Team Betta Electrical
Encyclopedia
Triple Eight Race Engineering (also known as TeamVodafone) is an Australian motor racing team, one of the leading motorsport
teams competing in the International V8 Supercars Championship. The team has been the only Brisbane-based V8 Supercar team since its formation, originally operating out of the former Briggs Motor Sport
workshop in Bowen Hills, the team moved to Banyo in 2009. Since taking over the former Briggs Motor Sport team during the 2003 season the team has won the V8 Supercar Championship twice with Jamie Whincup
and has won the Bathurst 1000
four times.
The team currently runs two Holden Commodores for their drivers, 2008 and 2009 series champion Jamie Whincup
and three-time series champion Craig Lowndes
. Additionally the team runs a Holden Commodore in the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series for Andrew Thompson as well as providing technical support for fellow Queensland-based teams Paul Morris Motorsport and Tekno Autosports
. The team performs its testing at Queensland Raceway
.
While originally affiliated with champion British Touring Car Championship
race team Triple 8 Race Engineering
, the Roland Dane run team is now fully independent of its British ancestry.
Triple Eight Race Engineering originated in the UK, winning 12 British Touring Car Championship
s before the decision to expand into the Australian V8 Supercars in late-2003. Triple Eight took over the Briggs Motor Sport
team which resided custom-built base at Bowen Hills
(a Brisbane
suburb), and employed 35 people (among them, former SBR
engineer Campbell Little) to build a new pair of V8 Supercars for the 2004 season. Engineers in Brisbane worked closely with the Triple Eight staff in the UK, while team bosses managed to attract substantial financial support from Ford Australia
, which has since been curtailed.
2004 was Triple Eight's first full season in V8 Supercars. It was a disappointing year for all involved, with both cars dogged by mechanical problems. Paul Radisich
came 19th in the championship, while Max Wilson
finished a lowly 28th. The team's car speed, however, was certainly up with the front-runners for many weekends.
2005 saw a massive form reversal for Triple Eight. Star driver Craig Lowndes
was signed to replace Radisich, and Steve Ellery replaced Wilson. Lowndes in particular was a catalyst for change, which along with powerful and reliable SBR
-sourced engines saw a massive improvement in the team's performance. Lowndes finished second in the championship, finishing the year strongly and narrowly missing out on snatching the title from Russell Ingall
. Ellery came 13th. The year's highlights included a win to Lowndes and co-driver Yvan Muller
in the Sandown 500
, a third placing to Ellery and co-driver Adam Macrow
at the Bathurst 1000. Lowndes won a further three rounds, and qualified on pole position four times (including Bathurst)
2006 saw a continuation of this strong form, with new recruit Jamie Whincup
replacing Ellery, and making an instant impact in the form of a win at the Clipsal 500
. Lowndes scored four round wins, including sharing victory at the Bathurst 1000 with Jamie Whincup
, winning the inaugural Peter Brock Trophy.
Having led the championship to Round 11, Lowndes lost the series lead at the Symmons Plains Raceway
weekend. Having seen a big chunk of his lead evaporate at the previous round on the Gold Coast
following two penalties for dangerous driving approaching the starting grid, the pressure was on Lowndes to perform at the Tasmania event. Unfortunately for Lowndes, he was caught in a massive crash on the opening lap of the first race, forcing him to the rear of the grid for the next race. He recovered, but he lost the series lead to Rick Kelly
, who took a handy 73-point lead. At the next round in Bahrain
, Lowndes stormed back into contention as Kelly encountered problems of his own. The stage was set for a spectacular finale at Phillip Island
, with the two contenders separated by just seven points.
Lowndes qualified on the third row of the grid, while Kelly was further back on the fifth row. However, Kelly fought back in the first race to be right on Lowndes' bumper at the conclusion of the race - Lowndes was fourth, Kelly fifth. In the second race, Lowndes came third while Kelly was fourth - again close behind. The points going into the final race of the year were tied. On the opening lap of the final race, Kelly pushed Lowndes on the rear bumper while in the high-speed section between Turns 3 and 4, sending Lowndes into a spin, eventually cleaning out both Lowndes and Todd Kelly
(Rick's older brother). Rick Kelly was given a drive-through penalty, and finished 18th. Lowndes' car was extensively damaged and was only able to salvage 29th place. Rick Kelly had won the championship.
