Holden Racing Team
Encyclopedia
The Holden Racing Team (sometimes known by its sponsored identity Toll Holden Racing Team) is a Melbourne based motor racing team. HRT is the most successful V8 Supercar racing team in the history of the category, having won the drivers championship six times, and the series signature race the Bathurst 1000
seven times (1990, 1996, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2009, 2011). HRT is the official competition representative of Australian car make General Motors Holden, and its performance modification partner Holden Special Vehicles
. The team is based out of Clayton, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria where it shares some of its facilities with sister-team, Walkinshaw Racing
as a subsidiary of Walkinshaw Performance
. Like its predecessor as the official Holden supported team, the Holden Dealer Team
, the team has been based out of Melbourne its whole life, maintaining the close geographical link with the corporate headquarters of Holden.
The team's current full-time drivers are Garth Tander
, and James Courtney
.
Group and Holden
, in forming Holden Special Vehicles
. It was created as a marketing link between the Special Vehicle’s section of race (Division) and the on-track heritage of Holden’s motor sport activities. Special Vehicles Racing (HRT's original name) debuted in the Group A
class at the Calder Park
Round of the 1988 Australian Touring Car Championship.
The Holden Racing Team was born in 1988 following the establishment of the joint venture between the TWR
Group and General Motors Holden, in forming Holden Special Vehicles
. It was a logical step to form a touring car team to create a marketing link between the Special Vehicles division and the on-track heritage of Holden's motor sport activities.
However, as HSV was concerned with producing 500 examples of the Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV to meet the Group A regulations, the touring car operation was contracted out to Larry Perkins
. The racing team debuted under the "Holden Special Vehicles" name at Calder Park Raceway
using the previous "Brock" homologation of the Holden VL Commodore
, the SS Group A, before the new race car, based on the Group A SV, debuted at the 1988 Enzed 500
at Sandown Raceway
. The car was nicknamed 'Batmobile' due to the big wings, scoops and skirts on the body and was driven by Larry Perkins and Denny Hulme
in the race finishing second. The second car was driven by regular TWR
stalwarts, Jeff Allam
and Armin Hahne
. Hahne replaced Walkinshaw himself, who was due to compete in this event but was unavailable and stayed in England.
For the 1988 Tooheys 1000
, the TWR component of the team brought in the car they had run at the Silverstone TT in England. However, after a pitlane mishap where the car was dropped off its jacks before the left rear wheel had been secured, this car had suspension failure early on in the race. The car that Perkins prepared was running strongly until the end of the race when it retired with engine troubles, after Walkinshaw had stepped into the car, and ignored maximum engine rev warnings from Perkins. The Perkins-built car Allam and Hahne ran at Sandown became a spare car for the event, after plans to have Allan Grice
and John Harvey
use it as a third entry fell through. It was used only by Hulme in early practice sessions.
At the 1988 Australian Grand Prix
support race, the team completed its first race win, with Perkins and Hulme completing a dominant one-two victory, walking away from the entire field and winning by a large margin. Hulme led most of the race, but was overtaken by Perkins with a handful of laps remaining.
1989
Larry Perkins was again contracted to run the racing program in 1989, and the team appeared only at the endurance races at Sandown and Bathurst, and the Formula One
support races in Adelaide. This also saw the first appearance of the name "Holden Racing Team", even though it was effectively the Perkins Engineering team. Perkins teamed with Win Percy
at Sandown and finished second, while Neil Crompton
was paired with Steve Harrington. For the 1989 Tooheys 1000
, Perkins teamed with Tomas Mezera
with Percy and Neil Crompton
driving the second car. The race for both cars ran smoothly for the team, with Perkins and Mezera finishing sixth and Percy and Crompton finishing behind them in seventh. The completion of the 1989 season saw the end of any ongoing Perkins involvement with HSV, after Holden and Walkinshaw insisted that the two cars be driven by Percy and Crompton in Adelaide, forcing an irate Perkins out of a drive in his own team at that event. For 1990, the operation of the team would be brought in-house.
Walkinshaw engaged Win Percy to start the first "true" Holden Racing Team for the 1990 season. Percy was both team manager and the single driver for the entire Australian Touring Car Championship, however Neil Crompton did substitute for Percy at Mallala after Percy returned home to England following the death of his son. Percy's highest qualifying position was 6th at Winton
and highest race result a third place at Lakeside
, and he finished 8th overall in the championship. At the Sandown 500
, Percy and Allan Grice
qualified the car fourth, however did not finish the race. Brad Jones joined Crompton in the second car. At the 1990 Tooheys 1000
at Bathurst, the Percy/Grice car took out the victory, after many of the race favourite Ford Sierras, and the sole Nissan GT-R suffered mechanical problems.
1991
For 1991, Percy again ran as the only driver for the Australian Touring Car Championship, using the newly homologated VN Commodores, after three previous seasons of running VL Commodores. The season was tough for HRT, with the championship dominated by the Nissan Skyline GT-Rs due to a championship which allowed highly sophisticated cars to compete against more basic vehicles. Percy again finished eighth in the championship. At the 1991 Tooheys 1000
, Percy and Grice teamed together to score a second place for the team, with the second car of Crompton and Brad Jones being effectively disqualified for refueling outside of pitlane. Crompton had run out of fuel exiting The Cutting, and caught a lift in a Channel Seven
helicopter to obtain a fuel churn from pitlane. After a discussion with the Clerk of Course, Crompton was allowed to return to pitlane and retirement, after he had expressed concerns over leaving the car on top of the mountain after the race.
1992
Due to a decision between TWR and Holden, it was decided that HRT would only compete in as many races that they could manage within their budget, the effect being that HRT only competing in three rounds of the Australian Touring Car Championship. They did have some success in 1992 with a third place by Mezera and Jones at the Sandown 500
driving a 1993 Spec 5.0L V8 car while at Bathurst Percy/Grice came home fourth outright and first in class, also driving a 1993 Spec car. Following the 1992 season, the category was overhauled to become the V8 Holden versus Ford challenge that the V8 Supercars championship is today.
1993
1993 was the first season of the new championship series using Holden Commodores and Ford Falcons powered by five litre V8 engines. It was also the year in which the 1987 World 500cc motorcycle champion, Wayne Gardner
was signed to drive for HRT to be the second driver to Mezera. Both drivers competed in all nine rounds of the championship with the best result a second place to Mezera at Symmons Plains
. Overall Mezera finished in seventh place and Gardner finished in fourteenth. Both cars failed to finish at the Sandown 500, and Mezera and Percy did not finish and Gardner and Jones finished in third place after qualifying third and fourth respectively at the Bathurst 1000.
1994
1994 saw the return of Peter Brock
to a factory Holden team to team with Mezera. Brock also brought with him the sponsorship of Mobil
and the team became the Mobil Holden Racing Team. The team was competitive throughout the season, with Brock taking the round win at Eastern Creek
and second places at Sandown, Symmons Plains, Philip Island
and Oran Park
. For the endurance events, HRT hired Brad Jones and Rickard Rydell
to drive the second car. At the Sandown 500, Jones was partnered by 1993 Formula Ford Champion Craig Lowndes
due to a scheduling clash for Rydell, the pair finishing fifth with Lowndes raising a few eyebrows, with Brock and Mezera finishing 6th after qualifying first. At the Bathurst 1000, Mezera and Brock did not finish the race, however Jones and Lowndes (who HRT decided to race in place of Rydell due to Lowndes pace at Sandown) finished second. Brock finished the championship in third place, with Mezera in ninth.
