SupercarXtra Magazine Issue 127

SUPERCARXTRA

2022 SUPERCARS SEASON IN REVIEW

ISSUE 127

ISSUE 127

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ISSUE 127 AUS $10.95 ISSN 1442-9926 SCX127 Outside Cover.indd 1

THE RISE & RISE OF SUPERCARS’ DOMINATOR, SHANE VAN GISBERGEN

PLUS sensational adelaide: the return of the 500 HOLDEN’S FINAL FAREWELL: THE LION DEPARTS GENERATION NEXT: UNDER THE SKIN OF GEN3 DAVID REYNOLDS: LIFE OF A SUPERCARS DRIVER FALCON XD & XE: FORD’S GROUP C WEAPONS 14/11/2022 1:04:24 PM

ISSUE 127 INCORPORATING V8X MAGAZINE PUBLISHER 6 2022 SEASON IN REVIEW A look back at the races and results of the 2022 Repco Supercars Championship. 9 SUPERCARS DRIVER PROFILES How the 25 full-time drivers fared over the 2022 Repco Supercars Championship. 21 SENSATIONAL ADELAIDE How the Adelaide 500 began and set a new event template for Supercars. 28 ADELAIDE 500 HONOUR ROLL The race and round winners from the Adelaide 500.

31 HOLDEN’S HOMETOWN FAREWELL The final farewell to Holden following its last Supercars event in Adelaide. 36 GENERATION NEXT Looking ahead to Gen3 and the new-look Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro. 41 THE KING OF THE HILL The rise of Shane van Gisbergen to become the Supercars dominator. 46 THE LIFE OF A SUPERCARS DRIVER David Reynolds with insights into the life of a Supercars driver.

Ed’s Note

51 ADELAIDE ALIVE The history of the non-championship support races at the Adelaide Grand Prix. 56 FORD’S FINAL GROUP C FALCONS The history of the Ford XD and XE Falcon, the Blue Oval’s last Group C cars. 61 THE BARN FIND: BATHURSTSPEC FORD COBRA The discovery of one of the last Bathurstspec Ford Falcon Cobras. 66 FROM THE ARCHIVES Nick Percat’s underdog win at the 2016 Adelaide 500.

Allan Edwards Raamen Pty Ltd trading as V8X PO Box 225, Keilor, VIC 3036 publisher@supercarxtra.com.au EDITOR Adrian Musolino editor@supercarxtra.com.au SUB EDITORS Krystal Boots, Amanda Cobb DESIGNER Thao Trinh PHOTOGRAPHERS Peter Norton, Autopics.com.au, Glenis Lindley, James Baker, Ben Auld, Justin Deeley, Mark Horsburgh, P1 Images, Paul Nathan, Scott Wensley,

/SupercarXtra @SupercarXtra @SupercarXtra

Welcome to SupercarXtra Magazine issue #127! This edition of SupercarXtra Magazine is also included in the official event program for the 2022 VALO Adelaide 500. Therefore, the page numbers beginning with P relate to the pagination within those programs, while the numbers on their own relate to the pagination within issue #127. Visit SupercarXtra.com.au for the latest news, to purchase the print programs and more!

Danny Bourke, Matthew Norton, Jack Martin ADVERTISING Matt Rice Mobile: 0404 672 196 EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES Phone: (03) 9372 9125 office@supercarxtra.com.au ACCOUNTS Bookkeeper: Mark Frauenfelder accounts@supercarxtra.com.au MERCHANDISE & SUBSCRIPTIONS Phone: (03) 9372 9125 office@supercarxtra.com.au Published by Raamen Pty Ltd trading as V8X. Material in Supercar Xtra is protected by copyright laws and may not be reproduced in full or in part in any format. Supercar Xtra will consider unsolicited articles and pictures; however, no responsibility will be taken for their return. While all efforts are taken to verify information in Supercar Xtra is factual, no responsibility will be taken for any material which is later found to be false or misleading. The opinions of the contributors are not always those of the publishers.

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2022 SEASON IN REVIEW The 2022 Repco Supercars Championship saw Holden bow out with a championship and Bathurst 1000 double, as Triple Eight Race Engineering’s Shane van Gisbergen proved unstoppable.

A

record-breaking season for Triple Eight Race Engineering’s Shane van Gisbergen saw the New Zealander take out his third Supercars drivers’ championship, steer Holden and Triple Eight to the teams’ and manufacturers’ titles and claim another Bathurst 1000 win. Victory at Bathurst gave van Gisbergen the record for most race wins in a season, going down in history as the final championship and Bathurst winner (alongside co-driver Garth Tander) for Holden. Coupled with an emotional win on home soil at the final Supercars event at Pukekohe, it was a near-perfect season for van Gisbergen. While his rivals peaked and troughed, van Gisbergen was consistent throughout the whole season. Only in Darwin did he not win a race over the course of an event, and even then he scored two third-place finishes. Walkinshaw Andretti United’s Chaz Mostert was the first driver to defeat van Gisbergen, carrying his Bathurst-winning form from 2021 into 2022 with a win in the season opener in Sydney and two more in the third event at Melbourne. But his championship tilt unravelled following a disastrous event in Perth. P38 / 6

The Fords emerged as a threat in the midway point of the season with wins for the Dick Johnson Racing pair of Anton De Pasquale and Will Davison and Tickford Racing’s Cameron Waters. The latter proved the closest challenger in terms of outright pace and combativeness against van Gisbergen, though the ground lost from lowly race finishes in Tasmania and Melbourne meant Waters had far too much ground to recover in the championship race. The Dick Johnson Racing duo were regulars on the podium throughout the season, with Davison ending a winless run dating back to 2016 with his win in Perth. But an incident-filled race day at Bathurst left both entries out of championship contention. While van Gisbergen was

rewriting the record books, rookie teammate Broc Feeney acquitted himself well in the daunting task of replacing seven-time champion Jamie Whincup. He built on a first podium in Tasmania early in the season with consistent finishes. Grove Racing started the season strongly with podiums for David Reynolds and Lee Holdsworth, the latter in his final full-time season. After a challenging mid-season, Reynolds returned to the podium on the Gold Coast. Erebus Motorsport youngsters Brodie Kostecki and Will Brown continued to make waves in their second full-time seasons, each scoring podium finishes. André Heimgartner emerged as the team leader at Brad Jones Racing, joining fellow New Zealander van

Gisbergen on the podium at Pukekohe. Team 18 was left frustrated by a podium-less season, as its bid for a first win in Supercars continued on for another season. Similarly for Matt Stone Racing, with flashes of speed from its Commodores. PremiAir Racing impressed in its first season, with the mid-season arrival of James Golding giving the team a shot in the arm with its results improving over the course of the year. The Blanchard Racing Team continued to punch above its weight as the only single-car team in Supercars, fighting it out for a top-10 championship finish. The form guide will be ripped apart with the switch to Gen3 in 2023, leaving more questions than answers heading into the off-season.

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BEAUREPAIRES SYDNEY SUPERNIGHT RACE 1 1st – Shane van Gisbergen 2nd – Anton De Pasquale 3rd – Chaz Mostert RACE 2 1st – Chaz Mostert 2nd – Brodie Kostecki 3rd – Anton De Pasquale

NED WHISKY TASMANIA SUPERSPRINT RACE 3 1st – Shane van Gisbergen 2nd – Will Davison 3rd – Cameron Waters RACE 4 1st – Shane van Gisbergen 2nd – Broc Feeney 3rd – David Reynolds RACE 5 1st – Shane van Gisbergen 2nd – Will Davison 3rd – Anton De Pasquale

BEAUREPAIRES MELBOURNE 400 RACE 6 1st – Chaz Mostert 2nd – David Reynolds 3rd – Shane van Gisbergen RACE 7 1st – Shane van Gisbergen 2nd – David Reynolds 3rd – Lee Holdsworth RACE 8 1st – Shane van Gisbergen 2nd – Will Davison 3rd – David Reynolds RACE 9 1st – Chaz Mostert 2nd – Will Davison 3rd – Anton De Pasquale

RACE 12 1st – Shane van Gisbergen 2nd – James Courtney 3rd – Will Davison

PIZZA HUT WINTON SUPERSPRINT RACE 13 1st – Cameron Waters 2nd – Shane van Gisbergen 3rd – David Reynolds RACE 14 1st – Shane van Gisbergen 2nd – Cameron Waters 3rd – David Reynolds RACE 15 1st – Cameron Waters 2nd – Shane van Gisbergen 3rd – André Heimgartner MERLIN DARWIN TRIPLE CROWN RACE 16 1st – Anton De Pasquale 2nd – Will Davison 3rd – Shane van Gisbergen RACE 17 1st – Cameron Waters 2nd – Will Davison 3rd – Shane van Gisbergen RACE 18 1st – Chaz Mostert 2nd – Anton De Pasquale 3rd – Cameron Waters NTI TOWNSVIILE 500 RACE 19 1st – Shane van Gisbergen 2nd – Will Davison 3rd – Cameron Waters RACE 20 1st – Shane van Gisbergen 2nd – Anton De Pasquale 3rd – Cameron Waters

OTR THE BEND SUPERSPRINT

BUNNINGS TRADE PERTH SUPERNIGHT

RACE 21 1st – Shane van Gisbergen 2nd – Will Davison 3rd – Chaz Mostert

RACE 10 1st – Shane van Gisbergen 2nd – Anton De Pasquale 3rd – Cameron Waters

RACE 22 1st – Shane van Gisbergen 2nd – Chaz Mostert 3rd – James Courtney

RACE 11 1st – Will Davison 2nd – Anton De Pasquale 3rd – André Heimgartner

RACE 23 1st – Shane van Gisbergen 2nd – Cameron Waters 3rd – Brodie Kostecki

PENRITE OIL SANDOWN SUPERSPRINT RACE 24 1st – Will Davison 2nd – Shane van Gisbergen 3rd – Anton de Pasquale RACE 25 1st – Shane van Gisbergen 2nd – Chaz Mostert 3rd – Will Brown RACE 26 1st – Shane van Gisbergen 2nd – Will Davison 3rd – Broc Feeney

ITM AUCKLAND SUPERSPRINT RACE 27 1st – Will Davison 2nd – André Heimgartner 3rd – Cameron Waters RACE 28 1st – Shane van Gisbergen 2nd – Chaz Mostert 3rd – Cameron Waters RACE 29 1st – Shane van Gisbergen 2nd – Cameron Waters 3rd – André Heimgartner

REPCO BATHURST 1000 RACE 30 1st – Shane van Gisbergen / Garth Tander 2nd – Chaz Mostert / Fabian Coulthard 3rd – Cameron Waters / James Moffat

BOOST MOBILE GOLD COAST 500 RACE 31 1st – Shane van Gisbergen 2nd – David Reynolds 3rd – Chaz Mostert RACE 32 1st – Shane van Gisbergen 2nd – Chaz Mostert 3rd – Will Davison

VALO ADELAIDE 500 RACE 33 1st – 2nd – 3rd – RACE 34 1st – 2nd – 3rd –

Scan for the 2022 Repco Supercars Championship points standings.

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2022 REPCO SUPERCARS CHAMPIONSHIP ENTRIES #

Driver

Team Sponsor Name

Car

2

Nick Percat

Mobil 1 NTI Racing

Holden ZB Commodore

3

Tim Slade

CoolDrive Auto Parts

Ford Mustang

4

Jack Smith

SCT Racing

Holden ZB Commodore

5

James Courtney

Snowy River Racing

Ford Mustang

6

Cameron Waters

Monster Energy Racing

Ford Mustang

8

André Heimgartner

R&J Batteries Racing

Holden ZB Commodore

9

Will Brown

Boost Mobile Racing powered by Erebus

Holden ZB Commodore

10

Lee Holdsworth

Penrite Racing

Ford Mustang

11

Anton De Pasquale

Shell V-Power Racing Team

Ford Mustang

14

Bryce Fullwood

Middy’s Electrical Racing

Holden ZB Commodore

17

Will Davison

Shell V-Power Racing Team

Ford Mustang

18

Mark Winterbottom

IRWIN Racing

Holden ZB Commodore

20

Scott Pye

Nulon Racing

Holden ZB Commodore

22

Chris Pither

PremiAir Coca Cola Racing

Holden ZB Commodore

25

Chaz Mostert

Mobil 1 Optus Racing

Holden ZB Commodore

26

David Reynolds

Penrite Racing

Ford Mustang

31

James Golding

PremiAir Subway Racing

Holden ZB Commodore

34

Jack Le Brocq

Truck Assist Racing

Holden ZB Commodore

35

Todd Hazelwood

Truck Assist Racing

Holden ZB Commodore

55

Thomas Randle

Castrol Racing

Ford Mustang

56

Jake Kostecki

Tradie Racing

Ford Mustang

88

Broc Feeney

Red Bull Ampol Racing

Holden ZB Commodore

96

Macauley Jones

TRG Transport

Holden ZB Commodore

97

Shane van Gisbergen

Red Bull Ampol Racing

Holden ZB Commodore

99

Brodie Kostecki

Boost Mobile Racing powered by Erebus

Holden ZB Commodore

Entries correct at the time of publishing. Visit Supercars.com for the latest news and entries. SUPERCAR XTRA

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97

SHANE VAN GISBERGEN

ENTRY RED BULL AMPOL RACING CAR HOLDEN ZB COMMODORE DATE OF BIRTH May 9, 1989 FROM Auckland, New Zealand LIVES Gold Coast, Queensland STATUS Single CHILDREN None HEIGHT 188cm WEIGHT 95kg ENGINEER Andrew Edwards

CHAMPIONSHIP DEBUT 2007 CHAMPIONSHIP BEST 1st (2016, 2021, 2022) 2021 CHAMPIONSHIP 1st RACE WINS 75 PODIUMS 166 POLE POSITIONS 45 BATHURST BEST 1st (2020, 2022) 2022 BATHURST 1st

SUPERCARS TEAMS Team Kiwi Racing (2007), Stone Brothers Racing (2008-12), Tekno Autosports (2013-15), Triple Eight Race Engineering (2016-22)

Shane van Gisbergen is in the form of his life, winning his third Supercars championship title and claiming a second victory in the Bathurst 1000 (alongside Garth Tander) in 2022. The win at Bathurst also gave van Gisbergen the record for most race wins in a season, moving ahead of Scott McLaughlin who scored 18 wins in 2019. As the first driver to win 20-plus races in a season, it’s been a commanding campaign from the New Zealander.

