HRT Unveils Brighter And More Aggressive Look With New VE Commodores

HRT

Feb 16, 2007

The most successful team in Australian Touring Car history, the Holden Racing Team in Melbourne today unveiled the cars it hopes drivers Mark Skaife and Todd Kelly can claim back the V8 Supercar Championship with - the new generation Holden VE Commodore.

The official factory team’s racing version of the recently announced Wheels ‘Car Of The Year’ is the result of an intensive 18-month design and development program and subsequent build phase undertaken by the team in conjunction with Holden and TEGA.

The road going Commodore’s design winning Euro styling and wide stance is enhanced on the race version by a more aggressive look for HRT, with a greater presence of black on the vehicle complimented by the colourful, bright and energetic new HRT day-glo red base colour.

In addition to unveiling the design for the very first time, the team also announced that dual V8 Supercar Champion Glenn Seton will join the driver line-up for the season’s annual Sandown and Bathurst endurance races, the 41-year-old joining Holden’s factory team after a long association with rival manufacturer, Ford.

Five-time Series Champion Skaife said the introduction of the new car was the most significant change in HRT’s program in almost a decade.

“The VE is the biggest change we’ve had since the VT first hit the track back in 1998, so today is quite a momentous occasion for Holden’s factory team, ” Skaife said.

“Our speed in 2006 was exceptional, but our reliability – which has been a hallmark of the team for years - needs to improve this year.

“The new car is a different beast in some ways and similar in others. Normally there are teething problems associated with new cars, and it might take a little time to work out what the VE likes on the track, but it should be sorted out reasonably quickly.

“As I have said before, if they go half as good as they look, then Holden fans are in for a terrific season. ”

Skaife also welcomed his lifelong friend, Glenn Seton, to the team for the endurance races.

“Glenn and I have been mates since we were kids, and we were team-mates early on in our careers at Gibson Motorsport, ” Skaife said.

“When the V8 era began, I was lucky enough to join Holden while Glenn joined the ‘darkside’.

“Since he stopped driving fulltime, I’ve been trying to entice him over for a couple of years and now I’m rapt that he’s finally accepted and he’ll be able to drive a good car at last! ”

For Seton, winner of the ATCC/V8 Supercar Championships in 1993 and 1997, his signing to HRT signals the first time that he will have ever driven a Holden Commodore.

“This will be a whole new experience for me, I don’t think I’ve ever driven a Commodore – not even a rent-a-car! ” Seton said.

“Mark [Skaife] has spoken to me about coming onboard with HRT for the past two or three years, but I have always had other commitments. This time when he asked I didn’t have to think about it for too long.

“It is a great opportunity for me to potentially be a part of a winning team at Bathurst, which has always been my dream and a goal.

“The Team’s record speaks for itself, it has had great success in championships and at Bathurst and I am really looking forward to being a part of Team Red. ”

Seton, who has finished on the podium at Bathurst three out of the past four years with two seconds and a third, said that while he does not have a fulltime ride, retirement was far from his mind.

“Just because you hit 40 doesn’t mean you lose the talent or the skill. Some people lose their passion for racing, but that’s something I haven’t lost – it still burns within me, ” he said.

“My career wouldn’t be complete without a Bathurst win and driving for HRT gives me the potential to live my dream. I’m not ready to retire and I’m looking at this as the next stepping stone in my career. ”

Kelly, a winner of two championship rounds and two pole positions during the 2006 season, said the new VE Commodores hailed in an exciting time for the team.

“The introduction of the VE Commodore represents a new era for all Holden teams and drivers, and particularly for the Holden Racing Team and Mark and myself, ” Kelly said.

“For almost all of my V8 Supercar career I’ve driven cars based on the same platform (VT-VZ), so the change is both refreshing and exciting.

“I’ve already spent a lot of time in the VE prototype while it underwent aero testing, but as yet I haven’t driven the car in anger – it was all just straightline work or around the Lang Lang proving ground”.

“It was like giving a kid their Christmas presents but not allowing them to open them until March! ”

The new HRT Commodores will hit the track for their first test at Winton Motor Raceway, near Benalla, on Monday.