1995
Brock and Mezera continued to race for the team in 1995 with Lowndes and Greg Murphy
joining the team for enduros. The year was successful with numerous top three results for both Brock and Mezera. However, at both the Sandown 500 and Bathurst 1000, neither car finished either race. Brock finished the championship in third place and Mezera in fifth place.
1996
Lowndes joined Brock to drive for the team on a full time in 1996. This year was one of the most successful years for HRT by winning both the Sandown 500 and Bathurst 1000. Lowndes also became the youngest driver to win the Australian Touring Car Championship. Both Mezera and Murphy rejoined the team for the endurance races, with Lowndes and Murphy winning both events. Brock finished the championship in fourth position.
1997
1997 saw Lowndes head to Europe to compete in F3000 so Murphy joined Brock as the drivers for HRT. The year also saw a number of mechanical failures that prevented HRT from following on from the success of 1996. One highlight of the year however was the one-two finishes at both Symmons Plains and Wanneroo
. Just before the Eastern Creek round of the series Peter Brock
announced his retirement from full-time racing with the V8 Supercar Bathurst 1000 to be his final race. Overall, Murphy and Brock finished the year fourth and sixth respectively. Lowndes returned to drive in the endurance events to join Mark Skaife
as the co-drivers. Lowndes and Murphy finished in first place at the Sandown 500, however neither car finished the Bathurst 1000.
1998
Lowndes returned to HRT in 1998 and joined Skaife as the drivers for the championship. Lowndes continued the success of 1996, by winning the championship for the second time in his second full year of V8 racing. Murphy and Mark Noske
joined the team for the enduros and after qualifying the cars first and second at Sandown, Lowndes and Skaife finished in second position. At Bathurst, Lowndes and Skaife finished sixth and qualifying first, and Murphy and Noske failed to finish the event. Skaife finished third in the championship.
1999
The team drivers remained the same for the 1999 season, with Skaife finishing third and Lowndes winning his third championship for the team, despite fracturing his kneecap in a crash at Calder Park Raceway
. The team finished first and second in four of the thirteen rounds of the championship season. Paul Morris
and Cameron McConville
joined the team for the Queensland 500
and Bathurst 1000, with Lowndes and McConville finishing third at the Queensland 500 and second at the Bathurst 1000. Skaife teamed with Morris to finish third at Bathurst.
For the 2000 season, once again Lowndes and Skaife drive for HRT. Overall Skaife won the championship with Lowndes finishing in third place. For the Queensland 500 Lowndes and Skaife teamed together to finish in first place. The second car was driven by Todd Kelly
and Nathan Pretty, however failed to finish the race while in a strong spot. At the Bathurst 1000
, Lowndes and Skaife finished in sixth position with the international drivers Jason Plato
and Yvan Muller
driving the second car finished in tenth which was a great effort considering the circumstances during the day, including when they caused one of the many Safety Cars. At the end of the 2000 season, Craig Lowndes announced that he had decided to leave the team to drive for Gibson Motor Sport who were being re-invented as a Ford team.
2001
Lowndes' departure opened the door for Jason Bright
to join the team in 2001. 2001 also saw a win at Bathurst for Skaife and Tony Longhurst
as well as Skaife winning his second championship
for the team. Bright finished third in the championship (Just missing out on a great 1, 2 for HRT) and Tomas Mezera
returned to the team for the endurance races.
2002
2002 once again saw Skaife win the championship for the third year in a row, with Bright finishing fourth. HRT won the first eight rounds of the season (Skaife – seven wins, Bright – two wins). The endurance races were the next two rounds of the championship and Jim Richards
and Mezera joined the team for these two rounds. Skaife and Bright failed to finish the Queensland 500
after qualifying second while Richards and Mezera finished fourth. At the Bathurst 1000
, Skaife and Richards teamed together to win the event, ten years after they teamed together to win the event in a Nissan Skyline GT-R
with Bright and Mezera finishing third, which was a great recovery considering that Tomas had stuck the car in the sand trap early in the day. The last three rounds of the championship were not as successful as the beginning of the season with the best finish a third place for Skaife at Sandown.
2003
In 2003
, the parent company of HRT, Tom Walkinshaw Racing
, suffered a financial collapse and a new owner had to be found. By mid-2003, it was announced that Mark Skaife would be the new owner. Jason Bright also left the team. Todd Kelly
was hired to race in the second car. Jim Richards
and Tony Longhurst
were co-drivers for the endurance events. Skaife and Kelly drove together at the Sandown 500 and won the race with Longhurst and Richards finishing in tenth. At the Bathurst 1000
, Skaife and Kelly were in 2nd right right up Greg Murphy and Rick Kelly's hammer with ten laps to go, when they were given a mechanical black flag to repair damage to the left rear door sustained in an accident with one of the Brad Jones Racing
cars. Skaife and Kelly finished the race in eighth with Richards and Longhurst in fifth.
2004
2004 saw Skaife and Kelly as team mates for the championship
. For the enduro events, Jason Plato joined Peter Brock as the co-drivers. Brock came out of retirement again to attempt to score his tenth Bathurst win, however this was not to be after Plato collided with John Cleland
driving for Ozemail Racing
, after Plato slid into a tyre bundle on pit straight and had tyre and bodywork damage. Brock did not race one lap. Skaife and Kelly finished the race
in fourteenth position, two laps down after a belt from the engine broke early in the race. Overall Kelly finished the championship in seventh place and Skaife finished in twelfth after one of his worst seasons on record where it included a number of driver errors and reliability issues.
2005
The championship drivers remained the same for the 2005 season
. Both Skaife and Kelly won rounds of the championship with Kelly winning the Shanghai
round which was the first V8 Supercar
round in South-East Asia. This victory gave HRT their 50th round win, the first team to do so. Skaife and Kelly teamed together to win the Bathurst 1000, and Jim Richards and James Courtney
drove the second car, however failed to finish the race.
2006
2006 saw Skaife and Kelly team together for their fourth season together. Overall Kelly finished the season in sixth place and Skaife finished in a miserable sixteenth. Both drivers did have success during the season with Skaife winning at Pukekohe
and Barbagallo and Kelly winning at Surfers Paradise
and Phillip Island. For the endurance races, a deal was done between HRT and the Toll HSV Dealer Team so that Garth Tander
would drive for HRT with Skaife, and Todd Kelly
would drive for the Toll HSV Dealer Team with his brother Rick Kelly
. It must be noted that both teams were sharing data and had an engineering partnership with Tom Walkinshaw Racing
, and therefore they were grouped by TEGA. This was done to allow Tander and Rick Kelly the best chance at winning the championship as they were first and second in the championship before the enduros. However, the plan backfired with the Skaife/Tander car finishing 26th at Sandown and crashing out on Lap 1 at Bathurst. The second HRT car was driven by Jim Richards
and Ryan Briscoe
and finished in 21st at Sandown and did not finish at Bathurst.