88

BROC FEENEY

ENTRY RED BULL AMPOL RACING CAR HOLDEN ZB COMMODORE DATE OF BIRTH October 18, 2002 FROM Gold Coast, Queensland LIVES Gold Coast, Queensland STATUS Single CHILDREN None HEIGHT 180cm WEIGHT 73kg ENGINEER Martin Short

CHAMPIONSHIP DEBUT 2020 CHAMPIONSHIP BEST 35th (2020) 2021 CHAMPIONSHIP NC RACE WINS 0 PODIUMS 2 POLE POSITIONS 0 BATHURST BEST 5th (2022) 2022 BATHURST 5th

SUPERCARS TEAMS Tickford Racing (2020), Triple Eight Race Engineering (2021-22)

Broc Feeney stepped up into the main game in 2022, replacing the retiring Jamie Whincup at Triple Eight Race Engineering. The former Super3 and Super2 champion impressed with his poise in his main-game rookie season, scoring two podium finishes from a run of top-10 finishes to sit comfortably in the top 10 in the championship. He was joined by Whincup at Bathurst where the duo scored a fifth place despite an opening-lap tangle.

11

ANTON DE PASQUALE

ENTRY SHELL V-POWER RACING TEAM CAR FORD MUSTANG DATE OF BIRTH September 14, 1995 FROM Melbourne, Victoria LIVES Gold Coast, Queensland STATUS Single CHILDREN None HEIGHT 178cm WEIGHT 74kg ENGINEER Ludo Lacroix

CHAMPIONSHIP DEBUT 2018 CHAMPIONSHIP BEST 6th (2021) 2021 CHAMPIONSHIP 6th RACE WINS 8 PODIUMS 28 POLE POSITIONS 14 BATHURST BEST 7th (2022) 2022 BATHURST 7th

SUPERCARS TEAMS Erebus Motorsport (2018-20), Dick Johnson Racing (2021-22)

Anton De Pasquale became a regular polesitter and race winner in his first season with Dick Johnson Racing in 2021, backing up that form with a victory and regular podiums in 2022. De Pasquale dropped out of championship contention with a costly DNF in New Zealand, salvaging a seventh place from a challenging Bathurst. With further improvements at the team, he is amongst the drivers looking to a more consistent championship to take it to Shane van Gisbergen in 2023. REPCO SUPERCARS CHAMPIONSHIP SUPERCAR XTRA

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17

WILL DAVISON

ENTRY SHELL V-POWER RACING TEAM CAR FORD MUSTANG DATE OF BIRTH August 30, 1982 FROM Melbourne, Victoria LIVES Gold Coast, Queensland STATUS Partner, Riana CHILDREN None HEIGHT 180cm WEIGHT 76kg ENGINEER Richard Harris

CHAMPIONSHIP DEBUT 2004 CHAMPIONSHIP BEST 2nd (2009) 2021 CHAMPIONSHIP 4th RACE WINS 22 PODIUMS 78 POLE POSITIONS 28 BATHURST BEST 1st (2009, 2016) 2022 BATHURST DNF

SUPERCARS TEAMS Team Dynamik (2004), Dick Johnson Racing (2005-08, 2021-22), Holden Racing Team (2009-10), Ford Performance Racing/Tickford Racing (2011-13, 2020), Erebus Motorsport (2014-15), Tekno Autosports (201617), 23 Red Racing (2018-20)

Will Davison was a regular on the podium on his return to full-time racing with Dick Johnson Racing in 2021, returning to the top step of the podium in 2022 after a winless run that dated back to 2016. A recent run of form came undone with a crash at Bathurst, dropping Davison out of championship contention. Nevertheless, he’s still been in the top five in the championship standings off the back of a number of podium finishes.

6

CAMERON WATERS

ENTRY MONSTER ENERGY RACING CAR FORD MUSTANG DATE OF BIRTH August 3, 1994 FROM Mildura, Victoria LIVES Melbourne, Victoria STATUS Partner, Brooke CHILDREN None HEIGHT 180cm WEIGHT 77kg ENGINEER Sam Potter

CHAMPIONSHIP DEBUT 2011 CHAMPIONSHIP BEST 2nd (2020) 2021 CHAMPIONSHIP 5th RACE WINS 8 PODIUMS 42 POLE POSITIONS 18 BATHURST BEST 2nd (2020, 2021) 2022 BATHURST 3rd

SUPERCARS TEAMS Kelly Racing (2011-12), Charlie Schwerkolt Racing/Team 18 (2014), Prodrive Racing Australia/Tickford Racing (2015-22)

Cameron Waters was the last driver with a mathematical shot of beating Shane van Gisbergen to the 2022 Supercars championship heading into the penultimate round on the Gold Coast. With three wins in 2022, including four consecutive podiums heading into the Gold Coast following a third Bathurst top-three finish in a row, Waters needed some misfortune for van Gisbergen to close the points gap, as the leading Ford contender.

5

JAMES COURTNEY

ENTRY SNOWY RIVER RACING CAR FORD MUSTANG

REPCOSUPERCAR SUPERCARS XTRA CHAMPIONSHIP P44 P12/ 12

SECT 2 P11 Driver Profiles.indd 12

DATE OF BIRTH June 29, 1980 FROM Penrith, New South Wales LIVES Gold Coast, Queensland STATUS Partner, Tegan CHILDREN Zara, Cadel and Kobe HEIGHT 181cm WEIGHT 71kg ENGINEER Sam Scaffidi

CHAMPIONSHIP DEBUT 2005 CHAMPIONSHIP BEST 1st (2010) 2021 CHAMPIONSHIP 11th RACE WINS 15 PODIUMS 63 POLE POSITIONS 10 BATHURST BEST 2nd (2007) 2022 BATHURST DNF

SUPERCARS TEAMS Holden Racing Team/Walkinshaw Racing/Walkinshaw Andretti United (2005, 2011-19), Stone Brothers Racing (2006-08), Dick Johnson Racing (2009-10), Team Sydney (2020), Tickford Racing (2020-22)

James Courtney’s season derailed in the second half of the year with two consecutive retirements that included an early-race exit from the Repco Bathurst 1000, having failed to turn a lap in the Great Race. The loss of points saw Courtney drop outside the top 10 in the championship standings. However, there were two podium finishes at Perth and Tailem Bend, second to Cameron Waters in terms of the pecking order at Tickford Racing.

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56

55

JAKE KOSTECKI

ENTRY TRADIE RACING CAR FORD MUSTANG DATE OF BIRTH January 24, 2000 FROM Perth, Western Australia LIVES Melbourne, Victoria STATUS Partner CHILDREN None HEIGHT 184cm WEIGHT 70kg ENGINEER Rhys Lenegan

CHAMPIONSHIP DEBUT 2019 CHAMPIONSHIP BEST 19th (2021) 2021 CHAMPIONSHIP 19th RACE WINS 0 PODIUMS 0 POLE POSITIONS 0 BATHURST BEST 13th (2021) 2022 BATHURST 17th

SUPERCARS TEAMS Kostecki Brothers Racing (2019), Matt Stone Racing (2020-21), Tickford Racing (2022)

Jake Kostecki moved from Matt Stone Racing to Tickford Racing in 2022, also switching from a Holden ZB Commodore to a Ford Mustang. The switch to Tickford Racing represented a step up with higher expectations, with a third place in qualifying and first top-10 finish of the season in Race 11 the highlight of his season. He and brother Kurt Kostecki finished in 17th at Bathurst following a troubled run.

THOMAS RANDLE

ENTRY CASTROL RACING CAR FORD MUSTANG DATE OF BIRTH April 7, 1996 FROM Melbourne, Victoria LIVES Melbourne, Victoria STATUS Single CHILDREN None HEIGHT 183cm WEIGHT 82kg ENGINEER Raymond Lau

CHAMPIONSHIP DEBUT 2019 CHAMPIONSHIP BEST 25th (2021) 2021 CHAMPIONSHIP 25th RACE WINS 0 PODIUMS 1 POLE POSITIONS 0 BATHURST BEST 7th (2021) 2022 BATHURST DNF

SUPERCARS TEAMS Tickford Racing (2019, 2021-22), Brad Jones Racing (2020)

Thomas Randle made his full-time main-game debut in 2022 after wildcard and co-driver appearances for Tickford Racing. The 2020 Super2 Series champion got the promotion with the Ford team expanding to four entries in 2022. A opening-lap crash with co-driver Zak Best in the car at Bathurst proved costly for Randle, with he and teammate Jake Kostecki losing significant ground in the championship standings following retirements.

25

CHAZ MOSTERT

ENTRY MOBIL 1™ APPLIANCES ONLINE RACING CAR HOLDEN ZB COMMODORE DATE OF BIRTH April 10, 1992 FROM Melbourne, Victoria LIVES Gold Coast, Queensland STATUS Partner, Riarne CHILDREN None HEIGHT 190cm WEIGHT 85kg ENGINEER Adam De Borre

CHAMPIONSHIP DEBUT 2013 CHAMPIONSHIP BEST 3rd (2021) 2021 CHAMPIONSHIP 3rd RACE WINS 20 PODIUMS 79 POLE POSITIONS 23 BATHURST BEST 1st (2014, 2021) 2022 BATHURST 2nd

SUPERCARS TEAMS Dick Johnson Racing (2013), Ford Performance Racing/Prodrive Racing Australia/Tickford Racing (2014-19), Walkinshaw Andretti United (202022)

After scoring his second Bathurst win in 2021, Chaz Mostert continued to lift Walkinshaw Andretti United back into contention with four wins plus a second place finish at Bathurst in 2022. After dropping out of the running for the 2022 championship, Mostert still finished the season strongly with a run of podium finishes. Following wins in the opening events of the season, a lowly set of results in Perth proved his ondoing in the championship race. REPCO SUPERCARS CHAMPIONSHIP SUPERCAR XTRA

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2

NICK PERCAT

ENTRY MOBILE 1 NTI RACING CAR HOLDEN ZB COMMODORE DATE OF BIRTH September 14, 1988 FROM Adelaide, South Australia LIVES Gold Coast, Queensland STATUS Partner, Baylee CHILDREN None HEIGHT 189cm WEIGHT 72kg ENGINEER Adam Austin

CHAMPIONSHIP DEBUT 2010 CHAMPIONSHIP BEST 7th (2020, 2021) 2021 CHAMPIONSHIP 7th RACE WINS 4 PODIUMS 13 POLE POSITIONS 2 BATHURST BEST 1st (2011) 2022 BATHURST 22nd

SUPERCARS TEAMS Walkinshaw Racing/Holden Racing Team/Walkinshaw Andretti United (2010-14, 2022), Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport (2015-16), Brad Jones Racing (2017-21)

Nick Percat ended a five-year stint with Brad Jones Racing and returned to the team he raced with under its previous guises, most notably as a Bathurst-winning co-driver in 2011. But it’s been a challenging return to the team for Percat, not helped by a mid-season engineering change. A late run of top 10s came to an end with a costly error at Bathurst, which dropped he and co-driver Warren Luff out of contention. An off-season reset is needed to get on par with teammate Chaz Mostert.

9

WILL BROWN

ENTRY BOOST MOBILE RACING CAR HOLDEN ZB COMMODORE DATE OF BIRTH June 5, 1998 FROM Toowoomba, Queensland LIVES Toowoomba, Queensland STATUS Partner, Abbey CHILDREN None HEIGHT 171cm WEIGHT 64kg ENGINEER Tom Moore

CHAMPIONSHIP DEBUT 2018 CHAMPIONSHIP BEST 8th (2021) 2021 CHAMPIONSHIP 8th RACE WINS 1 PODIUMS 4 POLE POSITIONS 1 BATHURST BEST 10th (2022) 2022 BATHURST 10th

SUPERCARS TEAMS Erebus Motorsport (2018-22)

Will Brown made his long-awaited full-time main-game debut in 2021, scoring a pole position and race win and finishing eighth in the championship standings. Brown continued to impress in his season season in 2022 with a return to the podium, even overcoming an opening-lap tangle at Bathurst to score a top-10 finish. With a long-term deal to remain at Erebus Motorsport, Brown will be aiming for a more consistent campaign to challenge for more race wins in 2023.

99

BRODIE KOSTECKI

ENTRY BOOST MOBILE RACING CAR HOLDEN ZB COMMODORE DATE OF BIRTH November 1, 1997 FROM Perth, Western Australia LIVES Gold Coast, Queensland STATUS Partner CHILDREN None HEIGHT 189cm WEIGHT 96kg ENGINEER George Commins

CHAMPIONSHIP DEBUT 2019 CHAMPIONSHIP BEST 9th (2021) 2021 CHAMPIONSHIP 9th RACE WINS 0 PODIUMS 5 POLE POSITIONS 1 BATHURST BEST 3rd (2021) 2022 BATHURST 4th

SUPERCARS TEAMS Kostecki Brothers Racing (2019), Erebus Motorsport (2020-22)

Brodie Kostecki stepped up into the main game on a full-time basis alongside teammate Will Brown at Erebus Motorsport in 2021, scoring three podiums. He also returned to the podium in 2022, though will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of Brown by claiming a first win before too long. Kostecki claimed fourth place at Bathurst, backing up his podium from the previous year, with top 10 championship finishes an impressive feat for the youngster. REPCOSUPERCAR SUPERCARS XTRA CHAMPIONSHIP P46 P14/ 14

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8

ANDRÉ HEIMGARTNER

ENTRY R&J BATTERIES RACING CAR HOLDEN ZB COMMODORE DATE OF BIRTH June 8, 1995 FROM Auckland, New Zealand LIVES Gold Coast, Queensland STATUS Partner, Jemma CHILDREN None HEIGHT 185cm WEIGHT 80kg ENGINEER Tony Woodward

CHAMPIONSHIP DEBUT 2014 CHAMPIONSHIP BEST 14th (2020) 2021 CHAMPIONSHIP 17th RACE WINS 1 PODIUMS 9 POLE POSITIONS 2 BATHURST BEST 9th (2017) 2022 BATHURST DNF

SUPERCARS TEAMS Super Black Racing (2014-15), Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport (2016), Brad Jones Racing (2017, 2022), Nissan Motorsport/Kelly Racing/Kelly Grove Racing (2018-21)

André Heimgartner moved from Kelly Grove Racing to Brad Jones Racing in 2022, returning to the team with which he had a careerdefining stint as a co-driver in 2017. He scored four podiums in 2022, including two on home soil in New Zealand, though he lost ground in the championship standings following an early-race retirement at Bathurst. Despite that, he’s been the clear number one at Brad Jones Racing, filling the void left by the departure of Nick Percat.