However, Lowndes and his Triple Eight team protested, claiming that Kelly had deliberately taken Lowndes out of the race. The stewards, after deliberation, dismissed the appeal, saying that the drive-through penalty was sufficient punishment for Kelly. Furthermore, Lowndes and Triple Eight accused the Toll HSV Dealer Team and the Holden Racing Team
for bad sportsmanship - Mark Skaife
was given a bad sportsmanship flag in Race 1 for blocking Lowndes, while Kelly's team-mate Garth Tander
was given a drive-through penalty for blocking Lowndes in Race 2. Some days later, Lowndes was awarded the prized Barry Sheene Medal
, which was some consolation.
In 2007
, the team retained the services of Jamie Whincup
and Craig Lowndes
. The new title sponsor was Vodafone, replacing Betta Electrical. The team has won four rounds of the championship thus far, including both endurance races, Sandown and Bathurst
. TeamVodafone's Jamie Whincup narrowly missed out on the 2007 drivers championship by 2 points, with Garth Tander
and Toll HSV Racing Team winning the last race of the season (Phillip Island).
2008 proved to be the year for TeamVodafone winning their first drivers championship with Jamie Whincup, their third straight Bathurst 1000 victory, and capping it all off with a clean up at the gala awards night, collecting the team's fourth straight Barry Sheene medal and the Best Presented team award. Following Ford's decision to withdraw support from all teams running Ford Falcons other than Ford Performance Racing
or Stone Brothers Racing
the Ford logos on the front of the cars were replaced by a stylised pink pigs head, referring to the Hog's Breath Cafe
, one of the team sponsors.
In 2009 the team ran brand new FG Falcons with the champion's #1 on the side of Whincup's car. Triple Eight Racing won fifteen of the twenty three races staged during the championship, with Whincup winning eleven races and the championship and Lowndes taking four wins at Winton, the Gold Coast and Barbagallo, finishing the year in fourth.
s, as the Triple Eight engineering outfit after signing a three-year deal with Holden. The team has also re-signed with major sponsor Vodafone for another three years until the end of the 2012 season..
The team celebrated the first race of the year with a 1-2 finish with Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes respectively. Jamie Whincup won both races in Abu Dhabi, Bahrain and Hamilton but lost the championship lead after troubled races at Queensland Raceway and Winton and sits second in the standings while teammate Craig Lowndes finished on the podium several times and sits in third. They also had a great result at bathurst with a 1-2 finish with Craig Lowndes, Mark Skaife and Jamie Whincup, Steve Owen respectively.
Motorsport
Motorsport or motorsports is the group of sports which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles, whether for racing or non-racing competition...
teams competing in the International V8 Supercars Championship. The team has been the only Brisbane-based V8 Supercar team since its formation, originally operating out of the former Briggs Motor Sport
Briggs Motor Sport
Briggs Motor Sport was an Australian motor racing team which has represented Queensland based businessman John Briggs in motor racing. The team has competed in Sports Sedans, Formula Holden and most publicly as a touring car team competing in the V8 Supercar Championship Series...
workshop in Bowen Hills, the team moved to Banyo in 2009. Since taking over the former Briggs Motor Sport team during the 2003 season the team has won the V8 Supercar Championship twice with 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 has won the Bathurst 1000
Bathurst 1000
The Bathurst 1000 is a touring car race held annually at Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia...
four times.
The team currently runs two Holden Commodores for their drivers, 2008 and 2009 series 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:...
and three-time series 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...
. Additionally the team runs a Holden Commodore in the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series for Andrew Thompson as well as providing technical support for fellow Queensland-based teams Paul Morris Motorsport and Tekno Autosports
Tekno Autosports
Tekno Autosports is an Australian motor racing team, established in the early 2000s initially for the motor racing activities of Steve Webb, and later his son Jonathon Webb. The Gold Coast-based team runs a racing entitlement contract to compete in the International V8 Supercars Championship...
. The team performs its testing 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....
.
While originally affiliated with champion 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...
race team Triple 8 Race Engineering
Triple 8 Race Engineering
Triple Eight Race Engineering is an auto racing team formed in 1996 to design, build and race Vauxhalls on behalf of the General Motors brand in the British Touring Car Championship . A close working alliance has developed during a decade of success and Triple Eight is now Vauxhall's technical...
, the Roland Dane run team is now fully independent of its British ancestry.