2007
The 2007 V8 Supercar season
saw the debut of the new VE Commodores. Skaife and Kelly continued their partnership as the drivers of HRT in 2007. Former Ford
driver Glenn Seton
, a lifelong friend of Skaife, joined the team to participate in the endurance races at Sandown
and Bathurst
. It was the first time he had ever driven a Holden Commodore, both road-going and racing. Teamed together for the Endurance Races were Skaife and Kelly, with Seton and Nathan Pretty in the second car, although appendix surgery for Skaife forced a re-assessment for the Sandown 500, with Tony Longhurst returning to the team. It was a stellar year for the HRT duo finishing 6th (Skaife) and 7th (Kelly), both drivers got themselves Round wins, Race wins and Podiums and scored valuable points every round. For the Bahrain round
, Todd Kelly's car was painted to represent a Chevrolet Lumina VE to celebrate ten years exporting cars into the Middle East.
2008
The 2008 V8 Supercar Championship Series sees changes for the factory team. Garth Tander
replacing Todd Kelly, who had moved to Jack Daniel's Racing as well Rob Crawford becoming Team Manager, and Mathew Nielson also from Toll HSV Dealer Team had join the team to engineer Garth Tander's car.
Glenn Seton
returned to the Holden Racing Team for the enduros, joining up with Gold Coast based kiwi Craig Baird
. The pair were in the running for a podium until an accident with the 2nd Jim Beam car. After the Super Cheap Auto Bathurst 1000, Garth sat third in the championship behind 2007 Championship rival Jamie Whincup
and Mark Winterbottom
. On 29 October Skaife also announced that 2008 would be his last season in a full time drive in V8 Supercars.
2009
Toll Holdings, through its transportation company Toll, increased its involvement to take over from Holden as the team's major sponsor. After a disappointing end to 2008, where he slipped from title contender to score only a third place finish in the championship, Garth Tander
continues with HRT, where he was joined by Will Davison
, previously of the Dick Johnson Racing
Ford team, following the full time retirement of Mark Skaife. Garth Tander and Will Davison went on to win the 2009 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000
. Davison and Tander finished second and third in the championship with Davison awarded the Barry Sheene Medal
, the first Holden driver to receive the honour. The year saw both Garth and Will come very close to the title but small misfortunes during the year hindered their chance. However they did come away with the Team's Championship by a narrow margin over Team Vodafone.
2010
In 2010, Garth Tander and Will Davison continued as drivers for the Toll Holden Racing Team. For the 2010 season the team acquired new bonnet sponsorship from Red Rooster replacing the lions of the bonnet that had been there for nine years. At round Seven, Hidden Valley the team debuted two brand new VE Commodores, WR 012 now used as Car #2 for Tander and WR 013 which was used as Car #22 for Davison replacing the three year old Commodores which were WR 006 and WR 007 (now being campaigned by Fabian Coulthard in Bundaberg Red Colours). 2010 was a year of frustration for Garth and a year of pure disappointment for Will. Garth ended the year a respectable 5th with Will ending the season in an all time Toll HRT low of 22nd. As a whole the team struggled to string together a series and ended a disappointing 7th in the Team's Championship.
2011
Skaife managed to produce sufficient evidence and TEGA allowed HRT to continue racing. A commercial settlement(payment) was struck between Skaife and TEGA that ensured that Skaife, and not Holden Motor Sport owner Tom Walkinshaw
, had ownership and control over the team. It has been revealed that Tom Walkinshaw owned a 50% stake in Skaife Sports. Subsequently in December 2008 Skaife sold his remaining interest in HRT to Walkinshaw.
Bathurst 1000
The Bathurst 1000 is a touring car race held annually at Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia...
seven times (1990, 1996, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2009, 2011). HRT is the official competition representative of Australian car make General Motors Holden, and its performance modification partner Holden Special Vehicles
Holden Special Vehicles
Holden Special Vehicles is the officially designated performance vehicle partner of Australian automobile manufacturer Holden. Established in 1987 and based in Clayton, Victoria, the company modifies Holden models such as the Commodore, Caprice and Ute and markets them under the HSV brandname.-...
. The team is based out of Clayton, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria where it shares some of its facilities with sister-team, Walkinshaw Racing
Walkinshaw Racing
Walkinshaw Racing, known commercially as Bundaberg Racing Team, is one of two Australian motor racing teams operated by British owned Walkinshaw Performance...
as a subsidiary of Walkinshaw Performance
Walkinshaw Performance
Walkinshaw Performance, is an automotive company, involved in motor racing and the production of high performance sporting cars for regular road use...
. Like its predecessor as the official Holden supported team, the Holden Dealer Team
Holden Dealer Team
The Holden Dealer Team was Holden’s semi-official racing team from 1969 until 1987, primarily contesting Australian Touring Car events but also rallying, rallycross and sports sedans during the 1970s...
, the team has been based out of Melbourne its whole life, maintaining the close geographical link with the corporate headquarters of Holden.
The team's current full-time drivers are 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...
, and James Courtney
James Courtney
James Courtney is an Australian racing driver who competes in the V8 Supercar Championship. He is the current Australian Touring Car Champion after winning the 2010 title for Dick Johnson Racing....
.
Establishment
Holden Racing Team began following the establishment in 1988 of the joint venture between the TWRTom Walkinshaw Racing
Tom Walkinshaw Racing , was an auto racing team and engineering firm founded in 1976 by touring car racer Tom Walkinshaw.-History:TWR started by modifying BMW 3.0 CSLs, but soon was contracted to head Mazda's works program in the British Touring Car Championship. The TWR developed RX-7, with Win...
Group and Holden
Holden
GM Holden Ltd is an automaker that operates in Australia, based in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The company was founded in 1856 as a saddlery manufacturer. In 1908 it moved into the automotive field, before becoming a subsidiary of the U.S.-based General Motors in 1931...
, in forming Holden Special Vehicles
Holden Special Vehicles
Holden Special Vehicles is the officially designated performance vehicle partner of Australian automobile manufacturer Holden. Established in 1987 and based in Clayton, Victoria, the company modifies Holden models such as the Commodore, Caprice and Ute and markets them under the HSV brandname.-...
. It was created as a marketing link between the Special Vehicle’s section of race (Division) and the on-track heritage of Holden’s motor sport activities. Special Vehicles Racing (HRT's original name) debuted in the Group A
Group A
In relation to motorsport governed by the FIA, Group A referred to a set of regulations providing production-derived vehicles for outright competition. In contrast to the short-lived Group B and Group C, the Group A referred to production-derived vehicles limited in terms of power, weight, allowed...
class at the Calder Park
Calder Park Raceway
Calder Park Raceway is a motor racing circuit in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The complex includes a drag strip, a road circuit with several possible configurations, and the "Thunderdome", a high-speed banked oval equipped to race either clockwise or counter-clockwise .-History:Calder Park...