14

BRYCE FULLWOOD

ENTRY MIDDY’S ELECTRICAL RACING CAR HOLDEN ZB COMMODORE DATE OF BIRTH May 11, 1998 FROM Darwin, Northern Territory LIVES Gold Coast, Queensland STATUS Single CHILDREN None HEIGHT 182cm WEIGHT 70kg ENGINEER Phil Keed

CHAMPIONSHIP DEBUT 2018 CHAMPIONSHIP BEST 14th (2021) 2021 CHAMPIONSHIP 14th RACE WINS 0 PODIUMS 1 POLE POSITIONS 0 BATHURST BEST 5th (2021) 2022 BATHURST 9th

SUPERCARS TEAMS Matt Stone Racing (2018), Kelly Racing (2019), Walkinshaw Andretti United (2020-21), Brad Jones Racing (2022)

After two seasons at Walkinshaw Andretti United, Bryce Fullwood switched Holden teams to Brad Jones Racing for 2022. After a challenging first half of the season, he ended the campaign buoyed by a top-10 finish at Bathurst. More top 10 finishes will be the goal to end the season on a high note for a team that’s endured a challenging recent run of luck, with the goal of matching teammate André Heimgartner’s results.

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JACK SMITH

ENTRY SCT LOGISTICS RACING CAR HOLDEN ZB COMMODORE DATE OF BIRTH July 9, 1999 FROM Gold Coast, Queensland LIVES Yarrawonga, Victoria STATUS Single CHILDREN None HEIGHT 185cm WEIGHT 70kg ENGINEER Paul Forgie

CHAMPIONSHIP DEBUT 2019 CHAMPIONSHIP BEST 21st (2021) 2021 CHAMPIONSHIP 21st RACE WINS 0 PODIUMS 0 POLE POSITIONS 0 BATHURST BEST 17th 2022 BATHURST DNF

SUPERCARS TEAMS Brad Jones Racing (2019-22), Matt Stone Racing (2019)

Jack Smith entered his third full-time season with Brad Jones Racing in 2022, following a move up in the championship standings in 2021. Two late top-15 finishes have been the highlight of Smith’s season, though that run came to an end with an incident-filled Bathurst race for he and co-driver Jaxon Evans. His bid to challenge teammates Bryce Fullwood and Macauley Jones came unstuck with the retirement at Bathurst. REPCO SUPERCARS CHAMPIONSHIP SUPERCAR XTRA

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96

MACAULEY JONES

ENTRY TRG TRANSPORT CAR HOLDEN ZB COMMODORE DATE OF BIRTH October 8, 1994 FROM Albury, New South Wales LIVES Albury, New South Wales STATUS Partner CHILDREN None HEIGHT 175cm WEIGHT 70kg ENGINEER Tom Wettenhall

CHAMPIONSHIP DEBUT 2015 CHAMPIONSHIP BEST 19th (2020) 2021 CHAMPIONSHIP 23rd RACE WINS 0 PODIUMS 0 POLE POSITIONS 0 BATHURST BEST 7th (2018) 2022 BATHURST 13th

SUPERCARS TEAMS Brad Jones Racing (2015-22)

Macauley Jones remained with the team owned by father Brad Jones for what was his fourth full-time season in Supercars. He and co-driver Jordan Boys scored a 13th place finish at Bathurst despite a troubled weekend. Alongside a sixth place in Melbourne earlier in the season, the Bathurst result was a highlight from an otherwise challenging season with the goal of cracking into the top 10 on a more regular basis.

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MARK WINTERBOTTOM

ENTRY IRWIN RACING CAR HOLDEN ZB COMMODORE DATE OF BIRTH May 20, 1981 FROM Sydney, New South Wales LIVES Melbourne, Victoria STATUS Partner, Renee CHILDREN Oliver, Austin and Elliot HEIGHT 185cm WEIGHT 75kg ENGINEER Manuel Sanchez

CHAMPIONSHIP DEBUT 2003 CHAMPIONSHIP BEST 1st (2015) 2021 CHAMPIONSHIP 10th RACE WINS 38 PODIUMS 117 POLE POSITIONS 36 BATHURST BEST 1st (2013) 2022 BATHURST 15th

SUPERCARS TEAMS Stone Brothers Racing (2003), Larkham Motorsport (2004-05), Ford Performance Racing/Prodrive Racing Australia/Tickford Racing (2006-18), Team 18 (2019-22)

Mark Winterbottom has led the way for Team 18 since joining the Holden team in 2019, scoring a second consecutive top-10 finish in the championship standings in 2021. Despite a podium-less season in 2022, Winterbottom has been one of the most consistent drivers, using his experience to put himself in the battle for a top-10 championship finish. Winterbottom and teammate Scott Pye are attempting to give Team 18 its first win in Supercars.

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SCOTT PYE

ENTRY NULON RACING CAR HOLDEN ZB COMMODORE

REPCOSUPERCAR SUPERCARS XTRA CHAMPIONSHIP P48 P16/ 16

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DATE OF BIRTH January 8, 1990 FROM Adelaide, South Australia LIVES Melbourne, Victoria STATUS Partner, Shannen CHILDREN None HEIGHT 183cm WEIGHT 80kg ENGINEER Richard Hollway

CHAMPIONSHIP DEBUT 2012 CHAMPIONSHIP BEST 7th (2018) 2021 CHAMPIONSHIP 15th RACE WINS 1 PODIUMS 10 POLE POSITIONS 1 BATHURST BEST 2nd (2017, 2018) 2022 BATHURST 16th

SUPERCARS TEAMS Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport (201213), Dick Johnson Racing/DJR Team Penske (2014-16), Walkinshaw Racing/Walkinshaw Andretti United (2017-19), Team 18 (2020-22)

Scott Pye entered his third season with Team 18 in 2022, aiming to bounce back from a challenging 2021 which saw him drop outside of the top 10 in the standings without a podium finish. A run of six consecutive top-10 finishes came to an end at Bathurst, though the recent run of results has seen Pye climb up the championship standings. But, like with teammate Mark Winterbottom, the ultimate goal is a first win with the team and more consistent podium finishes.

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DAVID REYNOLDS

ENTRY PENRITE RACING CAR FORD MUSTANG DATE OF BIRTH July 3, 1985 FROM Albury, New South Wales LIVES Melbourne, Victoria STATUS Partner, Tahan CHILDREN Ryu HEIGHT 177cm WEIGHT 69kg ENGINEER Alistair McVean

CHAMPIONSHIP DEBUT 2007 CHAMPIONSHIP BEST 3rd (2015) 2021 CHAMPIONSHIP 18th RACE WINS 7 PODIUMS 38 POLE POSITIONS 15 BATHURST BEST 1st (2017) 2022 BATHURST DNF

SUPERCARS TEAMS Paul Weel Racing (2007), HSV Dealer Team/Walkinshaw Racing (2008-10), Kelly Racing/Kelly Grove Racing/Grove Racing (2011, 202122), Rod Nash Racing/Prodrive Racing Australia (2012-15), Erebus Motorsport (2016-20)

David Reynolds remained with the team that became Grove Racing in 2022, after joining Kelly Grove Racing in 2021. The Groves completed the takeover of the team from the Kellys at the end of 2021, with the team fielding Ford Mustangs. A string of podium results in the first half of the season saw Reynolds sit amongst the leading contenders only to be followed by a run of lean results. He fought back with a pole position and podium on the Gold Coast.

10

LEE HOLDSWORTH

ENTRY PENRITE RACING CAR FORD MUSTANG DATE OF BIRTH February 2, 1983 FROM Melbourne, Victoria LIVES Melbourne, Victoria STATUS Partner, Alana CHILDREN Ava and Riley HEIGHT 170cm WEIGHT 73kg ENGINEER Will Davidson

CHAMPIONSHIP DEBUT 2004 CHAMPIONSHIP BEST 7th (2010) 2021 CHAMPIONSHIP 28th RACE WINS 4 PODIUMS 18 POLE POSITIONS 4 BATHURST BEST 1st (2021) 2022 BATHURST 6th

SUPERCARS TEAMS Smiths Trucks (2004), Garry Rogers Motorsport (2005-11), Stone Brothers Racing/Erebus Motorsport (2012-14), Team 18 (2015-18), Tickford Racing (2019-20), Walkinshaw Andretti United (2021), Grove Racing (2022)

Lee Holdsworth teamed with Chaz Mostert to win Bathurst for Walkinshaw Andretti United in 2021, returning to a full-time drive with Grove Racing in 2022. However, Holdsworth steps back from full-time driving at the end of the 2022 season, looking to end on a high with a sixth-place finish at Bathurst. With the decision to retire from full-time driving, Holdsworth’s place in the team will be taken by youngster Matthew Payne in 2023.

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JACK LE BROCq

ENTRY TRUCK ASSIST RACING CAR HOLDEN ZB COMMODORE DATE OF BIRTH July 7, 1992 FROM Melbourne, Victoria LIVES Brisbane, Queensland STATUS Partner, Mackenzie CHILDREN None HEIGHT 186cm WEIGHT 85kg ENGINEER Jack Bellotti

CHAMPIONSHIP DEBUT 2015 CHAMPIONSHIP BEST 15th (2020) 2021 CHAMPIONSHIP 16th RACE WINS 1 PODIUMS 2 POLE POSITIONS 0 BATHURST BEST 4th (2016) 2022 BATHURST 14th

SUPERCARS TEAMS Erebus Motorsport (2015), Prodrive Racing Australia/Tickford Racing (2016, 2020-21), MW Motorsport (2017), Nissan Motorsport (2017), Tekno Autosports (2018-19), Matt Stone Racing (2022)

Jack Le Brocq moved from Tickford Racing to Matt Stone Racing in 2022, in the process switching back to a Holden ZB Commodore. It was an up and down season for Le Brocq, who lost ground on teammate Todd Hazelwood in the championship standings after lateseason retirements. A 14th place at Bathurst and sixth place in Darwin were the highlights of his season, looking to build on those results when he remains with the team in 2023. REPCO SUPERCARS CHAMPIONSHIP SUPERCAR XTRA P49P17 / 17

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35

TODD HAZELWOOD

ENTRY TRUCK ASSIST RACING CAR HOLDEN ZB COMMODORE DATE OF BIRTH September 25, 1995 FROM Adelaide, South Australia LIVES Gold Coast, Queensland STATUS Partner, Alice CHILDREN None HEIGHT 173cm WEIGHT 72kg ENGINEER Chris Stuckey

CHAMPIONSHIP DEBUT 2017 CHAMPIONSHIP BEST 13th (2021) 2021 CHAMPIONSHIP 13th RACE WINS 0 PODIUMS 1 POLE POSITIONS 1 BATHURST BEST 8th (2021) 2022 BATHURST 20th

SUPERCARS TEAMS Matt Stone Racing (2017-19, 2022), Brad Jones Racing (2017, 2020-21)

Todd Hazelwood switched back to Matt Stone Racing in 2022, the team with which he won the Super2 Series title and made his Supercars debut with in 2017, though he will move again in 2023, heading to the Blanchard Racing Team. After a run of top-10 finishes in the first half of the season, it was a challenging late-season run for Hazelwood with 20th place at Bathurst, though he led teammate Jack Le Brocq in the championship standings.

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JAMES GOLDING

ENTRY PREMIAIR SUBWAY RACING CAR HOLDEN ZB COMMODORE DATE OF BIRTH January 19, 1996 FROM Warragul, Victoria LIVES Melbourne, Victoria STATUS Single CHILDREN None HEIGHT 175cm WEIGHT 65kg ENGINEER Tim Newton

CHAMPIONSHIP DEBUT 2016 CHAMPIONSHIP BEST 20th (2019) 2021 CHAMPIONSHIP NC RACE WINS 0 PODIUMS 0 POLE POSITIONS 0 BATHURST BEST 8th (2018, 2020) 2022 BATHURST 12th

SUPERCARS TEAMS Garry Rogers Motorsport (2016-19), Team 18 (2020-21), PremiAir Racing (2022)

James Golding returned to Supercars on a full-time basis for the first time since 2019, replacing Garry Jacobson who was released by PremiAir Racing following Darwin. Golding made an immediate impression, scoring top-10 finishes and a 12th place at Bathurst. His arrival marked a turning point for the team in its first season in Supercars, though there was a crash on the Gold Coast that led to a multi-car pile-up.

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CHRIS PITHER

ENTRY PREMIAIR COCA COLA RACING CAR HOLDEN ZB COMMODORE

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DATE OF BIRTH December 3, 1986 FROM Palmerston North, New Zealand LIVES Melbourne, Victoria STATUS Partner, Georgia CHILDREN Audrey HEIGHT 184cm WEIGHT 75kg ENGINEER Ken Douglas

CHAMPIONSHIP DEBUT 2006 CHAMPIONSHIP BEST 20th (2020) 2021 CHAMPIONSHIP 37th RACE WINS 0 PODIUMS 0 POLE POSITIONS 1 BATHURST BEST 4th (2017) 2022 BATHURST 21st

SUPERCARS TEAMS Team Kiwi Racing (2006, 2008), Paul Morris Motorsport (2007), Brad Jones Racing (2012-14, 2021), Garry Rogers Motorsport (2015, 201819), Super Black Racing (2015-16), Erebus Motorsport (2017), Team Sydney/PremiAir Racing (2020, 2022)

Chris Pither returned to a full-time drive in Supercars after spending 2021 as an endurance co-driver at Brad Jones Racing. Pither raced for his current team when it was Team Sydney on a full-time basis in 2020, returning under new owners PremiAir Racing. A ninth place on the Gold Coast marked his first top 10 of the season, though Pither will depart the team to make way for new recruit Tim Slade in 2023.

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3

TIM SLADE

ENTRY COOLDRIVE AUTO PARTS CAR FORD MUSTANG DATE OF BIRTH August 3, 1985 FROM Hornsby, New South Wales LIVES Gold Coast, Queensland STATUS Partner, Dani CHILDREN Jordan HEIGHT 172cm WEIGHT 65kg ENGINEER Mirko De Rosa

CHAMPIONSHIP DEBUT 2009 CHAMPIONSHIP BEST 5th (2012) 2021 CHAMPIONSHIP 12th RACE WINS 2 PODIUMS 17 POLE POSITIONS 2 BATHURST BEST 5th (2020) 2022 BATHURST 19th

SUPERCARS TEAMS Paul Morris Motorsport (2009), Stone Brothers Racing/Erebus Motorsport (2010-13), Walkinshaw Racing (2014-15), Brad Jones Racing (2016-19), DJR Team Penske (2020), Blanchard Racing Team (2021-22)

Tim Slade led the Blanchard Racing Team in its second season in Supercars, driving the team’s Ford Mustang. Slade just missed out on a top 10 in the championship standings in the team’s debut season in Supercars, remaining a top-10 threat in 2022. Slade leaves the Blanchard Racing Team at the end of 2022, heading to PremiAir Racing to switch from a Mustang to a Chevrolet Camaro in 2023.

