Triple Eight and WAU to salute Holden with farewell liveries
By Thomas Miles
Date posted: 22 November 2022
There will be a lot of emotion at the VALO Adelaide 500 next weekend as Supercars says farewell to Holden and leading the celebrations will be Red Bull Ampol Racing and Walkinshaw Andretti United.
The two most successful and recent factory Holden squads will both be running special tribute liveries at the season finale which will be the Lion’s final roar in Supercars before the brand is replaced by Chevrolet next year when Gen3 kicks in.
No make has enjoyed as much success as Holden, which is the most winningest brand in Australian Touring Car Championship/Supercars history with 615 victories.
The General’s Bathurst record is also unmatched with 35 Great Race wins between 1968 when Bruce McPhee and Barry Mulholland drove a Monaro to glory and this year when Shane van Gisbergen and Garth Tander lifted the Peter Brock Trophy in the brand’s last lap around Mount Panorama.
Shane van Gisbergen and Garth Tander won Holden’s last Bathurst in October. Image: Mark Horsburgh
Holden’s drivers championship success started 52 years ago thanks to Norm Beechey and his Shell Racing Monaro, while Shane van Gisbergen will lift the champion’s trophy in Adelaide bringing the Lion’s total up to 23.
Triple Eight Race Engineering and WAU/Holden Racing Team are the perfect squads to run tribute liveries saluting the iconic Australian brand, having combined for 376 of Holden’s 615 race wins and 11 of the General’s 16 Bathurst 1000 wins since 2001 including the last three straight.
WAU carried factory status from 1990-16 and dominated the sport during a seven-year golden era which included six championships and three Bathurst 1000 wins.
Triple Eight Race Engineering has raced with the Lion since 2010 and won its first four races with the brand before claiming nine of the championship crowns since.
The duo have also been two heavyweights in the Adelaide 500 history books winning 32 of the 46 races held at the event.
WAU’s success started at the very first running of the event in 1999 when Craig Lowndes charged through the field to snatch victory, while Mark Skaife and Jason Bright won the next four Adelaide 500 titles for HRT.
The likes of Todd Kelly, Garth Tander and James Courtney ensured HRT kept winning on the Adelaide streets all the way until 2016 before the team changed names a year later.
WAU is no stranger to retro looks having celebrated the 1990, 1994, 1997, 1999 and 2008 schemes in the past, but one famous livery that has not been used is 2002 when Skaife painted Adelaide red and could be used next weekend.
Garth Tander leads Jamie Whincup at the start of the 2010 Clipsal 500.
WAU team principal Bruce Stewart said the livery will pay tribute to the team’s special connection to the brand.
“We are really excited to show off our HRT tribute livery in Adelaide,” Stewart told Supercars.com.
“As a team, we want to send Holden and the lion off in the final race in the right manner, and we’re sure the fans are going to love it.
“It’s been a special relationship this team has shared with Holden for over three decades.
“While I can’t give too much away, it will pay homage our history together.
“There’s no mistaking we want to be the last Holden winner in Supercars, and Adelaide is a really fitting place to send it off.”
Jamie Whincup on his way to winning at the opening race of the 2020 Adelaide 500. – Photo: InSyde Media
Triple Eight’s love affair with Adelaide started in its Ford days sweeping the 2006, 2008 and 2009 Adelaide 500’s.
The team’s first Adelaide win with the Holden badge arrived on a wet Sunday afternoon in 2011 courtesy of Jamie Whincup, who went on to score more victories in 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2020, while Lowndes and Shane van Gisbergen have also dominated the race in Red Bull colours.
Whincup is now the team principal of Triple Eight and said it will be fitting for the team to run a tribute livery in Holden’s last race.
“It’s the last time a Holden vehicle will be on the track in Supercars,” Whincup told Supercars.com.
“We thought it would be fitting to do a livery, and more so in Adelaide as well.
“Adelaide is a big part of the Holden culture, with the plant at Elizabeth a significant part of Holden’s legacy in Australia.
“Those two factors have led to us to do something special, and we’ll reveal that next week in Adelaide.”
Holden’s legendary run in Supercars will come to a close at the VALO Adelaide 500 where the tribute liveries will be on show from December 1-4.
For more of the latest motorsport news pick up the latest issue of AUTO ACTION.
AUTO ACTION, Australia’s independent voice of motorsport.