History
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...
s before the decision to expand into the Australian V8 Supercars in late-2003. Triple Eight took over the Briggs Motor Sport
Briggs Motor Sport
Briggs Motor Sport was an Australian motor racing team which has represented Queensland based businessman John Briggs in motor racing. The team has competed in Sports Sedans, Formula Holden and most publicly as a touring car team competing in the V8 Supercar Championship Series...
team which resided custom-built base at Bowen Hills
Bowen Hills, Queensland
Bowen Hills is an inner suburb of Brisbane, Australia, located 3 km northeast of the Brisbane CBD. It was named after a Governor of Queensland, Sir George Ferguson Bowen.-History:...
(a Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
suburb), and employed 35 people (among them, former SBR
Stone Brothers Racing
Stone Brothers Racing is an Australian motor racing team competing in the International V8 Supercars Championship, formed in 1998 by experienced New Zealand-born motorsport veterans, Ross Stone and Jim Stone after buying out their partner in their previous racing team...
engineer Campbell Little) to build a new pair of V8 Supercars for the 2004 season. Engineers in Brisbane worked closely with the Triple Eight staff in the UK, while team bosses managed to attract substantial financial support from Ford Australia
Ford Australia
Ford Australia is the Australian subsidiary of Ford Motor Company and was founded in Geelong, Victoria, in 1925 as an outpost of Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited. At that time, Ford Canada was a separate company from Ford USA...
, which has since been curtailed.
2004 was Triple Eight's first full season in V8 Supercars. It was a disappointing year for all involved, with both cars dogged by mechanical problems. 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:...
came 19th in the championship, while Max Wilson
Max Wilson
Max Wilson, , is a racing driver of Brazilian parentage.He started his motor racing career in 1985 in go-karts...
finished a lowly 28th. The team's car speed, however, was certainly up with the front-runners for many weekends.
2005 saw a massive form reversal for Triple Eight. Star driver 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...
was signed to replace Radisich, and Steve Ellery replaced Wilson. Lowndes in particular was a catalyst for change, which along with powerful and reliable SBR
Stone Brothers Racing
Stone Brothers Racing is an Australian motor racing team competing in the International V8 Supercars Championship, formed in 1998 by experienced New Zealand-born motorsport veterans, Ross Stone and Jim Stone after buying out their partner in their previous racing team...
-sourced engines saw a massive improvement in the team's performance. Lowndes finished second in the championship, finishing the year strongly and narrowly missing out on snatching the title from Russell Ingall
Russell Ingall
Russell Ingall is an Australian V8 Supercar driver. Ingall won the V8 Supercar Championship for the first time in 2005, he was also the Championship runner up in 1998, 1999 and 2001. Ingall has also won the Bathurst 1000 motor race twice, in 1995 and 1997...
. Ellery came 13th. The year's highlights included a win to Lowndes and co-driver 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:...
in the Sandown 500
2005 Betta Electrical 500
The 2005 Betta Electrical 500 was the ninth round of the 2005 V8 Supercar Championship Series. It was held on the weekend of the 9 to 11 September at Sandown Raceway in Victoria.It was the 38th "Sandown 500" endurance race.-Top ten shootout:...
, a third placing to Ellery and co-driver Adam Macrow
Adam Macrow
Adam Macrow is a professional race car driver now living in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Starting in Karts in 1985 winning two National titles and ten Victorian titles...
at the Bathurst 1000. Lowndes won a further three rounds, and qualified on pole position four times (including Bathurst)
2006 saw a continuation of this strong form, with new recruit 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:...
replacing Ellery, and making an instant impact in the form of a win at the Clipsal 500
2006 Clipsal 500
The 2006 Adelaide 500 was the first round of the 2006 V8 Supercar Season. It took place from 23 to 26 March.-Qualifying:The qualifying for the Adelaide 500 took place on Friday, 24 March 2006. As in the case of most V8 Supercar races, there was a Top Ten Shootout which could make the person that...
. Lowndes scored four round wins, including sharing victory at the Bathurst 1000 with 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:...
, winning the inaugural Peter Brock Trophy.
Having led the championship to Round 11, Lowndes lost the series lead at the Symmons Plains Raceway
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...
weekend. Having seen a big chunk of his lead evaporate at the previous round on the Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
following two penalties for dangerous driving approaching the starting grid, the pressure was on Lowndes to perform at the Tasmania event. Unfortunately for Lowndes, he was caught in a massive crash on the opening lap of the first race, forcing him to the rear of the grid for the next race. He recovered, but he lost the series lead to 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...
, who took a handy 73-point lead. At the next round in Bahrain
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
, Lowndes stormed back into contention as Kelly encountered problems of his own. The stage was set for a spectacular finale at Phillip 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:...