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SENSATIONAL ADELAIDE

Adelaide had already set a new standard for Formula 1 with its successful hosting of the Australian Grand Prix between 1985 and 1995. When the circuit returned to host Supercars with the Adelaide 500 in 1999, it did it again and became the template for marquee street-circuit events.

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I

n 1985, Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone said Adelaide’s arrival onto the grand prix calendar was bad news for the series because it would force other circuits on the schedule to reach the unattainable lofty heights that had been set by the South Australian capital. In 1999, Supercars supremo Tony Cochrane could have made the same statement about the arrival of the Adelaide 500 on the shortened Adelaide grand prix track. The creation of the Adelaide 500 in 1999 was a key part of a coming of age year for Supercars, with the endurance events, including the Bathurst 1000, added into the championship for the first time. But outside of Bathurst, there was little in the way of marquee events, though the previous year Hidden Valley had debuted on the calendar, backed by the Northern Territory government in a deal that helped convince its South Australian counterpart of the ability of Supercars to fill the void left by Formula 1 in Adelaide. The Adelaide 500 became more than a motor race; it was an entertainment event with stuff happening all over the precinct with bands and the like pioneering the ‘race and rock’ combination in Supercars. The organisation was first class and the entertainment was at another level, but the killer punch was the track itself and the racing that it produced. The layout was a perfect combination; a series of right and left bends that brought together street circuit elements with the fast parklands section. Even the new corner created by shortening the grand prix layout by cutting out Rundle Road, Turn 8, became an iconic fast sweeper that came to define the new circuit. Then there was the format: two 250-kilometre races, one each on the Saturday and Sunday, forming an action-packed weekend. The cars needed to be stronger to deal with the pounding on the kerbs, and the drivers needed to be fitter to deal with the recovery from Saturday to Sunday. Some races were fought in 40-degree heat, other days in monsoonal rain, and it was all inside a concrete cavern that didn’t allow heat or fumes to escape. It was gladiatorial; drivers were collapsing in cars, fatigued and making errors. And through it all we got some of the best racing we have ever seen. It was a forerunner to modern Supercars in many ways. The winner of the event was always the winner of the Sunday race regardless of the points for the weekend, which was the way back then. It fired the push for street tracks and government backing, paving the way for Canberra, Sydney, Hamilton, Townsville, Newcastle and the like. Some worked, others didn’t. But Adelaide remained as the template to follow. Off the track, the Adelaide 500 was a well-oiled machine. The crowd and corporate facilities were matched only by the impressive growth of the grandstands. Crowd numbers grew from an initial 162,000 over three days in 1999 to 291,4000 over four days a decade later in 2008. The event became the season opener in 2002 and increased to four days in 2003. It won Supercars’ best event of the year six times in a row between 1999 and 2004, leading to its induction P54 / 22

into the Supercars Hall of Fame in 2005. As legendary Formula 1 commentator and regular visitor to the Adelaide 500 Murray Walker said, “It’s the best touring car event in the world.”

“IT WAS VERY CLEARLY THE POLICY OF THE MOTORSPORT BOARD AND THAT MANAGEMENT GROUP THAT WE WERE GOING TO PUT IT ON TO THE SAME LEVEL AS FORMULA 1. THE PHILOSOPHY WAS, INSTEAD OF HAVING THE F1 CARS IN THE GARAGE, WE WERE GOING TO HAVE SUPERCARS, AND THAT WAS THE ONLY DIFFERENCE.” - MIKE DREWER

RIGHT: “The world’s best street circuit.” The Adelaide Street Circuit set a new standard for Formula 1 and Supercars. BELOW: Big crowds have always been the hallmark of the Adelaide 500, creating a festivallike atmosphere.

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The loss of the grand prix forced the South Australian government to back a host of new events to replace the giant hole the grand prix left. One of those events was the Adelaide 500, with many of the team behind the success of Adelaide’s grand prix returning to spearhead the Adelaide 500. “To some degree, it was getting the band back together,” said Mike Drewer, publicist for the grand prix who returned to the role for the Adelaide 500. “The motorsport board was formed to replace what was the old grand prix board. People like Andrew Daniels, who was chief executive, me, Brian Gleeson doing the concerts and entertainment had all been at the grand prix office. There were some new faces, but most of us had either the full 11 years at the grand prix or certainly the vast majority. “It was very clearly the policy of the motorsport board and that management group that we were going to put it on to the same level as Formula 1. The philosophy was, instead of having the F1 cars in the garage, we were going to have Supercars, and that was the only difference.” And that is exactly what they did. All the infrastructure was there, garages, concrete walls and retaining fences and the like. But more importantly, the mindset was to do this properly. The event itself was run like a machine, the support card was full of great categories and the off-track entertainment was world class. “I don’t think it’s too boastful to say it, and Cochrane admitted it many times, it set the benchmark for Supercars,” said Drewer. “I think there was some concern about whether or not Supercars was going to be a good enough product to attract the buzz and attention and the support that Formula 1 did. At the time, I think the biggest crowd for Supercars or their predecessors in South Australia was the last race that [Peter] Brock had at Mallala when they closed the gates; that was 20,000 or 30,000 people maybe. “There were nerves and we spent a lot of time promoting it as being a huge carnival, a huge event. But would it create the buzz? Well, it did! Apart from what we did to promote it, I think Adelaide was also starved a bit and it was still missing its grand prix. To have a big motorsport event in town on that circuit worked, so probably the stars aligned a bit.” The key to it all, of course, was the quality of the racing. The track worked, the format worked and the drivers loved it. On April 9, 1999, the Supercars hit the track for the first time with Glenn Seton topping the first ever session followed by qualifying, only for the Shootout to go to Jason Bright. Then it turned into the Craig Lowndes show. The format was theoretically one 500km race, with Saturday and Sunday each hosting a 78-lap leg in the afternoons. Lowndes won the first leg but copped a rear of the grid start for the second leg for contact with privateer Danny Osborne. He recovered from the penalty with a storming drive to work his way through for the race and round win. “I was sitting on the back of the grid and said to P56 / 24

RIGHT & BELOW: Craig Lowndes recovered from a grid penalty to take victory in the first Adelaide 500 for the Holden Racing Team in 1999.

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Robbie Starr, who was my engineer at the time, ‘I’ll just drive as hard as I can and you make the calls, and the strategy and the pitstops,’” said Lowndes. “As the race unfolded, I remember coming into the pits behind [Mark] Skaife, when we had the fuel vent separate to the fuel hose, and the fuel vent bottle was upside down for him and he only got half the fuel into the car. So I came out of that last stop leading, and from that point on it was basically just head down and drive as hard and fast as I could. “It was a really satisfying victory. I remember standing on the podium, I had a towel around me, I’d taken my shoes off because my feet were hot and I was just exhausted. It was one of the hardest races I’ve had to do.” The track was hard, with the few hundred metres chopped off the grand prix track giving the drivers a shorter back straight to catch their breath. Compared to a couple of others, though, he was doing it easy. Paul Radisich and John Faulkner, who were both running inside the top 10, collapsed in their cars, thankfully pitting only to be carried out of the cars. The dynamics of being a racing driver had to shift up a gear; suddenly there was a new level of fitness required. “When the format of the race was introduced, it completely changed the whole dynamics for drivers with training and fitness,” said Lowndes. “There was about two or three drivers that had to get pulled from the car with exhaustion, so it really showed where the level needed to be for driving in Supercars at the time. “Every driver, including myself, was definitely under-prepared for that style of racing. The car interiors have definitely changed with the cool suits and helmet blowers and all that, but the temperature over there just makes it harder even today.” Radisich, driving for Dick Johnson Racing, said it was a combination of a number of factors that day that led to his demise. “There was a lot of fumes in the cars and I’d run out of water... I remember going down the pit straight and one eye was open, one eye was closed and I was looking at the pitboard and thinking surely I can’t be going that slow?” he said. “I had the presence of mind to realise that there was a problem and got back to the pitlane, and when I stopped, I just literally fell asleep, collapsed. I was definitely not prepared for 250k races around a track

“WHEN THE FORMAT OF THE RACE WAS INTRODUCED, IT COMPLETELY CHANGED THE WHOLE DYNAMICS FOR DRIVERS WITH TRAINING AND FITNESS.” - CRAIG LOWNDES. SUPERCAR XTRA

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The Adelaide 500 podium at the first event in 1999, with Craig Lowndes winning from Greg Murphy and Jason Bright.

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like that. The brake pedals themselves were on fire, and the amount of pressure you needed to slow those cars was all my 75 kilograms could give on every lap. So, you put that combination together with the fumes, the heat, the heat of the pedals, the pedal pressure, the challenge of such a tight track, no air and no water, it was literally pushing weights and running in a sauna for three hours.” Moving forward, as athletes the drivers prepared better, and the engineers worked on the cars to make them a less hostile workplace and strong enough to cope with an extended pounding on the street track. Even so, it was and still is one of the greatest challenges in Supercars. Having such a big race on the Saturday meant driver recovery was critical on the Saturday night. Rehydrating after a tough race, ice baths to get rid of the lactic acid build-up, saline drips, commercial refrigeration units and pretty much anything else anyone thought of was tried. By Sunday morning, the limp drivers were fresh as daisies and ready for another challenge. “I remember the old original Formula 1 layout, so I can look back on both,” said Radisich. “The layout is very challenging; I always classify Adelaide as one of the toughest races of the year, because of the layout, because of the temperature. It really is something that does challenge all drivers. “The old Brabham Straight allowed drivers to have a little bit of a rest, where the current track layout is definitely busy; you’re constantly up and down the gearbox, on the brakes, always thinking of the next corner and looking for a pass.

“We always talk about Turn 8; if you can carry speed through there, there’s no doubt that you’ve got a passing opportunity down into that hairpin. But Turn 8 carries its own risks.” Turn 8 is a brutal 1.8g corner taken at around 200km/h, with exit speed crucial leading into Brock Straight and into the key overtaking point at the hairpin. But it is also much more than just that. Radisich knows all too well about the challenge of Turn 8. He was one of many drivers to find the wall there. “I think I was the first one to experience that corner in full… it was a big hit, not just to me but to Dick’s (team owner Dick Johnson) wallet,” said Radisich. “I think he gave me another hit when I made it back to the pits. I had three broken ribs and I was in extreme pain. “I had to go to hospital that night because I was passing blood… in hindsight I shouldn’t have raced the rest of the weekend, and all credit to Dick because he had someone lined up to take my place, but in the end it didn’t matter because the car had taken such a hit it just wasn’t right and it didn’t last too long. “There is a fine line with that corner. We all like corners that are fast, but the other side to that is that there is a cost to it, and not just to injured drivers.” So, no mistakes for 250 kilometres, sometimes in ambient temperatures of near 40 degrees or other times in rain. Then the pressure. You can be a hero or a zero, all in front of the Supercars’ biggest crowds. And now, there are championship positions on the line as the season finale. It is no wonder the Adelaide 500 is so great.

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ADELAIDE 500 HONOUR ROLL RACE WINNERS

YEAR 1999 1999 2000 2000 2001 2001 2002 2002 2003 2003 2004 2004 2005 2005 2006 2006 2007 2007 2008 2008 2009 2009 2010 2010 2011 2011 2012 2012 2013 2013 2014 2014 2014 2015 2015 2015 2016 2016 2016 2017 2017 2018 2018 2019 2019 2020 2020

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RACE Leg 1 Leg 2 Race 1 Race 2 Race 1 Race 2 Race 1 Race 2 Race 1 Race 2 Race 1 Race 2 Race 1 Race 2 Race 1 Race 2 Race 1 Race 2 Race 1 Race 2 Race 1 Race 2 Race 1 Race 2 Race 1 Race 2 Race 1 Race 2 Race 1 Race 2 Race 1 Race 2 Race 3 Race 1 Race 2 Race 3 Race 1 Race 2 Race 3 Race 1 Race 2 Race 1 Race 2 Race 1 Race 2 Race 1 Race 2

DRIVER Craig Lowndes Craig Lowndes Craig Lowndes Mark Skaife Craig Lowndes Jason Bright Mark Skaife Mark Skaife Marcos Ambrose Mark Skaife Marcos Ambrose Marcos Ambrose Marcos Ambrose Marcos Ambrose Craig Lowndes Jamie Whincup Todd Kelly Rick Kelly Jamie Whincup Jamie Whincup Jamie Whincup Jamie Whincup Garth Tander Garth Tander Garth Tander Jamie Whincup Jamie Whincup Will Davison Craig Lowndes Shane van Gisbergen Jamie Whincup Craig Lowndes James Courtney Jamie Whincup Fabian Coulthard James Courtney Jamie Whincup James Courtney Nick Percat Shane van Gisbergen Shane van Gisbergen Shane van Gisbergen Shane van Gisbergen Scott McLaughlin Scott McLaughlin Jamie Whincup Scott McLaughlin

TEAM Holden Racing Team Holden Racing Team Holden Racing Team Holden Racing Team Gibson Motorsport Holden Racing Team Holden Racing Team Holden Racing Team Stone Brother Racing Holden Racing Team Stone Brother Racing Stone Brother Racing Stone Brother Racing Stone Brother Racing Triple Eight Race Engineering Triple Eight Race Engineering Holden Racing Team HSV Dealer Team Triple Eight Race Engineering Triple Eight Race Engineering Triple Eight Race Engineering Triple Eight Race Engineering Holden Racing Team Holden Racing Team Holden Racing Team Triple Eight Race Engineering Triple Eight Race Engineering Ford Performance Racing Triple Eight Race Engineering Tekno Autosports Triple Eight Race Engineering Triple Eight Race Engineering Holden Racing Team Triple Eight Race Engineering Brad Jones Racing Holden Racing Team Triple Eight Race Engineering Holden Racing Team Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport Triple Eight Race Engineering Triple Eight Race Engineering Triple Eight Race Engineering Triple Eight Race Engineering DJR Team Penske DJR Team Penske Triple Eight Race Engineering DJR Team Penske