Recent Stories
array (
0 =>
WP_Term::__set_state(array(
'term_id' => 11,
'name' => 'Latest News',
'slug' => 'latest-news',
'term_group' => 0,
'term_taxonomy_id' => 11,
'taxonomy' => 'category',
'description' => '',
'parent' => 0,
'count' => 16537,
'filter' => 'raw',
'cat_ID' => 11,
'category_count' => 16537,
'category_description' => '',
'cat_name' => 'Latest News',
'category_nicename' => 'latest-news',
'category_parent' => 0,
)),
1 =>
WP_Term::__set_state(array(
'term_id' => 38,
'name' => 'Supercars',
'slug' => 'supercars',
'term_group' => 0,
'term_taxonomy_id' => 38,
'taxonomy' => 'category',
'description' => 'The Supercars Championship, currently known as the Repco Supercars Championship, is the premier motorsport category in Australasia and one of Australia\'s biggest sports. It originated from the Australian Touring Car Championship (ATCC), which held its first race in 1960 at Gnoo-Blas in Orange, New South Wales. The ATCC evolved over the years, and in 1997, it was rebranded as the V8 Supercars Championship, eventually becoming the Supercars Championship we know today.
Some of the leading drivers in the history of the Supercars Championship include Peter Brock, who is often referred to as the "King of the Mountain" for his nine victories at the Bathurst 1000, a race that is considered one of the biggest in the series. Other notable drivers include Dick Johnson, Marcos Ambrose, Craig Lowndes, Shane van Gisbergen, Jamie Whincup, who holds the record for the most championship titles, and Mark Skaife, who has also been a dominant force in the series.
The Bathurst 1000, held at Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales, is arguably the most famous race in the Supercars calendar. Other significant races include the Sandown 500 and the Adelaide 500, which are known for their challenging circuits and thrilling competitions.
The Supercars Championship has grown to become a globally recognized series, known for its competitive racing and passionate fan base. It continues to be a major part of Australia\'s motorsport culture, attracting top drivers and teams from around the world.',
'parent' => 0,
'count' => 5526,
'filter' => 'raw',
'cat_ID' => 38,
'category_count' => 5526,
'category_description' => 'The Supercars Championship, currently known as the Repco Supercars Championship, is the premier motorsport category in Australasia and one of Australia\'s biggest sports. It originated from the Australian Touring Car Championship (ATCC), which held its first race in 1960 at Gnoo-Blas in Orange, New South Wales. The ATCC evolved over the years, and in 1997, it was rebranded as the V8 Supercars Championship, eventually becoming the Supercars Championship we know today.
Some of the leading drivers in the history of the Supercars Championship include Peter Brock, who is often referred to as the "King of the Mountain" for his nine victories at the Bathurst 1000, a race that is considered one of the biggest in the series. Other notable drivers include Dick Johnson, Marcos Ambrose, Craig Lowndes, Shane van Gisbergen, Jamie Whincup, who holds the record for the most championship titles, and Mark Skaife, who has also been a dominant force in the series.
The Bathurst 1000, held at Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales, is arguably the most famous race in the Supercars calendar. Other significant races include the Sandown 500 and the Adelaide 500, which are known for their challenging circuits and thrilling competitions.
The Supercars Championship has grown to become a globally recognized series, known for its competitive racing and passionate fan base. It continues to be a major part of Australia\'s motorsport culture, attracting top drivers and teams from around the world.',
'cat_name' => 'Supercars',
'category_nicename' => 'supercars',
'category_parent' => 0,
)),
2 =>
WP_Term::__set_state(array(
'term_id' => 2029,
'name' => 'ZZZ-Email',
'slug' => 'email',
'term_group' => 0,
'term_taxonomy_id' => 2029,
'taxonomy' => 'category',
'description' => '',
'parent' => 2031,
'count' => 7095,
'filter' => 'raw',
'cat_ID' => 2029,
'category_count' => 7095,
'category_description' => '',
'cat_name' => 'ZZZ-Email',
'category_nicename' => 'email',
'category_parent' => 2031,
)),
3 =>
WP_Term::__set_state(array(
'term_id' => 1683,
'name' => 'ZZZ-My105',
'slug' => 'my105',
'term_group' => 0,
'term_taxonomy_id' => 1683,
'taxonomy' => 'category',
'description' => '',
'parent' => 2031,
'count' => 2165,
'filter' => 'raw',
'cat_ID' => 1683,
'category_count' => 2165,
'category_description' => '',
'cat_name' => 'ZZZ-My105',
'category_nicename' => 'my105',
'category_parent' => 2031,
)),
4 =>
WP_Term::__set_state(array(
'term_id' => 2031,
'name' => 'ZZZ-RSSFeeds',
'slug' => 'zzz-rssfeeds',
'term_group' => 0,
'term_taxonomy_id' => 2031,
'taxonomy' => 'category',
'description' => '',
'parent' => 0,
'count' => 6450,
'filter' => 'raw',
'cat_ID' => 2031,
'category_count' => 6450,
'category_description' => '',
'cat_name' => 'ZZZ-RSSFeeds',
'category_nicename' => 'zzz-rssfeeds',
'category_parent' => 0,
)),
)
