V8 Supercar 2006 champion Rick Kelly and team-mate Garth Tander will both drive for the Toll HSV Dealer Team until at least the end of 2008.
The Holden stars made the announcement jointly with the team at today’s Toll HSV team launch in Melbourne.
Kelly’s agreement is a two-year deal, covering 2007 and 2008, while Tander has agreed to extend his existing contract by one more year, to include 2008.
The pair revealed that they had actually negotiated the new agreements towards the end of last season, but had kept them under wraps so they could concentrate on their successful push for victory in the 2006 Teams and Drivers Championships.
Said Kelly: “We didn’t need the distraction of all that while we were at a crucial stage of the championship, so we got it out of the way and put it in the bottom drawer and got on with the job of winning the title.
“It is great to know I will be here for two more years. Toll HSV has shown they are one of the best teams of the business, not just in terms of track speed and strategy, but also just getting along together. It is like going racing with mates. â€
Tander said he had switched to the Toll HSV Dealer Team in 2005 with one objective: to win a Drivers Championship.
“I came here because I knew this team was capable of running at the front, and nothing that has happening in the past two seasons has changed my mind, †he said.
“We all work well together – this is a team in every sense. I am very happy here, but more importantly, I know that I have a great opportunity to win a championship with these guys. â€
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