CAR Holden VT Commodore Holden VT Commodore Holden VT Commodore Holden VT Commodore Ford AU Falcon Holden VX Commodore Holden VX Commodore Holden VX Commodore Ford BA Falcon Holden VY Commodore Ford BA Falcon Ford BA Falcon Ford BA Falcon Ford BA Falcon Ford BA Falcon Ford BA Falcon Holden VE Commodore Holden VE Commodore Ford BF Falcon Ford BF Falcon Ford FG Falcon Ford FG Falcon Holden VE Commodore Holden VE Commodore Holden VE II Commodore Holden VE II Commodore Holden VE II Commodore Ford FG Falcon Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden ZB Commodore Holden ZB Commodore Ford Mustang Ford Mustang Holden ZB Commodore Ford Mustang

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ROUND WINNERS

YEAR 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

DRIVER Craig Lowndes Garth Tander Jason Bright Mark Skaife Mark Skaife Marcos Ambrose Marcos Ambrose Jamie Whincup Rick Kelly Jamie Whincup Jamie Whincup Garth Tander Jamie Whincup Will Davison Shane van Gisbergen James Courtney James Courtney Nick Percat Shane van Gisbergen Shane van Gisbergen Scott McLaughlin Scott McLaughlin

TEAM Holden Racing Team Garry Rogers Motorsport Holde Racing Team Holden Racing Team Holden Racing Team Stone Brother Racing Stone Brother Racing Triple Eight Race Engineering HSV Dealer Team Triple Eight Race Engineering Triple Eight Race Engineering Holden Racing Team Triple Eight Race Engineering Ford Performance Racing Tekno Autosports Holden Racing Team Holden Racing Team Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport Triple Eight Race Engineering Triple Eight Race Engineering DJR Team Penske DJR Team Penske

CAR Holden VT Commodore Holden VT Commodore Holden VX Commodore Holden VX Commodore Holden VY Commodore Ford BA Falcon Ford BA Falcon Ford BA Falcon Holden VE Commodore Ford BF Falcon Ford FG Falcon Holden VE Commodore Holden VE II Commodore Ford FG Falcon Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden ZB Commodore Ford Mustang Ford Mustang

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31/10/2022 3:13:06 PM

HOLDEN

HOLDEN’S HOMETOWN FAREWELL IMAGES Autopics.com.au, General Motors, Peter Norton

Holden bows out of Australian touring cars in Adelaide, South Australia, fittingly just a few kilometres from where the company was born. After a storied history in Australian motoring and motorsport, the Holden name departs with a final Supercars championship and Bathurst success.

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HOLDEN

Peter Brock and the Holden Dealer Team steered Holden’s success in the 1970s, setting up its foundations as a dominant force on the race track and the road.

HOLDEN’S AUSTRALIAN TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP / SUPERCARS CHAMPIONS YEAR

DRIVER

TEAM

CAR

1970

Norm Beechey

Norm Beechey Shell Racing Team

HT Monaro GTS350

1974

Peter Brock

Holden Dealer Team

LJ Torana GTR XU-1/LH Torana SL/R 5000

1975

Colin Bond

Holden Dealer Team

LH Torana SL/R 5000 L34

1978

Peter Brock

Holden Dealer Team

LX Torana SS A9X

1979

Bob Morris

Ron Hodgson Channel 7 Racing

LX Torana SS A9X

1980

Peter Brock

Holden Dealer Team

VB Commodore

1994

Mark Skaife

Gibson Motorsport

VP Commodore

1996

Craig Lowndes

Holden Racing Team

VR Commodore

1998

Craig Lowndes

Holden Racing Team

VS/VT Commodore

1999

Craig Lowndes

Holden Racing Team

VS/VT Commodore

2000

Mark Skaife

Holden Racing Team

VT Commodore

2001

Mark Skaife

Holden Racing Team

VX Commodore

2002

Mark Skaife

Holden Racing Team

VX Commodore

2006

Rick Kelly

HSV Dealer Team

VZ Commodore

2007

Garth Tander

HSV Dealer Team

VE Commodore

2011

Jamie Whincup

Triple Eight Race Engineering

VE Commodore

2012

Jamie Whincup

Triple Eight Race Engineering

VE Commodore

2013

Jamie Whincup

Triple Eight Race Engineering

VF Commodore

2014

Jamie Whincup

Triple Eight Race Engineering

VF Commodore

2016

Shane van Gisbergen

Triple Eight Race Engineering

VF Commodore

2017

Jamie Whincup

Triple Eight Race Engineering

VF Commodore

2021

Shane van Gisbergen

Triple Eight Race Engineering

ZB Commodore

2022

Shane van Gisbergen

Triple Eight Race Engineering

ZB Commodore

P64 / 32

I

n 1856 in Adelaide, South Australia, Englishborn James Alexander Holden founded J. A. Holden & Co., selling horse saddles, whips and harnesses. But it was a different type of horsepower that made what became known as Holden a household name in Australia. After flourishing in saddle manufacturing, Holden turned to motoring into the 1900s with the next generation of the Holden family, Henry James Holden and Edward Holden, spearheading the change in direction from its base in the centre of Adelaide. Starting out on car upholstery and eventually body work on cars and motorcycle sidecars, Holden started producing full-bodied cars with the creation of Holden’s Motor Body Builders from a facility in King William Street, Adelaide, in 1919. Holden became the exclusive supplier of car bodies for General Motors in 1924, with the latter purchasing Holden and bringing it under the General Motors Australia fold in 1931. Holden soon emerged as a dominant force in Australian motoring, expanding its production across Australia, including with the Elizabeth plant in South Australia in 1963. By this time, the Australian Touring Car Championship and Bathurst 500 (soon to be Bathurst 1000) became a showroom in motion for car manufacturers. Holden was a key player from the very beginning with 23 Holdens on the 44-car grid for the first Australian Touring Car Championship race at Gnoo Blas in New South Wales in 1960 The Holden 48-215 (FX) and EH S4 competed in

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the formative years of Australian touring cars, with the Monaro and Torana soon emerging as the iconic Australian cars on the road and the race track. The Monaro scored Holden’s first Bathurst and championship wins in 1968 and 1970 respectively with privateer entrants, with the HK Monaro GTS327 of Bruce McPhee and Barry Mulholland prevailing over its more fancied opponents at Bathurst and Norm Beechey winning the championship in the HT Monaro GTS350. But it was the unofficial factorybacked Holden Dealer Team that soon emerged as Holden’s leading outfit. With General Motors not allowing its manufacturers to race in an official capacity, Holden garnered the support of its dealer network to overcome that limitation. Harry Firth moved from Ford to spearhead the new Holden team, which won the 1969 Bathurst 500 with Colin Bond and Tony Roberts in a HT Monaro GTS350. In third place for the team on debut at Bathurst that year was a young Peter Brock, who emerged as Holden’s leading driver with a solo win at a rain-soaked Bathurst in 1972. Brock and Holden became synonymous, winning the Bathurst 1000 a record nine times between 1972 and 1987, including two three-peats between 1978 and 1980 and 1982 and 1984. The 1970s was a period of extraordinary growth for Australian touring cars, with the introduction of the locally-derived Group C rules and Bathurst’s change to 1000kms in 1973. At the foundation of that was the battle between Holden and Ford, the Torana and Falcon and Brock and Allan Moffat. Holden and Ford traded championship and Bathurst wins. And while Ford’s support wavered in this period, the support of Holden’s dealer network kept the Holden Dealer Team going. Even when Brock moved away from the team to privateer entries, he and Holden kept winning. The Commodore replaced the Torana as Holden’s

racer of choice in 1980, with Brock giving the new car a championship and Bathurst double. The four-door sedan would prove a more equivalent combatant for Ford’s Falcon, leading to a new chapter for the Holden and Ford rivalry with Dick Johnson replacing Moffat as the Blue Oval battler. The two brands still shared the majority of the automotive market share, though the arrival of new makes and cars from overseas would change the landscape. Even when the international-based Group A rules that Australian touring cars ran from 1985 to 1992 hamstrung the Commodore, there were still underdog wins for Holden at Bathurst in 1986, 1987 and 1990. The 1987 victory came in the midst of an ugly split between Holden and Brock that led to the demise of the Holden Dealer Team and creation of the Holden Racing Team, which would emerge as Holden’s new powerhouse team. The Australian Touring Car Championship and Bathurst 1000 moved away from the Group A rules at the end of 1992 and created a V8-only formula featuring Holden Commodores and Ford Falcons from 1993. The new category was built around the popularity of Holden and Ford in the marketplace, with the two manufacturers becoming instrumental to what became known as Supercars. Holden contributed the majority of cars on the grid in 1993, a numerical dominance that continued throughout the V8 era to this day. The Holden Racing Team took over from where the Holden Dealer Team left off, becoming a force in the 1990s and 2000s. Between 1996 and 2002, the Holden Racing Team won six drivers’ championships. Craig Lowndes won three titles between 1996 and 1999, emerging as Brock’s protégé to become the new Holden hero. Lowndes moved to Ford in 2001, by which time Mark Skaife had become the leader of the Holden Racing Team. Skaife won three titles in a

The Commodore has been a constant feature in Australian touring cars since its debut in 1980, winning 18 championships in total.

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HOLDEN

The Holden story comes to a close in Adelaide, where the original company was formed back in 1856.

HOLDEN’S BATHURST 500 / 1000 WINNERS YEAR DRIVERS 1968 1969 1972 1975 1976 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1990 1993 1995 1996 1997 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2009 2010 2011 2012 2015 2016 2017 2018 2020 2021 2022

TEAM

Bruce McPhee/Barry Mulholland Wyong Motors Pty Ltd Colin Bond/Tony Roberts Holden Dealer Team Peter Brock Holden Dealer Team Peter Brock/Brian Sampson Gown - Hindhaugh Bob Morris/John Fitzpatrick Ron Hodgson Motors Peter Brock/Jim Richards Holden Dealer Team Peter Brock/Jim Richards Holden Dealer Team Peter Brock/Jim Richards Holden Dealer Team Peter Brock/Larry Perkins Holden Dealer Team Peter Brock/Larry Perkins/John Harvey Holden Dealer Team Peter Brock/Larry Perkins Holden Dealer Team Allan Grice/Graeme Bailey Roadways Racing Peter Brock/Peter McLeod/David Parsons Holden Dealer Team Win Percy/Allan Grice Holden Racing Team Larry Perkins/Gregg Hansford Perkins Engineering Larry Perkins/Russell Ingall Perkins Engineering Craig Lowndes/Greg Murphy Holden Racing Team Larry Perkins/Russell Ingall Perkins Engineering Steven Richards/Greg Murphy Gibson Motorsport Garth Tander/Jason Bargwanna Garry Rogers Motorsport Mark Skaife/Tony Longhurst Holden Racing Team Mark Skaife/Jim Richards Holden Racing Team Greg Murphy/Rick Kelly Kmart Racing Greg Murphy/Rick Kelly Kmart Racing Mark Skaife/Todd Kelly Holden Racing Team Garth Tander/Will Davison Holden Racing Team Craig Lowndes/Mark Skaife Triple Eight Race Engineering Garth Tander/Nick Percat Holden Racing Team Jamie Whincup/Paul Dumbrell Triple Eight Race Engineering Craig Lowndes/Steven Richards Triple Eight Race Engineering Will Davison/Jonathon Webb Tekno Autosports David Reynolds/Luke Youlden Erebus Motorsport Craig Lowndes/Steven Richards Triple Eight Race Engineering Shane van Gisbergen/Garth Tander Triple Eight Race Engineering Chaz Mostert/Lee Holdsworth Walkinshaw Andretti United Shane van Gisbergen/Garth Tander Triple Eight Race Engineering

P66 / 34

CAR HK Monaro GTS327 HT Monaro GTS350 LJ Torana GTR XU-1 LH Torana SL/R 5000 L34 LH Torana SL/R 5000 L34 LX Torana A9X SS LX Torana A9X SS VC Commodore VH Commodore SS VH Commodore SS VK Commodore VK Commodore SS Group A VL Commodore SS Group A VL Commodore SS Group A SV VP Commodore VR Commodore VR Commodore VS Commodore VT Commodore VT Commodore VX Commodore VX Commodore VY Commodore VY Commodore VZ Commodore VE Commodore VE Commodore VE Commodore VE Commodore VF Commodore VF Commodore VF Commodore ZB Commodore ZB Commodore ZB Commodore ZB Commodore

row between 2000 and 2002, also winning Bathurst in 2001 and 2002. When the Holden Racing Team stuttered under ownership wrangles, the HSV Dealer Team sister operation picked up the pieces with two Bathurst 1000 wins (as Kmart Racing) in 2003 and 2004 and two championship wins in 2006 and 2007. As the Holden Racing Team struggled, along came Triple Eight Race Engineering. The team that had become a force running Ford Falcons switched to Holden Commodores in 2010, bringing Lowndes back into the Holden fold with the team gaining exclusive factory support from Holden in 2017. Triple Eight Race Engineering won Holden’s last eight Supercars titles, equalling the Holden Dealer Team for the record of most wins in the Bathurst 500/1000 with its ninth victory in 2022. The team that was known as the Holden Racing Team eventually morphed into Walkinshaw Andretti United, claiming its own final Bathurst win with Holden in 2021 with a switch to Ford Mustangs in 2023. With dwindling sales, overwhelming competition from overseas brands and the closure of local manufacturing, General Motors announced the retirement of the Holden brand just days before the Supercars season started in Adelaide, where Holden was not only born but housed. Fittingly, Triple Eight’s Jamie Whincup gave Holden a winning start to the season. And, after its final season, there’s been a 23rd championship win (Ford has 27), a 36th Bathurst 500/1000 win (Ford has 20) and an 18th championship win for the Commodore, moving one ahead of the Falcon’s tally of 17. Chevrolet and the Camaro will fly the flag for General Motors into the Gen3 era from 2023, off the back of the Holden legends and their storied histories.

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31/10/2022 3:13:41 PM

GEN3

GENERATION NEXT

P68 / 36

SUPERCAR XTRA

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14/11/2022 11:46:55 AM

IMAGES Peter Norton, Autopics.com.au

Ford versus Holden becomes Ford versus Chevrolet in 2023, with the Camaro replacing the Commodore to take on the Mustang under the new Gen3 regulations.