Round of the 1988 Australian Touring Car Championship.
1980s
1988The Holden Racing Team was born in 1988 following the establishment of the joint venture between the TWR
Tom Walkinshaw Racing
Tom Walkinshaw Racing , was an auto racing team and engineering firm founded in 1976 by touring car racer Tom Walkinshaw.-History:TWR started by modifying BMW 3.0 CSLs, but soon was contracted to head Mazda's works program in the British Touring Car Championship. The TWR developed RX-7, with Win...
Group and General Motors Holden, in forming Holden Special Vehicles
Holden Special Vehicles
Holden Special Vehicles is the officially designated performance vehicle partner of Australian automobile manufacturer Holden. Established in 1987 and based in Clayton, Victoria, the company modifies Holden models such as the Commodore, Caprice and Ute and markets them under the HSV brandname.-...
. It was a logical step to form a touring car team to create a marketing link between the Special Vehicles division and the on-track heritage of Holden's motor sport activities.
However, as HSV was concerned with producing 500 examples of the Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV to meet the Group A regulations, the touring car operation was contracted out to Larry Perkins
Larry Perkins
Larry Clifton Perkins is a former racing driver and V8 Supercar team owner from Australia.-Career:...
. The racing team debuted under the "Holden Special Vehicles" name at Calder Park Raceway
Calder Park Raceway
Calder Park Raceway is a motor racing circuit in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The complex includes a drag strip, a road circuit with several possible configurations, and the "Thunderdome", a high-speed banked oval equipped to race either clockwise or counter-clockwise .-History:Calder Park...
using the previous "Brock" homologation of the Holden VL Commodore
Holden VL Commodore
The Holden VL Commodore and Calais were a range of mid-sized cars manufactured between 1986 and 1988 by the General Motors Australian arm, Holden...
, the SS Group A, before the new race car, based on the Group A SV, debuted at the 1988 Enzed 500
1988 Enzed 500
The 1988 Enzed 500 was an endurance race for Group 3A Touring Cars. The event was held at the Sandown circuit in Victoria, Australia on 11 September 1988 over 129 laps of the 3.9 km circuit, a total distance of 503 km...
at Sandown Raceway
Sandown Raceway
Sandown International Raceway is a motor racing circuit in Melbourne, Victoria, approximately south east of the city centre. It is considered a power circuit with its front straight being 899m long and back straight 910m long.-History:...
. The car was nicknamed 'Batmobile' due to the big wings, scoops and skirts on the body and was driven by Larry Perkins and Denny Hulme
Denny Hulme
Denis Clive "Denny" Hulme, OBE was a New Zealand racing driver, the 1967 Formula One World Champion for the Brabham team....
in the race finishing second. The second car was driven by regular TWR
Tom Walkinshaw Racing
Tom Walkinshaw Racing , was an auto racing team and engineering firm founded in 1976 by touring car racer Tom Walkinshaw.-History:TWR started by modifying BMW 3.0 CSLs, but soon was contracted to head Mazda's works program in the British Touring Car Championship. The TWR developed RX-7, with Win...
stalwarts, Jeff Allam
Jeff Allam
Jeff Allam , was a British racing driver who made his name in Saloon Car racing. He now works as a dealer principal for Allam Motor Services in Epsom and Dorking which are a Skoda, Alfa Romeo and Kia dealership....
and Armin Hahne
Armin Hahne
Armin Hahne is a German racing driver, best known for his exploits in touring car racing. The highpoint of his career was winning both the 1982 and 1983 Spa 24 Hours driving BMW's. Another highlight of his career was driving in the factory supported Tom Walkinshaw Racing run Jaguar Racing team...
. Hahne replaced Walkinshaw himself, who was due to compete in this event but was unavailable and stayed in England.
For the 1988 Tooheys 1000
1988 Tooheys 1000
The 1988 Tooheys 1000 was the 29th running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on 2 October 1988 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst...
, the TWR component of the team brought in the car they had run at the Silverstone TT in England. However, after a pitlane mishap where the car was dropped off its jacks before the left rear wheel had been secured, this car had suspension failure early on in the race. The car that Perkins prepared was running strongly until the end of the race when it retired with engine troubles, after Walkinshaw had stepped into the car, and ignored maximum engine rev warnings from Perkins. The Perkins-built car Allam and Hahne ran at Sandown became a spare car for the event, after plans to have Allan Grice
Allan Grice
Allan Maxwell Grice OAM , known to motor-racing fans as Gricey, is an Australian former racing driver and politician, most famous for twice winning the prestigious Bathurst 1000 , and as a privateer driver of a Holden in the Australian Touring Car Championship.Grice also had a successful second...
and John Harvey
John Harvey (motorsport)
John Francis Harvey is a retired Australian racing driver. He was a top speedway driver for many years in the 1950s/1960s winning many championship races including NSW Championship 3 successive years, Victorian Championship twice.After switching from speedway to road racing, Harvey drove cars...
use it as a third entry fell through. It was used only by Hulme in early practice sessions.
At the 1988 Australian Grand Prix
1988 Australian Grand Prix
The 1988 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at the Adelaide Street Circuit, Adelaide, on November 13, 1988. It was the 53rd Australian Grand Prix to be held since the original 100 Miles Road Race was held in 1928, and it was the fourth race to be held on the streets of Adelaide as...
support race, the team completed its first race win, with Perkins and Hulme completing a dominant one-two victory, walking away from the entire field and winning by a large margin. Hulme led most of the race, but was overtaken by Perkins with a handful of laps remaining.
1989
Larry Perkins was again contracted to run the racing program in 1989, and the team appeared only at the endurance races at Sandown and Bathurst, and the Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
support races in Adelaide. This also saw the first appearance of the name "Holden Racing Team", even though it was effectively the Perkins Engineering team. Perkins teamed with Win Percy
Win Percy
Winston "Win" Percy is a former motor racing driver from England. He competed in many classes of motorsport during his long career, but is perhaps most famous as one of the greats of touring car racing. Joe Saward of Autosport magazine once described him as being "often regarded as the World's...
at Sandown and finished second, while Neil Crompton
Neil Crompton
Neil Crompton is a well-known V8 Supercars presenter and commentator for Australia's Channel Seven, having previously worked in a similar role at Network Ten...
was paired with Steve Harrington. For the 1989 Tooheys 1000
1989 Tooheys 1000
The 1989 Tooheys 1000 was the 30th running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on 1 October 1989 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst, Australia. The race was held for cars eligible under International Group A touring car regulations with three engine capacity...
, Perkins teamed with Tomas Mezera
Tomas Mezera
Tomas Mezera, born November 5, 1958, in Czechoslovakia and now resides in Queensland, Australia. Mezera is best known as an Australian racing driver. Mezera's sporting career began as a downhill skier in his native Czechoslovakia, before he emigrated to Australia to be a ski instructor.-Formula...
with Percy and Neil Crompton
Neil Crompton
Neil Crompton is a well-known V8 Supercars presenter and commentator for Australia's Channel Seven, having previously worked in a similar role at Network Ten...
driving the second car. The race for both cars ran smoothly for the team, with Perkins and Mezera finishing sixth and Percy and Crompton finishing behind them in seventh. The completion of the 1989 season saw the end of any ongoing Perkins involvement with HSV, after Holden and Walkinshaw insisted that the two cars be driven by Percy and Crompton in Adelaide, forcing an irate Perkins out of a drive in his own team at that event. For 1990, the operation of the team would be brought in-house.
