The Toll Holden Racing Team has confirmed its star regular season drivers Garth Tander and Mark Skaife will share the #1 Holden Commodore racer for the upcoming Phillip Island 500 and Bathurst 1000 V8 Supercar endurance races.
Series leader and reigning titleholder Tander forms a star-studded combination with his teammate, five-time Series and Bathurst champion Skaife, while dual V8 Supercar champion Glenn Seton and Carrera Cup champion Craig Baird will also create a formidable pairing in HRT’s #2 car.
Tander, the winner of the Bathurst classic in 2000, and Skaife, whose victories at Mount Panorama came in 1991, 1992, 2001, 2002 and 2005, will resurrect a partnership they shared in 2006.
“A lot of people said Mark and I wouldn’t work out then, but we proved them wrong and I’m looking forward to working side-by-side with him in the enduros again,” Tander said.
“We were on pole in both races and while the results may have gone pear-shaped for other reasons, everything else went smoothly – we had no issues and the working relationship was fine.”
Toll HRT team manager Rob Crawford said the driver pairings were logical. “Garth and Mark present one of the strongest driver combinations in the field and allow us to put our best foot forward,” he said.
“This is the best possible strategy for us to look after Garth’s championship while still chasing race wins. Both guys know what it takes to win enduro races and look after the car so I’m confident that if we get a straight run at it, we can look after both of those objectives.”
Crawford said Seton and Baird would form a strong and experienced combination capable of running in the top five.
“Between our four drivers we’ve got decades of experience to draw on,” Crawford said. “Glenn and Craig can press on without the pressure of needing to bank championship points, and maybe even surprise a few of the more fancied contenders.”
The Lawrence and Hanson Phillip Island 500 will be held at Phillip Island from September 12-14 while the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 runs from October 9-12.
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