A

s the curtain closes on the 2022 Repco Supercars Championship, the foundations of the category are reset for the start of the Gen3 era in 2023. Since the introduction of the Australian-produced five-litre V8-engined Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore regulations from 1993, the foundation of the category has been four-door sedans. Now, with the Chevrolet Camaro joining the Ford Mustang under the Gen3 rules, the shift to two-door coupes is complete. When Australian manufacturing ended and the Falcon and Commodore were discontinued, the Mustang and Camaro were the inevitable replacements. And four years after the Mustang replaced the Falcon, the Camaro replaces the Commodore for a new generation of Supercars. The new cars have been designed with an eye on increased road relevance, with a greater likeness to their road-going counterparts. And that’s the most visible change with Gen3; they are lower and more akin to the Mustang and Camaro road cars. The control chassis is 100 millimetres shorter than the current Supercars, not only to allow for a better fit for the Mustang and Camaro but also to make it easier for other manufacturers to potentially go racing with their own coupe-style body shapes. The Camaro and Mustang share the same wheelbases and dimensions, helping the category achieve parity between the two cars. The difference in body shape is very noticeable when comparing the current Mustang Supercar to the Gen3 version, with the latter clearly a closer link to the road-going version. With the centre of gravity lowered, the Gen3 cars are also 100 millimetres wider for a more muscle-car look. There’s a significant reduction in weight, estimated to be around 100 kilograms, for a minimum weight of under 1300 kilograms including the driver. There’s also a big decrease in downforce, more than 50 percent down from the current cars, with the rear-wing size noticeably smaller, the front under-tray removed and the rear-wing mainplane common between the two cars. With less weight, less downforce and more mechanical grip, expect a harder to tame car that moves around more and, therefore, should produce better racing with cars able to follow one another more closely. Drivers who have tested the Gen3 prototypes report a car more like an old-school Supercar; needing SUPERCAR XTRA

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P69 / 37 14/11/2022 11:47:00 AM

GEN3

ABOVE: Chevrolet and the Camaro replaces Holden and the Commodore in Supercars in 2023. RIGHT: The Ford Boss 302 Mustang of Allan Moffat leads the Chevrolet Camaro ZL-1 of Bob Jane at Oran Park in 1971. Scan to watch Mark Larkham dissect the Gen3 cars.

P70 / 38

to hustle the car to extract speed from it with more noticeable understeer and oversteer and a greater dependence on mechanical grip versus aerodynamic push. There are a few carryover parts from the current cars. They include the transaxle, rear suspension wishbones and rear uprights. After initial talk of a move to a paddle-shift gearbox, Supercars opted to retain the current stick-shift gear system. In order to cut costs, more standard body parts appear on the Gen3 cars, helping the Supercars look more like their road-going versions. More standardised parts also help cut developmental options for teams, keeping the grid on a more level playing field. There’s also been a focus on cutting repair bills. The design of the cars allows for sections to be more easily bolted off and replaced. Even the new wheel design is so there’s less of a chance that the spindles damage wheels and tyres when drivers run into each other. Along with the lower profile and aerodynamic reduction, the big change comes under the bonnet. After three decades, the engine capacity moves away from five litres to 5.7 litres for the Camaro and 5.4 litres for the Mustang. The Camaro LTR engine is a pushrod design single camshaft with two valves per cylinder, developed by KRE Race Engines in association with Chevrolet homologation team Triple Eight Race Engineering. Ford’s quad overhead-cam Coyote engine will have four valves per cylinder, developed by Herrod Performance in association with Ford homologation team Dick Johnson Racing. Parity has been at the foundation of Supercars for most of the V8 era. Introducing different engine configurations and capacities complicates matters, but Supercars is confident parity will be achieved with the added benefit of more mileage from cheaper engines. The Gen3 cars certainly look the part. Now all eyes will be on Newcastle in March 2023 to see how they perform for the new era of Supercars.

HISTORY REPEATING

The 2023 season won’t be the first time a Chevrolet Camaro and Ford Mustang have done battle in Australian touring cars, with the two-door coupes going head-to-head for the championship in the early 1970s. The Mustang became the car to have under the Improved Production rules introduced for the Australian Touring Car Championship in 1965, winning five consecutive championships between 1965 and 1969. That run came to an end at the hands of the Australian-made Holden HT Monaro GTS350 in 1970, but the pendulum soon swung to the Camaro. Bob Jane scored back-to-back titles with the Camaro ZL-1 in 1971 and 1972, narrowly defeating the Mustangs of Allan Moffat and Ian Geoghegan in 1971 and overcoming a forced engine reduction in 1972. When the Australian Touring Car Championship and the Bathurst 1000 moved to the locally-derived Group C rules in 1973, the Camaros and Mustangs were forced out by Holden and Ford’s Australian-made products, initially the Torana and Falcon. The Camaro returned in Group C-spec in the late 1970s into the early 1980s, most notably with Kevin Bartlett’s Channel 9-sponsored Z28, though championship and Bathurst success eluded the coupe. The Mustang also made an unsuccessful return under the Group A rules in 1985, quickly replaced by the Sierra. When Ford switched from the Falcon to the Mustang in 2019, it represented a seismic shift in Supercars with a two-door body shape running under the V8-based rules for the first time since their introduction in 1993. The arrival of the Camaro in 2023 completes the shift to a new era for Australian touring cars.

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31/10/2022 3:14:11 PM

SHANE VAN GISBERGEN

IMAGES Supercars, Peter Norton

THE KING OF THE HILL

Shane van Gisbergen rewrote the record books on his way to his third Supercars championship win in 2022. His achievements in Supercars and across other motorsport categories and disciplines in recent years showcase one of the most naturally-gifted drivers at the peak of his powers.

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31/10/2022 2:55:03 PM

SHANE VAN GISBERGEN

Shane van Gisbergen gave Holden and the Commodore their final Supercars championship and Bathurst wins in 2022.

P74 / 42

S

hane van Gisbergen’s 2022 Supercars season alone is one for the record books: a third Supercars championship win, second Bathurst 1000 victory and the most race wins in a single season. But it’s his achievements in other categories and disciplines on top of his Supercars results that makes his run of form even more incredible. Outside of Supercars in 2022, van Gisbergen finished on the podium in the Bathurst 12 Hour; scored race wins in the GT World Challenge Australia; claimed fifth in class on debut in the 24 Hours of Le Mans; took a podium in the Australian Rally Championship; and ninth place overall and third in class in his World Rally Championship debut in Rally New Zealand. The Auckland-born racer’s resume now includes success in Supercars, sportscars, rallying and open-wheelers. But it’s in Supercars where he is the clear leader of the pack, finishing in the top 10 in the championship standings in each season since 2010, across three teams and two manufacturers, with top-three finishes in the last five seasons, with two Bathurst 1000 wins and three championship wins from his seven seasons with Triple Eight Race Engineering. After impressing in his native New Zealand with a Formula Ford championship win and top-three finishes in the Formula First championship and Toyota Racing Series, an 18-year-old van Gisbergen headed across the Tasman to be thrown in the deep-end with his Supercars championship debut with Team Kiwi Racing at Oran Park Raceway midway through the 2007 season. He turned heads with the 15th fastest time amongst a 31-car field in the opening practice session. And after a respectable 20th place from 29th on the grid in the

opening race, wet weather for the second race allowed his natural talent to shine. Van Gisbergen charged through the field in the treacherous conditions, finishing in 13th place with the fifth fastest lap of the race. A 12th place on the bruising streets of the Gold Coast, one of seven top-15 finishes from his 17 races in 2007, confirmed his potential. A move to the former championship-winning team Stone Brothers Racing in 2008 saw him score his first podium finish in Supercars and become a regular in the front half of the field, though the team run by brothers Ross and Jim Stone was far from its peak. After a podium-less season in 2009, van Gisbergen’s breakout season was in 2010. He scored nine podiums for sixth in the championship, establishing himself as the team leader within the Ford outfit. His first race win came on home soil at the Hamilton street circuit in 2011, in a season in which he improved to fourth place in the championship. But what seemed like a perfect fit with fellow New Zealanders, the Stone brothers, disintegrated over the course of 2012. Van Gisbergen walked away from the team and looked set to take time out from Supercars, with the team on the brink of morphing into Erebus Motorsport for 2013. After a contentious split from the team and talk of retirement, van Gisbergen resurfaced at Tekno Autosports in 2013, moving into a Holden Commodore for the first time. A win in the season-opening Adelaide 500 set the tone for his three-year stint with Tekno Autosports. Running a customer Triple Eight Race Engineering car, van Gisbergen ended his first season with the team with another win in Sydney with fifth in the championship. The sight of the yellow and black VIP

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VAN GISBERGEN’S SUPERCARS CHAMPIONSHIP TREND-LINE 1st 6

10th

4

6

5

2012

2013

2

1 4

4

2

2

3

2019

2020

1

1

2021

2022

12 15

20th

30th

40th 43

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

 Team Kiwi Racing  Stone Brothers Racing  Tekno Autosports  Triple Eight Race Engineering Petfoods-backed VF Commodore running at the front of the field became a regular occurrence in 2014, with van Gisbergen climbing to second in the championship with five wins. However, heartbreak at Bathurst with late pitstop drama costing him and team owner Jonathon Webb victory marred an otherwise strong season. Van Gisbergen dropped to fourth in the championship in 2015, though collected another two wins on the Gold Coast and Sydney, confirming his reputation as a street-circuit master. The latter win in Sydney was in his final appearance for the team, with a move to Triple Eight Race Engineering in 2016. Moving into the factory-backed Holden team pitted van Gisbergen into direct competition with multiple champions Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes. But it was no concern for van Gisbergen with eight wins across the 2016 campaign and a run of 10 consecutive podiums to end the season, including a long-awaited first top-three finish at Bathurst, giving him the championship title in his first time out with the team. He was unable to defend the title in 2017 with Whincup prevailing over Scott McLaughlin in a tense finale in Newcastle. Consistency was the key in Whincup’s victory, with van Gisbergen scoring one more race win than his teammate but behind in points. In 2018 and 2019, van Gisbergen and McLaughlin went head-to-head in an all-New Zealand fight for the championship. McLaughlin prevailed in both seasons, though van Gisbergen was the only driver who could push his countryman in the title race, racking up more wins as Holden’s leading driver. In the COVID-interrupted 2020 season, a retirement in the season opener in Adelaide put van Gisbergen on the back foot. While McLaughlin raced to

Van Gisbergen’s championship was never in doubt with a record-breaking run of race wins in 2022.

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SHANE VAN GISBERGEN

his third championship, van Gisbergen finally claimed victory in the Bathurst 1000 alongside Garth Tander. After more than a decade in Supercars, he joined the select few who could lay claim to a championship and Bathurst win. With McLaughlin heading to IndyCar in 2021, van Gisbergen stepped into his own as the dominator of Supercars. He started the 2021 season with six wins in a row, building a championship buffer that proved insurmountable for his second title. With 14 wins from 31 races, it was his most complete season yet. However, even better was in store for 2022. A crushing display in 2022 saw van Gisbergen break McLaughlin’s record for most wins in a season, surpassing the mark of 18 with four races still to go. Van Gisbergen won a race at each event except for Darwin. There was an emotional win on home soil at the final Supercars round at Pukekohe Park Raceway, after a three-year absence from racing in New Zealand. Also, a second Bathurst 1000 triumph, once again with Tander, for a near-perfect season. The natural talent that was evident in his debut in 2007 has been harnessed with experience and the support of the leading team in Supercars. At present, it’s hard to see how the van Gisbergen-Triple Eight combination can be stopped, though the move to the Gen3 rules and the Chevrolet Camaro presents a new challenge in 2023. At 33 years of age, it remains to be seen whether van Gisbergen will follow in the footsteps of McLaughlin and make a full-time move into another category P76 / 44

outside of Australia. He looks set to continue on his rallying exploits following the impressive World Rally Championship debut on home soil, there will be more international sportscar outings and there is talk of a potential appearance in NASCAR. With three championship wins and two Bathurst 1000 titles, van Gisbergen has done it all in Supercars. While Gen3 and racing a Camaro represent something new in 2023, how he balances his other racing activities with his Supercars dominance will be fascinating to watch.

After 10 years racing a Holden Commodore Supercar, van Gisbergen will move into the Gen3 Chevrolet Camaro in 2023.

VAN GISBERGEN’S RACING RESUME 2005/06 2011 2013 2015 2016 2016 2016 2020 2021 2022 2022 2022 2022

New Zealand Formula Ford Championship winner Supercars Championship race winner New Zealand V8 SuperTourer race winner 24 Hours of Daytona class podium Bathurst 12 Hour winner Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup winner Supercars Championship title winner Bathurst 1000 winner Supercars Championship title winner 24 Hours of Le Mans class top five World Rally Championship points finisher Bathurst 1000 winner Supercars Championship title winner

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DAVID REYNOLDS

THE LIFE OF A SUPERCARS DRIVER

IMAGES Peter Norton

What’s it like being a Supercars driver? Grove Racing’s David Reynolds takes us behind the scenes to tell us what’s involved in being a contender in the Repco Supercars Championship. SUPERCAR SUPERCAR XTRAXTRA 46 / 46 P78

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D

avid Reynolds knows what it takes to be a Supercars driver. He made his first start in Supercars in 2007; his full-time season debut in 2009; scored his first race win in 2013; conquered Mount Panorama with victory in the Bathurst 1000 in 2017; and recently took part in his 400th race start. He’s raced for both Holden and Ford, across various Commodores, Falcons and now Mustangs, for factory-backed teams such as the Holden Racing Team and Ford Performance Racing (under the Rod Nash Racing banner) and race-winning independents such as Erebus Motorsport and now Grove Racing. For 15 years, Reynolds has lived the life of a Supercars driver, experiencing the highs and lows of something that’s more of a way of life than a job. “My life is not 9am to 5pm; it’s 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” says Reynolds. “You live and breathe the sport day in, day out.” On paper, it seems pretty straightforward: 13 race events in the 2022 Repco Supercars Championship and a handful of test days gives the impression that there’s a lot of waiting around for drivers across the year. But that doesn’t factor in the training programs, media and sponsor commitments, team requirements and everyday family responsibilities that all

need to be fitted in, ramping up in and around events. The off-season is the opportunity to reach peak physical fitness, with more time for demanding training schedules ahead of the racing season. “I do a lot of fitness at the start of the year when you get a lot of free time,” explains Reynolds. “You can’t train flat out and then race a car and then just train flat out as soon as it’s over as you suffer burnout. And it’s also really taxing to drive a Supercar flat out anyway. So you always spend a few days either side of that resting or tapering off. “When you’re in season, it’s really hard to get fit, unless there’s big breaks. So I try and do as much as I can before the season so that way I can sort of cruise during the year and just try and maintain it. But there’s no fitness programs that can replicate driving a car; driving a car is the best fitness you can do for our sport. “You can be as fit as you want, but it doesn’t translate into making the car fast; it doesn’t change the performance of the car. It does help you in knowing that, say, if I go for a run for two hours without water, I can drive the car flat out for two hours without water. I know that physically and mentally I can do that. “Our sport doesn’t restrict the weak, the strong. You don’t have to be the fittest or strongest. You can be SUPERCAR XTRA

