Death knell sounds for HRT

FORMERLY known as the Holden Racing Team, Walkinshaw Andretti United (WAU) is set to kill off one of Australia’s most famous sporting partnerships with Holden to be dumped after 29 years.

A day after News Corp revealed WAU is in negotiations to put a BMW on the grid in 2022, WAU co-owner Ryan Walkinshaw has confirmed his Holden-based team is planning on binning the Commodore as part of a plan to once again become a V8 powerhouse.

In an exclusive interview with News Corp, Walkinshaw said his new-look team was negotiating to replace the Commodore in a move that will end the partnership that made Mark Skaife and Craig Lowndes V8 legends.

“Myself, Michael (Andretti) and Zac (Brown) have made it clear that our long-term strategy is to return it to being a factory-backed operation,’’ Walkinshaw said.

“We don’t see that happening with Holden, at least in the short term, due to the partnership they have with Triple Eight Racing. So, we are exploring other manufacturer options for Supercars Gen 3 regulations.’’

Committed to driving the Commodore for at least another season, the declaration from Walkinshaw will end the partnership that began in 1987 when Tom Walkinshaw formed Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) and then the Holden Racing Team (HRT).

HSV would go on to become an Australian institution with Holden giving the company an exclusive licence to produce a high-powered roadgoing version of the Commodore.

On the track, HRT won six driver’s championships with V8 legends including Skaife and Lowndes behind the wheel.

With HSV now licensed to produced right-hand drive Camaros exclusively for the Australian market, many were tipping WAU’s famous relationship with Holden would live on through General Motors – Holden’s parent company and Camaro producer