1990s
1990Walkinshaw engaged Win Percy to start the first "true" Holden Racing Team for the 1990 season. Percy was both team manager and the single driver for the entire Australian Touring Car Championship, however Neil Crompton did substitute for Percy at Mallala after Percy returned home to England following the death of his son. Percy's highest qualifying position was 6th 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...
and highest race result a third place at Lakeside
Lakeside International Raceway
Lakeside Park, formerly known as Lakeside International Raceway is a motor racing circuit located at Pine Rivers north of Brisbane and lies adjacent to Lake Kurwongbah....
, and he finished 8th overall in the championship. At the Sandown 500
1990 Sandown 500
The 1990 Sandown 500 was an endurance race for touring cars complying with CAMS Group 3A regulations. The event was held at the Sandown Raceway near Melbourne, Australia on 9 September 1990...
, Percy and Allan Grice
Allan Grice
Allan Maxwell Grice OAM , known to motor-racing fans as Gricey, is an Australian former racing driver and politician, most famous for twice winning the prestigious Bathurst 1000 , and as a privateer driver of a Holden in the Australian Touring Car Championship.Grice also had a successful second...
qualified the car fourth, however did not finish the race. Brad Jones joined Crompton in the second car. At the 1990 Tooheys 1000
1990 Tooheys 1000
The 1990 Tooheys 1000 was the 31st running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on 30 September 1990 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia. The event was open to cars eligible under CAMS Group 3A regulations, commonly known as Group A Touring...
at Bathurst, the Percy/Grice car took out the victory, after many of the race favourite Ford Sierras, and the sole Nissan GT-R suffered mechanical problems.
1991
For 1991, Percy again ran as the only driver for the Australian Touring Car Championship, using the newly homologated VN Commodores, after three previous seasons of running VL Commodores. The season was tough for HRT, with the championship dominated by the Nissan Skyline GT-Rs due to a championship which allowed highly sophisticated cars to compete against more basic vehicles. Percy again finished eighth in the championship. At the 1991 Tooheys 1000
1991 Tooheys 1000
The 1991 Tooheys 1000 was the 32nd running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on 6 October 1991 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst. The 1000 km race was held for cars complying with the provisions of Australian Group 3A Touring Car regulations with the field...
, Percy and Grice teamed together to score a second place for the team, with the second car of Crompton and Brad Jones being effectively disqualified for refueling outside of pitlane. Crompton had run out of fuel exiting The Cutting, and caught a lift in a Channel Seven
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
helicopter to obtain a fuel churn from pitlane. After a discussion with the Clerk of Course, Crompton was allowed to return to pitlane and retirement, after he had expressed concerns over leaving the car on top of the mountain after the race.
1992
Due to a decision between TWR and Holden, it was decided that HRT would only compete in as many races that they could manage within their budget, the effect being that HRT only competing in three rounds of the Australian Touring Car Championship. They did have some success in 1992 with a third place by Mezera and Jones at the Sandown 500
1992 Don't Drink Drive Sandown 500
The 1992 Don't Drink Drive Sandown 500 was an endurance motor race open to Group 3A Touring Cars , 1993 Group 3A 5.0 Litre Touring Cars and Group 3E Series Production Cars...
driving a 1993 Spec 5.0L V8 car while at Bathurst Percy/Grice came home fourth outright and first in class, also driving a 1993 Spec car. Following the 1992 season, the category was overhauled to become the V8 Holden versus Ford challenge that the V8 Supercars championship is today.
1993
1993 was the first season of the new championship series using Holden Commodores and Ford Falcons powered by five litre V8 engines. It was also the year in which the 1987 World 500cc motorcycle champion, Wayne Gardner
Wayne Gardner
Wayne Michael Gardner OAM is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and touring car racer. His most notable achievement was winning the 1987 500 cc Motorcycle World Championship, becoming the first Australian to win motorcycling's premier class...
was signed to drive for HRT to be the second driver to Mezera. Both drivers competed in all nine rounds of the championship with the best result a second place to Mezera at Symmons Plains
Symmons Plains Raceway
Symmons Plains Raceway is a motor racing circuit in Australia, located about 30 kilometres south of Launceston, Tasmania. Since the closure of the Longford circuit in the 1960s it has been Tasmania's premier motor racing facility...
. Overall Mezera finished in seventh place and Gardner finished in fourteenth. Both cars failed to finish at the Sandown 500, and Mezera and Percy did not finish and Gardner and Jones finished in third place after qualifying third and fourth respectively at the Bathurst 1000.
1994
1994 saw the return of 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...
to a factory Holden team to team with Mezera. Brock also brought with him the sponsorship of Mobil
Mobil
Mobil, previously known as the Socony-Vacuum Oil Company, was a major American oil company which merged with Exxon in 1999 to form ExxonMobil. Today Mobil continues as a major brand name within the combined company, as well as still being a gas station sometimes paired with their own store or On...
and the team became the Mobil Holden Racing Team. The team was competitive throughout the season, with Brock taking the round win at Eastern Creek
Eastern Creek Raceway
Eastern Creek International Raceway is a motorsports circuit located on Brabham Drive, Eastern Creek , New South Wales, Australia, adjacent to the Western Sydney International Dragway. It was built and is owned by the New South Wales Government and is operated by the...
and second places at Sandown, Symmons Plains, Philip Island
Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit
The Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit is a motor racing racing circuit on Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia. The circuit was opened in 1956.-Road circuit:...
and Oran Park
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....
. For the endurance events, HRT hired Brad Jones and Rickard Rydell
Rickard Rydell
Rickard Rydell is a Swedish racing driver. He won the 1998 British Touring Car Championship, the 2011 Scandinavian Touring Car Championship, and has also been a frontrunner in the European/World Touring Car Championship.-Early career:In the early 1990s, Rydell raced in various Formula Three series...
to drive the second car. At the Sandown 500, Jones was partnered by 1993 Formula Ford Champion Craig Lowndes
Craig Lowndes
Craig Lowndes is a multi-championship winning Australian racing driver. He is a three-time V8 Supercar champion and five-time winner of Australia's most famous motor race, the Bathurst 1000...
due to a scheduling clash for Rydell, the pair finishing fifth with Lowndes raising a few eyebrows, with Brock and Mezera finishing 6th after qualifying first. At the Bathurst 1000, Mezera and Brock did not finish the race, however Jones and Lowndes (who HRT decided to race in place of Rydell due to Lowndes pace at Sandown) finished second. Brock finished the championship in third place, with Mezera in ninth.
1995
Brock and Mezera continued to race for the team in 1995 with Lowndes 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...
joining the team for enduros. The year was successful with numerous top three results for both Brock and Mezera. However, at both the Sandown 500 and Bathurst 1000, neither car finished either race. Brock finished the championship in third place and Mezera in fifth place.