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DAVID REYNOLDS

overweight and still be fast. You don’t have to have one special attribute. It’s a combination of things that combine to drive a car fast with the desire to want to drive it fast.” Along with the physical aspect comes the mental, converting all that training and preparation into a performance and result when it counts. Even as a Bathurst-winning veteran, the complexity of the sport takes a mental toll. “The moment you stop thinking about driving the car flat out or, ‘Far out, this race is coming up, we’re going to be on this tyre, this is where I have to brake,’ etc, etc, then you probably shouldn’t be competing,” says Reynolds. “The cars are a lot more complex with more variables – set ups, tyres, formats, etc. So every weekend you go into, there’s a new set of challenges you have got to think about; whether you know how the car and tyre will perform at the track and what can be done to get the most out of it all. “It’s definitely a strange business. Even something that appears simple like how teammates match up isn’t as straightforward as it seems, as there are inevitably differences in who built the cars, how they are built, the mileage they’ve had, the impacts they’ve experienced, etc. “A great example is with my teammate Lee Holdsworth’s car and mine. My car is a former Nissan Altima converted into a Ford Mustang, while his is a Mustang that was made by another team. So you can set them up with the same numbers and everything and put the same mechanics on them, but they will feel and handle completely different. “It’s why teammate battles, even though everyone perceives it as the only true benchmark, when you really boil it down, is it really? “There’s so many funny things in this sport that makes a huge differences to performance that the average person that just turns on the screen and watches wouldn’t understand.” That complexity is evident when visiting a Supercars’ team workshop, where drivers like Reynolds regularly visit to embed themselves with the team and have a hands-on role in preparation and reviews. “I try and get out there as much as I can when I don’t have anything on, spend time there and be involved,” he says. “On the other side, though, if I go out there too much and I don’t do any work, it can be counterproductive and probably a distraction. So it’s a balance.” Then there’s the ‘day-job’ elements that fill up the non-racing weeks, whether it is a promotional appearance for the team, sponsors or series or media commitments – all of which only increase with success. “Over time, as you work your way up and you build your profile, people want to know you more and talk to you more,” says Reynolds. “You get a bit busier, doing appearances, appeasing your sponsors, keeping everyone happy and trying to drive the car as fast you can all the time. It varies week to week, day to day. There’s always a few P80 / 48

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commitments each week, which doesn’t sound like much, but they could happen at any time. Holidays, birthdays, weddings, I’ve missed so many of them for family and friends over the years.” On top of all that is family life, with Reynolds and partner Tahan Lew Fatt welcoming son Ryu Reynolds into the world in early 2021. “Before you have kids you’re very, very selfish and you’re very about yourself and your own career; what you’ve got to do for this sponsor, got to do for the team, this and that,” explains Reynolds. “When you have kids, your responsibility is to look after this kid the best you can, make sure he grows into a proper person. So back in the day I would train from 10am, in what we called the pro hours; now I’m getting up at 6am to do all my training before my kid wakes up because as soon as he wakes up it’s all full on parenting again. The days have shifted, so I go to bed really early these days! “I still commit myself 100 percent to the job, though. Even when I’m at home with my son, I’m still thinking about racing and driving and things like that. So it never really leaves you; it just gives you something else to think about.” All that hard work pays off on days like at Bathurst in 2017, when Reynolds and co-driver Luke Youlden won the Bathurst 1000. “When it happens it’s like, ‘This is what I’ve set out to do my whole life!’” says Reynolds. “It does change your life. You never lose that tag. You’re always known as the person that’s won the biggest race in Australian motorsport. People want to talk to you more and find out about you. It was just the most epic feeling you could ever, ever have in your life, alongside having kids.” The motivation is still there for Reynolds. Multiple podium finishes in 2022 have shown the potential for Grove Racing, with the switch to the Gen3 cars in 2023 presenting a fresh start for all teams and drivers. “The team at the workshop have put some things into place to put their best foot forward,” says Reynolds. “Based on our performance this year, engine performance, car parity, this, that and the other, hopefully it might bring us closer to those at the front. Well, hopefully it brings everyone closer together. “Who knows, though. That’s the beauty of this sport. It’s a very confusing sport at times. And when you’re at the front it makes complete sense and it’s really easy, and when you’re at the back it makes no sense. That’s so hard.”

“MY LIFE IS NOT 9AM TO 5PM; IT’S 24 HOURS A DAY, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK. YOU LIVE AND BREATHE THE SPORT DAY IN, DAY OUT.” – DAVID REYNOLDS SUPERCAR XTRA

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YOUNG HOPEFUL. HE HAD ALREADY EXPERIENCED A THIRD PLACE AT BATHURST IN 1969 CO-DRIVING

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THE “HOLYWOOD FINISH”

CHAPTER 9

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ADELAIDE GRAND PRIX

ADELAIDE ALIVE!

IMAGES AdelaideGPrix.com

Adelaide came alive when it hosted the Australian Grand Prix between 1985 and 1995. While the main event was Formula 1, the Group A/V8 touring car support races were always a highlight of the weekend, with the non-championship encounters giving a taste of what lay ahead on the Adelaide Street Circuit.

T

he Group A/V8 touring cars were the main support category to Formula 1 at the Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide from 1985 to 1995. Though there were no championship points at stake, there was no shortage of action from the category that became known as Supercars and would headline the Adelaide 500 event on a shortened version of the Adelaide Street Circuit from 1999. This is what unfolded at each of the grand prix support races:

1985 

Australia’s first hosting of a round of the Formula 1 world championship in 1985 coincided with a local switch to international Group A touring car rules that year, which saw Ford hero Dick Johnson swap his home-grown 5.8-litre V8 Falcon for an imported five-litre V8 Ford Mustang. Johnson duly qualified on pole for the first Australian Grand Prix touring car support race ahead of Formula 1 rising star Gerhard Berger, guest-driving a Bob Jane-backed Schnitzer BMW. Johnson bolted into the lead of the 15-lap race, while John

Harvey’s HDT Commodore unloaded Berger’s BMW into a gravel trap. Peter Brock, running rock hard tyres, set the fastest race lap in his pursuit of Johnson’s Mustang. He got to within one second of the race leader before having to settle for second.

1986

The support race distance more than doubled to 32 laps (100km) for the second year of the event. Armed with a brand new Les Smallbuilt VK Commodore, Allan Grice was in scintillating form fresh from his first Bathurst 1000 win and stunning performances in Europe. Sixth fastest in a wet qualifying session was not indicative of Grice’s red-hot race pace. Pole went to Jim Richards in his JPS BMW, followed by fellow Kiwi Graeme Crosby (VK Commodore), Glenn Seton (Nissan Skyline DR30), Peter Brock (HDT VK Commodore) and George Fury (Skyline). On a dry track, Richards led the race early from Fury and Brock but had to retire after only five laps with a broken CV joint. From sixth on the grid, the hard-charging Grice was straight-lining the chicanes in brutal European-style, hunting down Brock and then SUPERCAR SUPERCAR XTRA XTRA P83 / 51

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Fury for the lead only to let them past again when he locked his rear brakes and spun. With less rear brake bias dialled in, Grice showed stunning pace to again hunt down Brock and Fury to take a sensational victory.

1987

After a trouble-plagued championship and dismal showing at Bathurst in his new Ford Sierra, Dick Johnson really needed a big win at the Australian Grand Prix to maintain the faith of new team sponsor, Shell. Fortunately, he banked a quick lap in qualifying before his diff failed, grabbing fifth on the grid behind polesitter Larry Perkins (VL Commodore), Andrew Miedecke (Sierra), Glenn Seton (Skyline) and Colin Bond (Alfa 75 Turbo). Perkins duly grabbed the race lead, but Johnson was flying, whistling past Seton (third) and a fast-starting Brock (second) on lap six and doing the same to race leader Perkins a lap later. A few laps from the finish Johnson started weaving on the straights with fuel starvation, but had just enough Shell to get him home and claim a face-saving win.

1989

The support event for touring cars changed from one 32-lap race on Saturday to a pair of shorter races held on Saturday (15 laps) and Sunday (10 laps). Peter Brock used a set of sticky Bridgestone qualifying tyres to claim pole position in his Mobil Sierra ahead of Tony Longhurst and Andrew Miedecke, also in turbo Ford Sierras. In a race one crash-fest, Win Percy (HRT Commodore) nudged Mark Skaife’s Skyline at the chicane and sent the works Nissan head-first into a concrete wall before Dick Johnson tapped Miedecke’s Sierra causing the turbo Ford to crash and burst into flames, fortunately without injury. At the restart, Brock and Johnson both spun their Sierras, leaving Longhurst to take the win ahead of Brock and Win Percy. Grid positions for the shorter 10-lapper held on Sunday morning were determined by the finishing positions from Saturday’s race. On a wet but gradually drying track, Longhurst made it two from two ahead of Colin Bond, Johnson and early leader Jim Richards.

1988 

The Adelaide circuit’s ability to cook cars and drivers on hot days, by trapping ambient heat as high as 50 degrees between its breezeless concrete walls, was never better demonstrated than in 1988. Freshly crowned champ Dick Johnson nailed pole in his Shell Sierra, followed by the B&H-backed Tony Longhurst and Shell teammate John Bowe. The trio of turbo Fords headed a quality field, including George Fury and Mark Skaife in Nissan Skylines, Peter Brock and Jim Richards in Mobil BMW M3s and the usual pack of Group A Commodore V8s headed by Larry Perkins, Denny Hulme (HSV) and Allan Grice (Roadways FAI). In extremely hot conditions, Johnson and Bowe led early in the familiar one-two formation until both cars began misfiring due to crippling fuel vaporisation. Both Shell Fords were soon forced out, along with Skaife’s Skyline and Longhurst’s Sierra with blown head gaskets. Perkins and Hulme exploited their cooler-running Holden V8s to finish one-two in a race of severe turbo attrition.

1990

The first Adelaide appearance of Nissan’s twin-turbocharged, allwheel drive Skyline GT-R. Two works cars were entered for new champ Jim Richards and Mark Skaife, but only one of the $500,000 Japanese cars would race after Skaife destroyed his in a huge qualifying shunt. Richards took pole from the Sierras of Peter Brock, John Bowe and Dick Johnson followed by Win Percy’s Bathurst-winning

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HRT VL Commodore V8, which he was revving to a spine-tingling 9000rpm! The first race was a crushing demo of GT-R superiority after polesitter Richards fluffed the start and dropped back to sixth place. Within just seven laps, though, he was back in the lead and took an easy win ahead of five flabbergasted Sierra runners he’d easily picked off. Dropping the clutch at 8000rpm ensured Richards got away cleanly in race two only to retire a few laps later with overheating. Glenn Seton won from Johnson, Percy and Alan Jones.

1991

New championship and Bathurst winner Jim Richards and his Nissan Skyline GT-R faced stiff competition on a circuit that tended to equalise the performance of the Skyline/Commodore/Sierra competition. After taking pole, Richards looked set to continue his stunning recent form as he bolted into the lead of race one hounded by Glenn Seton and Win Percy. A collision between the pursuing Sierra and Commodore slowed Seton, while Percy chased and passed Richards only to lose the lead a lap later when he ran wide. Richards had to work very hard for his win from Percy, Seton and Tony Longhurst. Sunday morning’s 10-lapper required a massive jump start from Alan Jones’ BMW M3 to be in second place behind Richards into the chicane. He was soon swamped by Seton and Percy before the latter got it all wrong under brakes, leaving Seton and Richards to swap the lead several times in a thrilling duel. As rain started to

fall, Richards had been made to work even harder for his second win ahead of Seton, Larry Perkins and John Bowe.

1992

The last year for the turbo-charged Group A Skylines and Sierras. The new five-litre V8 Falcons and Commodores that would take their places in 1993 were also on the grid and provided an interesting speed comparison. Larry Perkins claimed pole in his venerable VL Group A Commodore ahead of Jim Richards’ Skyline GT-R and John Bowe’s Sierra. Dick Johnson and Glenn Seton in their new 1993-spec V8 Falcons were next quickest but were relegated to the rear of the grid following a homologation dispute with arch-rival Holden. On rock hard tyres, Perkins got too much wheel-spin off the grid in race one, which allowed Richards, Bowe and Tony Longhurst to sneak in front. Seton ran wide and crashed his new Falcon into the tyre bundles as Richards won the race by less than a second from Bowe, Longhurst and Perkins. It was a similar story in race two with Richards fending off repeated attacks from Bowe to the flag, while Peter Brock crashed his new 1993-spec Commodore heavily into the wall in a furious fight over fourth place.

1993

The first year of the new domestic Ford versus Holden V8 war. HRT’s Tomas Mezera took pole position in his VP Commodore ahead of Holden runners Mark Skaife and 1993 Bathurst winner

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ADELAIDE GRAND PRIX

Larry Perkins. The fastest Falcon runner was freshly crowned champion Glenn Seton in fourth spot. Mezera won the start of the 15-lap race one and saw off an early challenge from Skaife before he got off line in traffic, spun and backed the HRT car into a wall. Seton also spun and hurt both ends of his Falcon as Perkins took the win ahead of Skaife, Jim Richards and HRT’s Wayne Gardner. Perkins and Skaife locked horns again in race two, with both spinning off and handing the lead to Gardner. Behind him a fight for second between the Falcons of John Bowe and Alan Jones was resolved when they touched at the chicane sending AJ into a spin. Gardner took his first win for HRT in his last drive for the factory Holden team ahead of Richards and Bowe.

1994 

Dick Johnson Racing was on a roll, becoming the first team to win the Sandown 500, Bathurst 1000 and Australian Grand Prix support races in one year. John Bowe was in stunning form in Adelaide, taking pole position and two race wins during a hectic weekend. A wet start for Saturday’s 15-lapper was a good omen for Dunlop’s top Ford and Holden runners Bowe and Larry Perkins. The superior grip of Dunlop’s new W09 rain tyre allowed Bowe to lead and for Perkins to gallop through the field from his ninth grid spot to be sniffing Bowe’s tail with two laps remaining. Bowe grimly defended on the inside line to win a nail-biter. In Sunday’s dry conditions, Dick Johnson found a new turn of speed to slot into second behind his teammate, while Perkins withstood immense pressure from Seton’s Falcon to finish third.

