Holden Racing, the factory V8 Supercar Series team, has uncovered the racing variant of the all-new VF Commodore. V8 Supercar Champions, Garth Tander and James Courtney lifted the covers off the new car, built to V8 Supercars' new "Car Of The Future" regulations, at Holden's Melbourne headquarters. (Click here for video of the car's first track run.)
Tander and Courtney revealed a spectacular car presented in a striking new livery to match VF Commodore's stylish look, the scheme highlighted by the return of the traditional Holden Lion. Three-time Bathurst winner Tander said VF Commodore and the team's new look reflects a fresh start for HRT in V8's COTF era.
“The new VF Commodore looks fantastic – it's very different to VE and marks the beginning of a new chapter in HRT's history,” he said. “We had a lot of feedback from our supporters who wanted to see the Lion back on, and it's great to be in a position where we've been able to do that.
“With such a major change in the car and the technical package, I'm hesitant to make any bold predictions for this season but I'm confident in knowing that everyone at HRT has put their absolute maximum effort into this year's preparation.”
Holden Racing Team Managing Director Steve Hallam expressed pide of the car's development.
“Today is the culmination of an extremely co-operative and productive 12-month development program involving Holden Motorsport, [HRT parent company] Walkinshaw Racing and Triple Eight Race Engineering,” Hallam said.
“I am tremendously satisfied with the role which Walkinshaw Racing played in that program, and I would like to make particular mention of our Chief Designer Doug Skinner and Operations Manager Adam Laws, and their teams in getting us to this point.
“With Car Of The Future it is a new era for our sport, so today not only have we unveiled an outstanding new racecar, we have also begun an exciting new chapter in the storied history of the Holden Racing Team.”
Three-time Bathurst winner, Tander said VF Commodore and the team's new look reflects a fresh start for HRT in V8's COTF era.
“The new VF Commodore looks fantastic – it's very different to VE and marks the beginning of a new chapter in HRT's history,” he said.
“We had a lot of feedback from our supporters who wanted to see the Lion back on the hood, and it's great to be in a position where we've been able to do that.
“With such a major change in the car and the technical package, I'm hesitant to make any bold predictions for this season but I'm confident in knowing that everyone at HRT has put their absolute maximum effort into this year's preparation.”
“The new design looks clean, classy and professional,” 2010 V8 Champion James Courtney added.
“It's a massive step forward and I think everyone will be proud Australia can produce such a great looking car.”
HRT's continued pursuit of success has led to an engineering reshuffle across the two cars. Scott Sinclair will manage Tander's #2 VF, accompanied by engineer Jason Bush; Courtney's #22 HRT
“It's a very strong engineering mix,” Courtney said. “Alastair is very analytical, while Rob is more hands-on, so combined they will help us to make the most of the new Commodore.”