1996
Lowndes joined Brock to drive for the team on a full time in 1996. This year was one of the most successful years for HRT by winning both the Sandown 500 and Bathurst 1000. Lowndes also became the youngest driver to win the Australian Touring Car Championship. Both Mezera and Murphy rejoined the team for the endurance races, with Lowndes and Murphy winning both events. Brock finished the championship in fourth position.
1997
1997 saw Lowndes head to Europe to compete in F3000 so Murphy joined Brock as the drivers for HRT. The year also saw a number of mechanical failures that prevented HRT from following on from the success of 1996. One highlight of the year however was the one-two finishes at both Symmons Plains and Wanneroo
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...
. Just before the Eastern Creek round of the series 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...
announced his retirement from full-time racing with the V8 Supercar Bathurst 1000 to be his final race. Overall, Murphy and Brock finished the year fourth and sixth respectively. Lowndes returned to drive in the endurance events to join Mark Skaife
Mark 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...
as the co-drivers. Lowndes and Murphy finished in first place at the Sandown 500, however neither car finished the Bathurst 1000.
1998
Lowndes returned to HRT in 1998 and joined Skaife as the drivers for the championship. Lowndes continued the success of 1996, by winning the championship for the second time in his second full year of V8 racing. Murphy and Mark Noske
Mark Noske
Mark Noske is an Australian V8 Supercar driver. Noske has never placed higher than third in a national event, but has placed third four times in such events.-Formula Racing:...
joined the team for the enduros and after qualifying the cars first and second at Sandown, Lowndes and Skaife finished in second position. At Bathurst, Lowndes and Skaife finished sixth and qualifying first, and Murphy and Noske failed to finish the event. Skaife finished third in the championship.
1999
The team drivers remained the same for the 1999 season, with Skaife finishing third and Lowndes winning his third championship for the team, despite fracturing his kneecap in a crash at Calder Park Raceway
Calder Park Raceway
Calder Park Raceway is a motor racing circuit in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The complex includes a drag strip, a road circuit with several possible configurations, and the "Thunderdome", a high-speed banked oval equipped to race either clockwise or counter-clockwise .-History:Calder Park...
. The team finished first and second in four of the thirteen rounds of the championship season. Paul Morris
Paul Morris (motorsport)
Paul Morris is a V8 Supercar racecar driver.-Early career:Paul Morris started his motor racing career at the age of 19 in 1987, driving in the Queensland Gemini Series. He won Rookie of the Year in his debut season, and won the state championship the following year. He spent the next three years...
and 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...
joined the team for the Queensland 500
Queensland 500
The Queensland 500 was originally a V8 Supercar endurance touring car race held from 1999 to 2002. The race was held at Queensland Raceway near Ipswich. It replaced the Sandown 500 when it relinquished its role as the two-driver warm up event for the Bathurst 1000...
and Bathurst 1000, with Lowndes and McConville finishing third at the Queensland 500 and second at the Bathurst 1000. Skaife teamed with Morris to finish third at Bathurst.
2000s
2000For the 2000 season, once again Lowndes and Skaife drive for HRT. Overall Skaife won the championship with Lowndes finishing in third place. For the Queensland 500 Lowndes and Skaife teamed together to finish in first place. The second car was driven by 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 Nathan Pretty, however failed to finish the race while in a strong spot. At the Bathurst 1000
2000 FAI 1000
The 2000 FAI 1000 was the fourth running of the Australia 1000 race, first held after the organisational split over the Bathurst 1000 that occurred in 1997. It was the 38th anniversary of the original touring car endurance race held at the Mount Panorama Circuit in 1963...
, Lowndes and Skaife finished in sixth position with the international drivers Jason Plato
Jason Plato
Timothy Jason Plato is a British racing car driver currently competing in the BTCC for Silverline Chevrolet. He is a two time BTCC champion having previously won the series in 2001 when driving for Vauxhall and 2010 for Silverline Chevrolet. He has finished in the top 3 in the championship 8 times...
and Yvan Muller
Yvan Muller
Yvan Muller is a French auto racing driver most noted for success in touring car racing. He is a two-time and the reigning World Touring Car Champion.-Single-seaters:...
driving the second car finished in tenth which was a great effort considering the circumstances during the day, including when they caused one of the many Safety Cars. At the end of the 2000 season, Craig Lowndes announced that he had decided to leave the team to drive for Gibson Motor Sport who were being re-invented as a Ford team.
2001
Lowndes' departure opened the door for Jason Bright
Jason Bright
Jason Bright is an Australian racing driver currently competing in the V8 Supercar series.-Australia:...
to join the team in 2001. 2001 also saw a win at Bathurst for Skaife and Tony Longhurst
Tony Longhurst
Tony Longhurst is an Australian former racing driver and Australian Champion water skier. He is most noted for his career in the Australian Touring Car Championship and V8 Supercar series....
as well as Skaife winning his second championship
2001 V8 Supercar season
The 2001 Shell Championship Series was a motor racing competition for V8 Supercars. The championship, which was the third Shell Championship Series, began on 25 March 2001 at Phillip Island and ended on 2 December at Sandown after 13 rounds...
for the team. Bright finished third in the championship (Just missing out on a great 1, 2 for HRT) and Tomas Mezera
Tomas Mezera
Tomas Mezera, born November 5, 1958, in Czechoslovakia and now resides in Queensland, Australia. Mezera is best known as an Australian racing driver. Mezera's sporting career began as a downhill skier in his native Czechoslovakia, before he emigrated to Australia to be a ski instructor.-Formula...
returned to the team for the endurance races.
2002
2002 once again saw Skaife win the championship for the third year in a row, with Bright finishing fourth. HRT won the first eight rounds of the season (Skaife – seven wins, Bright – two wins). The endurance races were the next two rounds of the championship and Jim Richards
Jim Richards (race driver)
Jim Richards is a New Zealand racing driver who has spent most of his racing life in Australia. While retired from professional racing, Richards continues to compete in the historic category Touring Car Masters while running a team in the Australian GT Championship...
and Mezera joined the team for these two rounds. Skaife and Bright failed to finish the Queensland 500
Queensland 500
The Queensland 500 was originally a V8 Supercar endurance touring car race held from 1999 to 2002. The race was held at Queensland Raceway near Ipswich. It replaced the Sandown 500 when it relinquished its role as the two-driver warm up event for the Bathurst 1000...
after qualifying second while Richards and Mezera finished fourth. At the Bathurst 1000
2002 Bob Jane T-Marts 1000
The 2002 Bob Jane T-Marts Bathurst 1000 was the sixth running of the Australia 1000 race, first held after the organisational split over the Bathurst 1000 that occurred in 1997...
, Skaife and Richards teamed together to win the event, ten years after they teamed together to win the event in a Nissan Skyline GT-R
Nissan Skyline GT-R
The Nissan Skyline GT-R is a Japanese sports car based on the Nissan Skyline range.The first GT-Rs were produced from 1969–1973. After a 16 year hiatus since the KPGC110 in 1972, the GT-R name was revived in 1989 with the Skyline R32. This car was nicknamed "Godzilla" by the Australian motoring...
with Bright and Mezera finishing third, which was a great recovery considering that Tomas had stuck the car in the sand trap early in the day. The last three rounds of the championship were not as successful as the beginning of the season with the best finish a third place for Skaife at Sandown.
