Holden cryptic over Supercars future

Holden hasn’t ruled out a premature end to its Supercars programme in the wake of the General Motors decision to axe the brand at the end of this year.

The Aussie carmaker announced a fresh two-year commitment to its factory Supercars programme, run by Triple Eight Race Engineering, mid-way through last year, the deal covering the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

At the same time Holden confirmed the Commodore would continue in Supercars for the life of the new deal, a position reiterated when it was announced the road-going version would be dumped from showrooms late last year.

However today’s news that GM will axe the Holden brand in its entirety at the end of 2020 has raised fresh doubts over the existing deal.

According to a Q&A on the Holden Facebook page the brand is ‘aware of its commitment’ to Supercars and Triple Eight – however there is no confirmation that the deal will be honoured.

Under the question ‘will Holden continue to sponsor the Red Bull Holden Racing Team?’, the answer was: “We are aware of our commitment and we will work through with [the] Red Bull Holden Racing Team the implications of this decision.”

Another question asked ‘what is the future of Holden in Supercars racing?’, to which the response was: “We will begin discussions with the organisers of Supercars and [the] Red Bull Holden Racing Team. We will update you on these discussions at the appropriate time.”

No further comment from Holden on the matter is expected to be made today.

The brand is being equally cagey over the planned introduction of Corvette to the Australian market, which could have provided the basis for a factory Supercars programme under the Gen3 rules post-2021.

“We will work through this and share information in the coming months,” read the response to ‘is Corvette still coming to Australia and New Zealand?’.

Former factory Holden squad Walkinshaw Andretti United, which still fields a pair of Commodores in the series, has issued an official response to the news.

“Our thoughts today are with the incredible men and women who make up the Holden workforce, the dealers, customers, and all Holden fans who have all been impacted by today’s news,” read a statement from WAU.

“Our team has shared a long and successful relationship with Holden in Australia for three decades.

“It’s very sad to see them leave. We are thankful for their support, and proud of what we have achieved together, including seven Bathurst 1000 victories, and six drivers’ championships.

“Our team and supporters have bled red for a long time, the lion and helmet will live on in our team’s history forever.”

Factory Ford squad DJR Team Penske has also responded with a social media statement: “We are saddened by Holden’s closure announcement.

“Holden was always a fierce rival. A great Aussie brand coming to an end is sad for our country, no matter your allegiance.

“We feel for those affected, and look forward to continued strong competition on the track.”

Source: Read Full Article