment of Holden Commodore, a model manufactured by Holden, the Australian subsidiary of General Motors...
. Whincup was sacked at the end of the season and was replaced by Cameron McConville
Cameron McConville
Cameron 'Cam' McConville is an Australian racing driver and motorsport media personality. While retired from full-time competition McConville still races occasionally and is an indemand endurance event co-driver. McConville spent 14 years as a professional driver, ten of those in the largest...
for 2004. McConville took the team's first round win in two years in controversial circumstances at Winton
Winton Motor Raceway
Winton Motor Raceway is a Motor Racing track in Winton, near Benalla, Victoria, Australia.-History:The Benalla Auto Club began planning for a permanent racing track around 1958. In 1960 it was decided to build the track at Winton Recreation Reserve and was completed in twelve months...
when he passed Rick Kelly
Rick Kelly
Rick Kelly is a current V8 Supercar racing driver, currently living in Melbourne, Victoria. He is the younger brother of former Bathurst 1000 champion, Todd Kelly...
on the second last corner of the race just after the end of a yellow flag zone. Tander left the team at the end of 2004 for what was then called Kmart Racing and was replaced by Andrew Jones. Jones was sacked before the end of the 2005 season and was replaced by Dean Canto
Dean Canto
Dean Justin Canto is a multiple-championship winning Australian motor racing driver. Best noted as a V8 Supercar driver, Canto was the inaugural winner of the second-tier V8 Supercar development series in 2000, and the first to become a multiple-champion five years later...
for the end of 2005 and the 2006 season. Lee Holdsworth
Lee Holdsworth
Lee Holdsworth was born in Melbourne, Victoria on 2 February 1983. Holdsworth is currently an Australian V8 Supercar racing driver. Holdsworth drives the #33 Garry Rogers Motorsport Holden VE Commodore.-History:...
also joined the 2006, with McConville moving to Paul Weel Racing. The team scored one race win in 2006 with Canto winning the reverse grid race at Barbagallo
Barbagallo Raceway
Barbagallo Raceway is a motorsport circuit located in Wanneroo, approximately north of Perth in Western Australia.The circuit was originally known as Wanneroo Park and the first race meet took place in March 1969. Initially the major race per year was a 6 hour Le Mans style race for sedans and...
after Team Kiwi Racing
Team Kiwi Racing
Team Kiwi Racing was a V8 Supercar team that competed in the Australian V8 Supercar series. The team has since returned at much reduced scale, in New Zealand running in domestic one-make series racing...
driver Paul Radisich
Paul Radisich
Paul Radisich is a New Zealand racing driver of Croat origin. He has competed in saloon cars for many years - both European-style tourers and the V8 Supercars of Australia and New Zealand.-Early years:...
spun off the track at the last corner.
2007 saw the team's first major livery change since joining the sport, with the traditional blue, white and red replaced by black, silver and red. Major sponsor Repco also left the team. Holdsworth and Canto remained with the team with Canto driving a new Holden VE Commodore. Holdsworth remained in a VZ Commodore until the Queensland Raceway
Queensland Raceway
Queensland Raceway nicknamed "the paperclip" is a motor racing circuit located near Ipswich in Queensland, Australia.The circuit plays host to V8 Supercars, the Australian Superbike Championship, Drifting as well as club level racing and ride days....
round. Holdsworth was involved in a serious crash in Roudn 4 at Winton when his car slid off the circuit and went backwards into the wall at high speed. Holdsworth rebounded quickly to score his maiden V8 Supercar round win at Oran Park Raceway
Oran Park Raceway
Oran Park Raceway was a motor racing circuit at Narellan in southwestern Sydney, New South Wales, Australia which was operational from 1962 to 2010....
. After qualifying a career best 4th, Holdsworth dominated the final race of the weekend in very wet weather after a good strategy call from the team at the start of the race. Holdsworth was commended for his composure during the race while other, more experienced drivers made errors.
Michael Caruso joined the team for 2008, replacing Canto. No wins came for the team in this season, however Holdsworth finished 2nd at the Clipsal 500
2008 Clipsal 500
The 2008 Clipsal 500 was the first race of the 2008 V8 Supercar season. It was held on the weekend of 21 to 24 February around the inner city streets of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. The Adelaide 500 is a unique event where the round results are determined by the results from the second...
and he and Caruso finished 5th at the L&H 500
2008 L&H 500
The 2008 L&H 500 was the ninth round of the 2008 V8 Supercar Championship Series. It was held on the weekend of the 12 to 14 September at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in Victoria. The L&H 500 saw the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit replace Sandown Raceway as the venue of the annual 500...
. Caruso won his first race in 2009, holding off a late race charge from Alex Davison
Alex Davison
Alex Davison, born 3 November 1979, in Melbourne, Australia, is best known as a racing driver. Davison currently races for Stone Brothers Racing driving a Ford Falcon in the V8 Supercar Championship Series....
in the Sunday race at Hidden Valley
Hidden Valley Raceway
Hidden Valley Raceway is part of the Hidden Valley Motorsports Complex from Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. The race track is used as a round of the V8 Supercar series...
. Holdsworth was again on the podium at the Clipsal 500
2009 Clipsal 500
The 2009 Clipsal 500 was the first race of the 2009 V8 Supercar Championship Series. It was held on the weekend of 19 March–22 around the inner city streets of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia...
, finishing 2nd in the Saturday race. The team also achieved a podium at Bathurst, with Holdsworth and Caruso finishing 3rd. The second car of Greg Ritter
Greg Ritter
Greg Ritter is an Australian racing driver. He was the winner of the 1999 Australian Formula Ford Championship. and shared the winning drive at the 2004 Betta Electrical 500-Career results:-External links:*...
and David Besnard
David Besnard
David Besnard, , in Sydney, Australia is a professional race car driver. Starting in Karts in 1981, he quickly proceeded into Formula Ford in 1995. After initial success, he had a major accident at Eastern Creek Raceway and broke his leg. In 1996 he made a comeback and won the Australian title...
looked like being in a position to win the race in the closing stages before a poorly timed safety car meant that they only finished 9th.