1995

The last Australian Grand Prix to be held in Adelaide produced a familiar result for newly crowned champ John Bowe, who left with pole position, a new lap record and two more emphatic race wins. Bowe’s qualifying time was the fastest ever recorded by a touring car on the circuit, eclipsing another eight cars, led by Glenn Seton, which were all under the lap record. Seton was fastest away in the first 15-lap race, hotly pursued by

Wayne Gardner’s Coke Commodore and Bowe. The motorcycle champ tapped Seton hard enough to push him off the line and allow both himself and Bowe to sneak past. Bowe then passed Gardner on lap two, who also succumbed to a flying Seton two laps later, which was the way they finished. Bowe made a lightning start in the final race to pull clear of a furious scrap for second between Gardner and Seton, which resulted in the Coke Commodore ending up buried in the tyre-lined concrete wall. The non-championship support races continued when the Australian Grand Prix moved from Adelaide to Albert Park in Melbourne in 1996. It wouldn’t be until 2018 that the support races at the Australian Grand Prix were included into the Supercars championship.

WINNERS OF THE GROUP A / V8 SUPPORT RACES AT THE ADELAIDE GRAND PRIX YEAR

DRIVER

CAR

TEAM

1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 R1 1989 R2 1990 R1 1990 R2 1991 R1 1991 R2 1992 R1 1992 R2 1993 R1 1993 R2 1994 R1 1994 R2 1995 R1 1995 R2

Dick Johnson Allan Grice Dick Johnson Larry Perkins Tony Longhurst Tony Longhurst Jim Richards Glenn Seton Jim Richards Jim Richards Jim Richards Jim Richards Larry Perkins Wayne Gardner John Bowe John Bowe John Bowe John Bowe

Ford Mustang Holden VK Commodore SS Ford Sierra RS500 Holden VL Commodore SS SV Ford Sierra RS500 Ford Sierra RS500 Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R Ford Sierra RS500 Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R Holden VP Commodore Holden VP Commodore Ford EB Falcon Ford EB Falcon Ford EF Falcon Ford EF Falcon

Dick Johnson Racing Roadways Racing Dick Johnson Racing Holden Special Vehicles Tony Longhurst Racing Tony Longhurst Racing Gibson Motorsport Glenn Seton Racing Gibson Motorsport Gibson Motorsport Gibson Motorsport Gibson Motorsport Perkins Engineering Holden Racing Team Dick Johnson Racing Dick Johnson Racing Dick Johnson Racing Dick Johnson Racing

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FORD XD/XE FALCON

FORD’S FINAL GROUP C FALCONS Forty years ago, Dick Johnson was in the middle of a dominant run with the XD and XE Falcon, winning three Australian Touring Car Championship titles between 1981 and 1984 in the final years of the Group C era. In this extract from the book Ford Falcon, The Great Years, The Great Cars, Commemorative Edition ($39.99), written by Luke West and published by Gelding Street Press, the history of Ford’s ‘boxy’ final Group C Falcons is told.

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F

ord Australia’s boxy XD model Falcon road car range may have lacked a serious performance model, but that didn’t stop it being a runaway sales success. Released in 1979, the XD was an instant hit in the marketplace, which was helped by the fact that it was considerably larger than Holden’s replacement for the full- sized Kingswood flagship, the 1978 release Opel Rekord-based Commodore. Falcon XD became Australia’s best-selling car by 1981 and contributed to Ford becoming number one in the marketplace in the early 1980s: no fewer than 200,735 XDs hit Aussie roads between 1979 and 1982. The XD’s success came as a massive relief for Sir Brian Inglis, the managing director of Ford Australia from 1970 to 1981, who was far from confident the Blue Oval had backed the right horse when the smaller Commodore broke cover. “We were absolutely panic stricken,” Inglis was quoted as saying in the 1987 book The History of the Ford Motor Company in Australia. “We were bringing in a car bigger than our competition. We were launching it into an atmosphere of fuel economy at any cost. General Motors was offering a Europeandesigned car with modern technology that looked as though it would offer fuel economy that we could not meet.” To Ford’s relief, Holden’s first Commodore was launched with the Kingswood’s thirsty 3.3-litre six. Fleet buyers, meantime, continued to buy the full-sized Falcon, with many shunning the Commodore. The warmest of the XD models was the European Sports Pack option. The first of these were based on the entry-level GL model with 4.1-litre six-cylinder or 5.8-litre V8 engines. They were equipped with cloth-trimmed Scheel sports seats, colour coding, exterior pinstripes, sporting suspension and Globe alloy wheels.

Ford’s 24 June 1980 press release declared: “The Falcon ESP is designed to provide a modern equivalent to the Falcon GT.” That was a stretch, yet for blue bloods the ESP was better than nothing. The early GL-based ESPs only sold in small numbers and within six months had been replaced by a more lavish, Fairmont-based version. Ford upped the ante with the ESP for the next model, the XE, launched in 1982, to create the Fairmont Ghia ESP. Those ticking option code 54 got the last of the 4V 5.8-litre Cleveland V8 engines with a four-speed manual. Loaded with features and refinements, including the new coil-sprung rear end, the 5.8 ESP was a semi-serious muscle car with on-road manners. A standout feature was the 15-inch Snowflake alloy wheels with custom gold paint, which were fitted with Uniroyal Wildcat sports tyres that, along with Bilstein shock absorbers, helped to define the ESP as a luxury sports performance model. Sadly, the XE ESP 5.8 was only produced for eight months. All up, a total of 260 automatic-transmission 4.9-litre V8 XE models were produced, with a further 100 manual versions being made with the 302ci engine. Just 178 manual-only 5.8-litre V8 XE ESPs were built, and it’s unclear how many six cylinders rolled off the production line. In November 1982 Ford Australia made a big deal about producing the ‘last Falcon V8’, with a Silverover-Charcoal XE ESP fitted with a special plaque and given press photo treatment at the Broadmeadows factory. Strangely, Ford’s own records show there were a number of V8-powered cars produced into 1983, including a batch of 18 XE Fairmonts with the 4.9-litre engine. While the XD Falcon road car won’t go down in Australian motoring history for its performance credentials, it’s a vastly different story for the boxy

Dick Johnson became a household name with his heroics in the XD and XE Falcon.

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FORD XD/XE FALCON

The XE Falcon won the final Australian Touring Car Championship title run to the Group C regulations in 1984.

model in racing. There is a pair of XDs, both affectionately known as ‘Tru-Blu’, that played a vital role in creating a legend and reigniting Aussie motorsport’s tribal warfare via a pair of Australian Touring Car Championships (ATCC) and a Bathurst 1000 win. The XD hit the race track in 1980, a time when competition with Holden was non-existent. It was the vehicle, quite literally, through which new Ford hero Dick Johnson rose to racing superstardom. Holden’s A9X Torana had won every single round of the 1979 ATCC, then Peter Brock finished six laps ahead of the second-placed A9X at Bathurst. Ford’s XC hardtop was so long in the tooth it couldn’t win a lottery if it bought all the tickets, much less a major motor race. Things were dire for Ford fans... until the aforementioned Queenslander, previously a fringe figure, found himself leading the 1980 HardieFerodo 1000 in Tru-Blu #17. In fact, he was running away with the event but he encountered a recovery vehicle and a bowling ball–sized rock in his path exiting The Cutting. He hit the rock, which speared his Falcon into the concrete wall, his day and car – not to mention his dream – wrecked. Allan Moffat was a last-minute entrant for the 1980 Great Race, but his rushed build program saw his smoky yellow XD complete just three laps. He switched to Mazdas for 1981, leaving Johnson to carry Ford’s hopes. Money raised from an impromptu telethon during the telecast got ‘Tricky Dicky’ back on the track in 1981. He won five of the eight rounds that comprised the sprint race-based ATCC early in the year, then completed the Bathurst fairytale by

winning the October classic with co-driver John French. By the time Johnson clinched the 1982 ATCC he was a genuine superstar and folk hero. “It did breathe life in the Ford vs Holden battle,” Johnson affirmed. “[The XD] gave the Fords a fighting chance of winning races. It was the start of a new era.” So what made the XD a better weapon than the car it replaced? “There was the weight of it,” Johnson explained, “with it being, from memory, about 200kgs lighter than the XC. And the rules changed to allow us to be more competitive with the Commodores. Also, the Commodore was larger than the Torana and it still only had the five-litre engine, while we had almost six litres, or 5.8-litres.” Dick Johnson Racing switched to the XE model ahead of the 1982 endurance races, but that supposedly more refined machine faced stiffer opposition in the form of a rejuvenated Holden effort and new competitors from Mazda, Nissan and BMW. Wins were much harder to come by for Johnson, and he again found disaster at Bathurst in 1983 when he destroyed his Greens-Tuf XE during qualifying. Its full-time replacement hit the track in early 1984 and secured Ford and Johnson their third ATCC in four years. The combination gave Brock and the Holden Dealer Team a run for their money on the Mountain that year before mechanical gremlins derailed the effort. The year 1984 represented the end of an era, with domestic touring car rules giving way to the international Group A class for 1985. There was no place for Falcon in Group A competition, and Ford’s bird of prey would have to wait until 1992 before it would next grace the Bathurst 1000 grid.

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FORD FALCON COBRA

THE BARN FIND BATHURST-SPEC FORD COBRA

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The last Bathurst-spec Ford Falcon Cobra found its way to South Australia and is one of many cars to feature in the book Aussie Classic Car Finds ($39.99), published by Gelding Street Press.

he car featured here is not only a pucker Bathurst-spec Cobra, fitted with the 351cubic inch V8 engine mated to the robust Borg Warner four-speed transmission, it is also the last of the 30 that were made. In fact, Cobra No. 31 is the very last race-homologated car produced by the Ford Motor Company. It was sold through the Mount Barker Motor Company and was originally purchased by R.A. Hosking from Glenelg, South Australia, in January 1979. As it turned out another person, Rhett Polley, had made their way up to take a look at the car only to be told that the car had just been sold. Five years later, when Rhett was working in Mildura, he saw an XC Cobra being put up on display ramps for sale at a local Ford dealer. Incredibly, he discovered this was the very same car, now with 24,000 kilometres on the odometer. After taking the car for a spin, he purchased it then and there. Interestingly, the second-hand value of the car had risen from the new price of $11,166 to $14,700. Rhett was now the second owner, the first apparently selling the car due to a loss of licence. Rhett damaged his spine in 1985 and the resulting nerve damage meant he was no longer physically able to drive the four-speed manual Cobra, so regrettably he had to hang up the keys in 1995. The car sat forlornly in his carport for the next 21 years, slowly gaining the patina of time until he finally conceded that the car was never likely to get recommissioned during his ownership. Mark Negri discovered the car unexpectedly. He was passing time on Facebook at a pub in Streaky Bay, South Australia after losing a front wheel on his LandCruiser while travelling home to Perth from a Christmas holiday. He quickly organised someone to inspect the long-hibernating Cobra on his behalf and a deal was struck. SUPERCAR XTRA

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The Ford Falcon Cobras were hard to miss on the race track, with their distinct body shape.

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Mark remembers his dad taking him as a kid to a showroom to look at a Cobra and at one point he owned Cobra No. 62, so it was in the blood. In fact, he recently sold a Red Pepper XA GT hardtop to make room for his new purchase. By way of background, of the 400 Cobras built the first 200 had the 5.8 litre V8 and the second 200 were fitted with the 4.9 litre V8. The exceptions were build No. 1, which was fitted with a 4.9 litre V8, and build No. 351, which rather appropriately was fitted with the same number of cubic inches as its numeric designation. With Mark’s newly acquired Cobra, beneath the tree detritus and dust the aggressive paint scheme of Snow White and Bold Blue is still striking. Surface rust has started to creep from areas of steel where the paint has been chipped away by road debris and from thinly painted factory edges such as around the bonnet scoop cut-out. Flat tyres and corroded alloys and the fine crazing covering much of the paint detract from what, with a thorough detail, is a car that could well get awards in a preservation-class concours. Lifting the bonnet reveals an extra oil cooler, twin thermo fans and a strut brace unique to Bathurstspec cars, and factory markings such as the ‘31’ scribbled on the underside of the scoop. The interior is complete bar the non-original steering wheel, and will no doubt scrub up to as new with a little elbow grease. The odometer within the comprehensive instrument cluster now displays a genuine 57,426 kilometres. Mark had the car being recommissioned in South Australia with the intention of preserving its survivor car status. He has also been in contact with the original owner, who was really keen to see the car again. Mark had plans to swing past his place before taking the car back home to the west.

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FROM THE ARCHIVES

HOMETOWN HERO WALKS ON WATER

Nick Percat and Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport pulled off a strategic masterpiece at the 2016 Adelaide 500, surviving treacherous conditions to take a famous win in Percat’s home race.

S

outh Australian Nick Percat didn’t even make the grid for Saturday afternoon’s race at the 2016 Adelaide 500, with his Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport Holden VF Commodore succumbing to electrical gremlins before the race had even started. No one could have predicted the change in fortunes that awaited 24 hours later. Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport was in its seventh season in Supercars, struggling for competitiveness with various drivers across that time. Percat joined the team in 2015 after

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being forced out of the downsizing Walkinshaw Racing, with a tough first season at Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport ending with him being sidelined due to a blood infection. After a 21st place and not starting in the opening two races on the Saturday of the 2016 Adelaide 500, it looked like the start of another challenging year. Then, on the Sunday, the heavens opened, presenting a remarkable chance for the team and driver. After a delayed start and with rain increasing, Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport engineer Chris Stuckey realised the field would struggle to

satisfy the compulsory 140litre ‘fuel drop’ rule in the shortened race. So he took the opportunity to pit Percat as often as possible early in the race, completing four pitstops for tyres and fuel by lap 36. In the chaotic final stages of the race, with the leaders forced to pit to meet their fuel drop requirements, Percat assumed the lead for a popular win in his hometown - becoming the first South Australian driver to win the Adelaide event. Fittingly, Percat’s win was in a Holden. Three generations of the Percat family worked at Holden’s Elizabeth

factory, with the fourth generation Percat racing for Holden to a Bathurst 1000 victory as a rookie in 2011 and in Adelaide in 2016. “This is unbelievable. I’ve watched this race since I was in a pram,” said Percat. “I knew I had a good car in the wet, and it was really fun battling.” Later in the season, at an equally chaotic Bathurst 1000, Percat and co-driver Cameron McConville scored a third place from 22nd on the grid in the Great Race. The minnows of Supercars had punched well above their weight in the two biggest events of the season.

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THE ONE TO WIN ADELAIDE DEC 1-4 2022

THE STREETS ARE CALLING Dunlop Super2 Series

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