, with the two contenders separated by just seven points.
Lowndes qualified on the third row of the grid, while Kelly was further back on the fifth row. However, Kelly fought back in the first race to be right on Lowndes' bumper at the conclusion of the race - Lowndes was fourth, Kelly fifth. In the second race, Lowndes came third while Kelly was fourth - again close behind. The points going into the final race of the year were tied. On the opening lap of the final race, Kelly pushed Lowndes on the rear bumper while in the high-speed section between Turns 3 and 4, sending Lowndes into a spin, eventually cleaning out both Lowndes 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...
(Rick's older brother). Rick Kelly was given a drive-through penalty, and finished 18th. Lowndes' car was extensively damaged and was only able to salvage 29th place. Rick Kelly had won the championship.
However, Lowndes and his Triple Eight team protested, claiming that Kelly had deliberately taken Lowndes out of the race. The stewards, after deliberation, dismissed the appeal, saying that the drive-through penalty was sufficient punishment for Kelly. Furthermore, Lowndes and Triple Eight accused the Toll HSV Dealer Team and the Holden Racing Team
Holden Racing Team
The 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...
for bad sportsmanship - 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...
was given a bad sportsmanship flag in Race 1 for blocking Lowndes, while Kelly's team-mate 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...
was given a drive-through penalty for blocking Lowndes in Race 2. Some days later, Lowndes was awarded the prized 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...
, which was some consolation.
In 2007
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....
, the team retained the services of 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 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...
. The new title sponsor was Vodafone, replacing Betta Electrical. The team has won four rounds of the championship thus far, including both endurance races, Sandown and Bathurst
2007 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000
The 2007 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 was an endurance race for V8 Supercars, held on 7 October 2007 at the Mount Panorama Circuit near Bathurst in New South Wales, Australia...
. TeamVodafone's Jamie Whincup narrowly missed out on the 2007 drivers championship by 2 points, with 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 Toll HSV Racing Team winning the last race of the season (Phillip Island).
2008 proved to be the year for TeamVodafone winning their first drivers championship with Jamie Whincup, their third straight Bathurst 1000 victory, and capping it all off with a clean up at the gala awards night, collecting the team's fourth straight Barry Sheene medal and the Best Presented team award. Following Ford's decision to withdraw support from all teams running Ford Falcons other than Ford Performance Racing
Ford Performance Racing
Ford Performance Racing is a British-owned Australian-based motor racing team that contests the Australian International V8 Supercars Championship...
or Stone Brothers Racing
Stone Brothers Racing
Stone Brothers Racing is an Australian motor racing team competing in the International V8 Supercars Championship, formed in 1998 by experienced New Zealand-born motorsport veterans, Ross Stone and Jim Stone after buying out their partner in their previous racing team...
the Ford logos on the front of the cars were replaced by a stylised pink pigs head, referring to the Hog's Breath Cafe
Hog's Breath Cafe
Hog's Breath Cafe is an Australian chain of steak house restaurants. The first business was opened in July 1989 at Airlie Beach by Don Algie. In November the following year, a second store was opened in Mooloolaba...
, one of the team sponsors.
In 2009 the team ran brand new FG Falcons with the champion's #1 on the side of Whincup's car. Triple Eight Racing won fifteen of the twenty three races staged during the championship, with Whincup winning eleven races and the championship and Lowndes taking four wins at Winton, the Gold Coast and Barbagallo, finishing the year in fourth.
Change to Holden
In 2010, the team is now racing Holden CommodoreHolden Commodore
The Holden Commodore is an automobile manufactured since 1978 by the Holden subsidiary of General Motors in Australia, and, formerly, in New Zealand. In the mid-1970s, Holden established proposals to replace the long-serving Kingswood nameplate with a smaller, Opel-based model...
s, as the Triple Eight engineering outfit after signing a three-year deal with Holden. The team has also re-signed with major sponsor Vodafone for another three years until the end of the 2012 season..
The team celebrated the first race of the year with a 1-2 finish with Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes respectively. Jamie Whincup won both races in Abu Dhabi, Bahrain and Hamilton but lost the championship lead after troubled races at Queensland Raceway and Winton and sits second in the standings while teammate Craig Lowndes finished on the podium several times and sits in third. They also had a great result at bathurst with a 1-2 finish with Craig Lowndes, Mark Skaife and Jamie Whincup, Steve Owen respectively.