2003
In 2003
2003 V8 Supercar season
The 2003 V8 Supercar season was the 44th year of touring car racing in Australia since the first runnings of the Australian Touring Car Championship and the fore-runner of the present day Bathurst 1000, the Armstrong 500....
, the parent company of HRT, Tom Walkinshaw Racing
Tom Walkinshaw Racing
Tom Walkinshaw Racing , was an auto racing team and engineering firm founded in 1976 by touring car racer Tom Walkinshaw.-History:TWR started by modifying BMW 3.0 CSLs, but soon was contracted to head Mazda's works program in the British Touring Car Championship. The TWR developed RX-7, with Win...
, suffered a financial collapse and a new owner had to be found. By mid-2003, it was announced that Mark Skaife would be the new owner. Jason Bright also left the team. 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...
was hired to race in the second car. Jim Richards
Jim Richards (race driver)
Jim Richards is a New Zealand racing driver who has spent most of his racing life in Australia. While retired from professional racing, Richards continues to compete in the historic category Touring Car Masters while running a team in the Australian GT Championship...
and Tony Longhurst
Tony Longhurst
Tony Longhurst is an Australian former racing driver and Australian Champion water skier. He is most noted for his career in the Australian Touring Car Championship and V8 Supercar series....
were co-drivers for the endurance events. Skaife and Kelly drove together at the Sandown 500 and won the race with Longhurst and Richards finishing in tenth. At the Bathurst 1000
2003 Bob Jane T-Marts 1000
The 2003 Bob Jane T-Marts Bathurst 1000 was the seventh running of the Australia 1000 race, first held after the organisational split over the Bathurst 1000 that occurred in 1997...
, Skaife and Kelly were in 2nd right right up Greg Murphy and Rick Kelly's hammer with ten laps to go, when they were given a mechanical black flag to repair damage to the left rear door sustained in an accident with one of the Brad Jones Racing
Brad Jones Racing
Brad Jones Racing is an Australian motor racing team centred around brothers Kim and Brad Jones and is based in Albury, New South Wales. Presently the team compete in the V8 Supercar Series, which they joined in 2000. Recently they have also returned to the Australian Formula Ford Championship...
cars. Skaife and Kelly finished the race in eighth with Richards and Longhurst in fifth.
2004
2004 saw Skaife and Kelly as team mates for the championship
2004 V8 Supercar season
The 2004 V8 Supercar season was the 45th year of touring car racing in Australia since the first runnings of the Australian Touring Car Championship and the fore-runner of the present day Bathurst 1000, the Armstrong 500....
. For the enduro events, Jason Plato joined Peter Brock as the co-drivers. Brock came out of retirement again to attempt to score his tenth Bathurst win, however this was not to be after Plato collided with John Cleland
John Cleland (racing driver)
John Cleland . is a retired Scottish auto racing driver. He raced autocross and hillclimb in the 1970s, before achieving success in British Production Car and Thundersaloon championships, before joining Vauxhall for the 1989 British Touring Car Championship...
driving for Ozemail Racing
Brad Jones Racing
Brad Jones Racing is an Australian motor racing team centred around brothers Kim and Brad Jones and is based in Albury, New South Wales. Presently the team compete in the V8 Supercar Series, which they joined in 2000. Recently they have also returned to the Australian Formula Ford Championship...
, after Plato slid into a tyre bundle on pit straight and had tyre and bodywork damage. Brock did not race one lap. Skaife and Kelly finished the race
2004 Bob Jane T-Marts 1000
The 2004 Bob Jane T-Marts Bathurst 1000 was the eighth running of the Australia 1000 race, first held after the organisational split over the Bathurst 1000 that occurred in 1997. The race was staged four days after the 41st anniversary of the original touring car endurance race held at the Mount...
in fourteenth position, two laps down after a belt from the engine broke early in the race. Overall Kelly finished the championship in seventh place and Skaife finished in twelfth after one of his worst seasons on record where it included a number of driver errors and reliability issues.
2005
The championship drivers remained the same for the 2005 season
2005 V8 Supercar season
The 2005 V8 Supercar season was the 46th year of touring car racing in Australia since the first runnings of the Australian Touring Car Championship and the fore-runner of the present day Bathurst 1000, the Armstrong 500....
. Both Skaife and Kelly won rounds of the championship with Kelly winning the Shanghai
Shanghai International Circuit
The Shanghai International Circuit is a motor racing circuit, situated in the Jiading District of Shanghai, People's Republic of China. The circuit is best known as the venue for the annual Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix, which was first hosted in 2004....
round which was the first V8 Supercar
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...
round in South-East Asia. This victory gave HRT their 50th round win, the first team to do so. Skaife and Kelly teamed together to win the Bathurst 1000, and Jim Richards and James Courtney
James Courtney
James Courtney is an Australian racing driver who competes in the V8 Supercar Championship. He is the current Australian Touring Car Champion after winning the 2010 title for Dick Johnson Racing....
drove the second car, however failed to finish the race.
2006
2006 saw Skaife and Kelly team together for their fourth season together. Overall Kelly finished the season in sixth place and Skaife finished in a miserable sixteenth. Both drivers did have success during the season with Skaife winning at Pukekohe
Pukekohe Park Raceway
Although Pukekohe Park Raceway is better known internationally as a motor racing circuit, it is primarily a horse racing circuit in New Zealand. It is located south of Auckland City in the North Island. The track is now owned by Pukekohe Park Limited...
and Barbagallo and Kelly winning at Surfers Paradise
Surfers Paradise Street Circuit
The Surfers Paradise Street Circuit is a temporary street circuit at Surfers Paradise, in south east Queensland, Australia. The challenging track has several fast sections and four chicanes. It is the third of three motor racing circuits that have existed in the Surfers Paradise area, after the...
and Phillip Island. For the endurance races, a deal was done between HRT and the Toll HSV Dealer Team so that 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...
would drive for HRT with Skaife, and 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...
would drive for the Toll HSV Dealer Team with his brother 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...
. It must be noted that both teams were sharing data and had an engineering partnership with Tom Walkinshaw Racing
Tom Walkinshaw Racing
Tom Walkinshaw Racing , was an auto racing team and engineering firm founded in 1976 by touring car racer Tom Walkinshaw.-History:TWR started by modifying BMW 3.0 CSLs, but soon was contracted to head Mazda's works program in the British Touring Car Championship. The TWR developed RX-7, with Win...
, and therefore they were grouped by TEGA. This was done to allow Tander and Rick Kelly the best chance at winning the championship as they were first and second in the championship before the enduros. However, the plan backfired with the Skaife/Tander car finishing 26th at Sandown and crashing out on Lap 1 at Bathurst. The second HRT car was driven by Jim Richards
Jim Richards (race driver)
Jim Richards is a New Zealand racing driver who has spent most of his racing life in Australia. While retired from professional racing, Richards continues to compete in the historic category Touring Car Masters while running a team in the Australian GT Championship...
and Ryan Briscoe
Ryan Briscoe
Ryan Briscoe is an Australian auto racing driver who has raced open wheel and sports cars in Europe and America.In addition to his native English, Briscoe speaks Italian and French...
and finished in 21st at Sandown and did not finish at Bathurst.