2010 saw the team's major sponsor change from Valvoline to Fujitsu with the livery changing in accordance, to red and white separated by black lines. The Clipsal 500
2010 Clipsal 500
The 2010 Clipsal 500 was the third event of the 2010 V8 Supercar Championship Series and the twelfth running of the Adelaide 500. It was held on the weekend of 11–14 March on the streets of Adelaide, in South Australia....
saw Holdsworth finish on the podium at the event for the third year in a row, Holdsworth taking 3rd place on Sunday. The team came very close to winning the Bathurst 1000, with Holdsworth and Besnard leading the majority of the race. A drive-through penalty for speeding in pit lane with thirty laps to go meant that the pair would only finish in 7th place, while Caruso and Ritter finished 10th. Holdsworth won the final race of the year at Sydney 500 after taking both pole positions for the event.
Holdsworth and Caruso entered their fourth season as team mates in 2011. Holdsworth scored a pair of podiums, one at Hamilton
2011 ITM Hamilton 400
The 2011 ITM Hamilton 400 was a motor race for the Australian sedan-based V8 Supercars. It was the third event of the 2011 International V8 Supercars Championship. It was held on the weekend of 15–17 April at the Hamilton Street Circuit, in Hamilton, New Zealand. It was the fourth running of the...
and one at Winton.
Nations Cup
Holden Monaro
The Holden Monaro is an automobile that was produced by GM Holden Ltd, an Australian subsidiary of General Motors, between 1968 and 1977 and between 2001 and 2005...
in Bathurst 24 Hour
Bathurst 24 Hour
The Bathurst 24 Hour was an endurance race held at the Mount Panorama Circuit in 2002 and 2003. Only two 24-Hour races were held before the collapse of the management organisation PROCAR.-Classes and Entrants:The Bathurst 24 Hour featured various classes...
for exotic sports cars against the likes of the Lamborghini Diablo
Lamborghini Diablo
The Lamborghini Diablo is a high-performance mid-engined sports car that was built by Italian automaker Lamborghini between 1990 and 2001. It was the first Lamborghini capable of attaining a top speed in excess of . After the end of its production run in 2001, the Diablo was replaced by the...
GT, Ferrari F360 GT, Chrysler Viper ACR, Porsche
Porsche
Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry....
911 GT3 RS & Porsche
Porsche
Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry....
GT3 Cup. Its most 'exotic' car was the Monaro
Monaro
Monaro may refer to several topics:* Monaro , a region in the south of the state of Australia* the Monaro Highway, the main state highway from Canberra to the Monaro region...
. Garry Rogers Motorsport was given the job of building the car as well as running it. The car ran a GRM version of the Corvette
Corvette
A corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft or fast attack craft , although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role...
C5-R 427cui motor. In its race debut, the 2002 Bathurst 24hr it overcame fuel cell problems to win the race by 24 laps driven by Garth Tander
Garth Tander
Garth Tander is a multiple-championship winning Australian motor racing driver. Since 1998 Tander has been a competitor in touring car racing series V8 Supercar Championship Series. Tander was the 2007 series champion for the HSV Dealer Team and is a three-time winner in Australia's most...
, Steven Richards
Steven Richards
Steven Richards is a New Zealand racing driver, currently competing in the with the team. He previously raced in the V8 Supercar series for Ford Performance Racing....
, Cameron McConville
Cameron McConville
Cameron 'Cam' McConville is an Australian racing driver and motorsport media personality. While retired from full-time competition McConville still races occasionally and is an indemand endurance event co-driver. McConville spent 14 years as a professional driver, ten of those in the largest...
and Nathan Pretty. Pretty then drove the car in the 2003 Australian Nations Cup Championship
Australian Nations Cup Championship
The Australian Nations Cup Championship was a motor racing title sanctioned by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport from 2000 to 2004.-History:...
scoring numerous race wins but not the title. In 2003 GRM built a second car for the legendary Peter Brock
Peter Brock
Peter Geoffrey Brock, AM otherwise known as "Peter Perfect", "The King of the Mountain" or simply as "Brocky" was one of Australia's best-known and most successful motor racing drivers. Brock was most often associated with Holden for almost 40 years, although he raced vehicles of other...
. It was this second car which won the second Bathurst 24hr race with Jason Bright
Jason Bright
Jason Bright is an Australian racing driver currently competing in the V8 Supercar series.-Australia:...
, Todd Kelly
Todd Kelly
Todd Kelly is a V8 Supercar racing driver, currently living in Melbourne, Victoria. He is the older brother of former V8 Supercar and Bathurst 1000 champion, Rick Kelly. He drove for the Holden Racing Team from 2003 until 2007, and Jack Daniel's Racing in 2008...
and Greg Murphy
Greg Murphy
Greg Murphy is a racing driver, best known as a four-time winner of the Bathurst 1000. Greg Murphy joined Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond presenting Top Gear, when it had its first international Live show at ASB Showgrounds in Auckland from February 12 - 15th 2009, and again when the show...
sharing the driving with Brock. The winning car from 2002, driven by the same four drivers as the previous year finished second less than one second behind after 24 hours of racing. A third car was later built for Team Brock
Team Brock
There are several Australian motor racing teams which have been called Team Brock.* Paul Weel Racing - Team Brock identity from 2003.* Rod Nash Racing - Team Brock identity from 2002.* Team Brock - Short lived Group C team from 1976/77....
.