2007
The 2007 V8 Supercar season
2007 V8 Supercar season
The 2007 V8 Supercar season was the 48th year of touring car racing in Australia since the first runnings of the Australian Touring Car Championship and the fore-runner of the present day Bathurst 1000, the Armstrong 500....
saw the debut of the new VE Commodores. Skaife and Kelly continued their partnership as the drivers of HRT in 2007. Former Ford
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
driver Glenn Seton
Glenn Seton
Glenn Seton is an Australian racing driver.Seton, father of Courtney and Aaron Seton and husband to Jayne Seton, retired from full time racing after the 2005 V8 Supercar season, and is only one of five drivers to have competed in over 200 rounds in the series. The other drivers are Dick Johnson ,...
, a lifelong friend of Skaife, joined the team to participate in the endurance races at Sandown
Sandown 500
The Sandown 500 is an endurance motor race staged at the Sandown Raceway, near Melbourne in Victoria, Australia between 1964 and 2011. It was typically held in September, the month before Australia’s premier endurance race, the Bathurst 1000. The “500” was not run in 1966, 1967, 1999, 2000, 2008,...
and Bathurst
Bathurst 1000
The Bathurst 1000 is a touring car race held annually at Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia...
. It was the first time he had ever driven a Holden Commodore, both road-going and racing. Teamed together for the Endurance Races were Skaife and Kelly, with Seton and Nathan Pretty in the second car, although appendix surgery for Skaife forced a re-assessment for the Sandown 500, with Tony Longhurst returning to the team. It was a stellar year for the HRT duo finishing 6th (Skaife) and 7th (Kelly), both drivers got themselves Round wins, Race wins and Podiums and scored valuable points every round. For the Bahrain round
2007 Desert 400
The 2007 Desert 400 was the twelfth round of the 2007 V8 Supercar season. It was held on the weekend of the 1 to 3 November at Bahrain International Circuit in Bahrain.-External links:*...
, Todd Kelly's car was painted to represent a Chevrolet Lumina VE to celebrate ten years exporting cars into the Middle East.
2008
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...
replacing Todd Kelly, who had moved to Jack Daniel's Racing as well Rob Crawford becoming Team Manager, and Mathew Nielson also from Toll HSV Dealer Team had join the team to engineer Garth Tander's car.
Glenn Seton
Glenn Seton
Glenn Seton is an Australian racing driver.Seton, father of Courtney and Aaron Seton and husband to Jayne Seton, retired from full time racing after the 2005 V8 Supercar season, and is only one of five drivers to have competed in over 200 rounds in the series. The other drivers are Dick Johnson ,...
returned to the Holden Racing Team for the enduros, joining up with Gold Coast based kiwi Craig Baird
Craig Baird
Craig George Baird MNZM is a race car driver. Baird is a very successful driver in his homeland, winning three consecutive New Zealand Formula Atlantic championship titles , and then four consecutive New Zealand Touring Car Championship titles .Since then Baird has raced in Australian Super...
. The pair were in the running for a podium until an accident with the 2nd Jim Beam car. After the Super Cheap Auto Bathurst 1000, Garth sat third in the championship behind 2007 Championship rival 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:...
and Mark Winterbottom
Mark Winterbottom
Mark "Frosty" Winterbottom, is a racing driver who has competed in the V8 Supercar category since 2003. He currently drives for the Ford Performance Racing team...
. On 29 October Skaife also announced that 2008 would be his last season in a full time drive in V8 Supercars.
2009
Toll Holdings, through its transportation company Toll, increased its involvement to take over from Holden as the team's major sponsor. After a disappointing end to 2008, where he slipped from title contender to score only a third place finish in the championship, 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...
continues with HRT, where he was joined by Will Davison
Will Davison
Will Davison is an Australian racing driver. He currently competes with Ford Performance Racing in the #6 Trading Post FPR Falcon, in the premier Australian touring car class, V8 Supercar.-Early career:...
, previously of the Dick Johnson Racing
Dick Johnson Racing
Dick Johnson Racing is Australia's oldest operating motor racing team. Founded by Dick Johnson, the team has won seven Australian Touring Car Championship titles and has taken three victories in Australia's hallmark race, the Bathurst 1000...
Ford team, following the full time retirement of Mark Skaife. Garth Tander and Will Davison went on to win the 2009 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000
2009 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000
The 2009 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 was a motor race for V8 Supercars. It was the thirteenth running of the Australian 1000 race, first held after the organisational split over the Bathurst 1000 that occurred in 1997...
. Davison and Tander finished second and third in the championship with Davison awarded the Barry Sheene Medal
Barry Sheene Medal
The Barry Sheene Medal is an award dedicated to the memory of British motorcycle rider and Australian V8 Supercar commentator Barry Sheene. The medal is awarded to the driver who shows outstanding leadership, personality, fan appeal and sportsmanship throughout the season...
, the first Holden driver to receive the honour. The year saw both Garth and Will come very close to the title but small misfortunes during the year hindered their chance. However they did come away with the Team's Championship by a narrow margin over Team Vodafone.
2010
In 2010, Garth Tander and Will Davison continued as drivers for the Toll Holden Racing Team. For the 2010 season the team acquired new bonnet sponsorship from Red Rooster replacing the lions of the bonnet that had been there for nine years. At round Seven, Hidden Valley the team debuted two brand new VE Commodores, WR 012 now used as Car #2 for Tander and WR 013 which was used as Car #22 for Davison replacing the three year old Commodores which were WR 006 and WR 007 (now being campaigned by Fabian Coulthard in Bundaberg Red Colours). 2010 was a year of frustration for Garth and a year of pure disappointment for Will. Garth ended the year a respectable 5th with Will ending the season in an all time Toll HRT low of 22nd. As a whole the team struggled to string together a series and ended a disappointing 7th in the Team's Championship.
2011
Ownership Battle
At the start of the 2007 season, a battle erupted over the ownership of HRT. Skaife had been hounded by governing body, the Touring Car Entrants Group of Australia (TEGA), for more than four months for paperwork proving compliance with the Teams' Licence Agreement, but had failed to show the required information. He was given until 12 March to provide the evidence, or the team could be removed from the V8 Touring Car Competition.Skaife managed to produce sufficient evidence and TEGA allowed HRT to continue racing. A commercial settlement(payment) was struck between Skaife and TEGA that ensured that Skaife, and not Holden Motor Sport owner Tom Walkinshaw
Tom Walkinshaw
Tom Walkinshaw was a Scottish racing car driver and the founder of the racing team Tom Walkinshaw Racing...
, had ownership and control over the team. It has been revealed that Tom Walkinshaw owned a 50% stake in Skaife Sports. Subsequently in December 2008 Skaife sold his remaining interest in HRT to Walkinshaw.