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V8 Supercars
V8: End Of An Era For The Ford/Holden Rivalry
"Once you get the beer bottles flying, you know you're dealing with seriously passionate fans," said Tommy Kendall of the Ford vs. Holden V8 rivalry.
There are just a few days left in the classic Ford vs. Holden V8 Supercars rivalry with Nissan and AMG Mercedes set to join the grid in 2013. (Photo: Marshall Pruett)
A change to the V8 Supercars formula for 2013 and beyond will see the familiar two-marque rivalry between Ford and General Motors brand Holden come to an end when Nissan and AMG Mercedes join the championship.
With a healthy and heated 20-year feud between Ford and Holden for fans to draw from, V8 fans--and drivers--have become known for their allegiance to either brand, although in recent years, the fervor has diminished slightly.
But as SPEED's Tommy Kendall recounted from his lone V8 drive for a Ford team at the 1996 Bathurst 1000, during its heyday, supporting Ford or Holden was both a badge of honor and risk of bodily injury if you took a wrong turn atop Mount Panorama.
"My team guys told me, 'Hey, be careful wearing your Ford team shirt because it's pretty rough up there,'" Kendall told this writer in Road & Track. "Depending on your affiliation, coming back with the imprint of a beer bottle on your forehead was par for the course if you wandered into the wrong camping grounds.
"Once you get the beer bottles flying, you know you're dealing with seriously passionate fans."
Whether fans and drivers of the Nissan and AMG Mercedes brands will spark similar rivalries won't be known for some time, but don't be surprised if Australia's the less-than-bashful Ford and Holden supporters focus their intensity against the Japanese and German marques.
Farewelling the V8 series' two-manufacturer era also comes with saying goodbye to the production-based chassis that will race for the final time at this weekend's Sydney Telstra 500 season finale.
Based on stats compiled by the series, a total of 309 Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore chassis have been constructed, and the history books also reflect an interesting dynamic in how the fight between the two models has played out in V8 competition.
Holden has been the most successful, with 10 championships to nine by Ford, a significant 349/217 edge in race wins and a closer 166/129 lead in pole positions. Holden also holds the advantage in fastest laps (323/241) and podiums (497/392).
MISC
• The familiar dayglo orange Vodafone livery of the Triple 8 Engineering team will be worn for the final time this weekend as the reigning series champions are expected to return in 2013 in Red Bull colors. "Since becoming TeamVodafone in 2007 the team boasts a 46.15% winning ratio having won 84 of 182 V8 Supercar Championship races contested so far," the team said in its release.
• V8 legend Greg Murphy and V8 journeyman Karl Reindler will compete in their final races for Kelly Racing this weekend. With the Kelly team preparing to field four factory Nissan Altimas next season, and brothers Rick and Todd Kelly slotted into two of those seats, two new drivers will be signed to represent the team and manufacturer.
“Greg Murphy's two year program has been a great boost to the credentials of our young team and his willingness to sign with us at the end of 2010 was important in our Pepsi Max sponsorship," said Rick Kelly. "Murph is a real pro who constantly pushes the team to lift the bar and his experience has been invaluable in the development of many of our technical staff in the past two seasons. His back issues and missing four races threw the momentum of the Pepsi Max Crew earlier in the season, and as a team since Murph's return we haven't been able to deliver a strong enough package to allow him the opportunity to compete at the front of the field which we all know he is capable of."
“Karl has been a great fit with everyone in the team this year. He has a great attitude, is a true team player, keeps himself extremely fit and also has a good feel for the business and marketing side of the sport. Karl is coming up to his fourth year in the main game in V8s in 2013 and will be knocking hard on the door as an emerging young talent in the main game series and I am sure will be in demand for the 2013 season.”
For Murphy, who has had mixed fortunes since joining the team, and Reindler, who's caught fire one too many times, landing a seat of equal or greater competitiveness could be a challenge.
• 2010 V8 series champion James Courtney, who won his title driving for the Dick Johnson Racing Ford team and now represents the factory Holden Racing Team outfit, will make his 100th V8 start this weekend in his home town. “Life’s great, so here’s to another 100 starts,” he said.
• As noted last week, Shane van Gisbergen, who sits fifth in the championship, will make his exit from the V8 championship after the finale, although he's expected to return in 2014.
• With Formula One, IndyCar, NASCAR, WRC and most known major championships having concluded their respective seasons, the V8 Supercars effectively close the 2012 racing calendar on December 2nd.
Marshall Pruett is SPEED.com's Auto Racing Editor, and covers the IndyCar Series. Before joining SPEED, Pruett worked in open-wheel racing for 20 years as a mechanic and engineer. He also contributes to RACER, Road & Track and Racecar Engineering. Follow him @MarshallPruett.
With a healthy and heated 20-year feud between Ford and Holden for fans to draw from, V8 fans--and drivers--have become known for their allegiance to either brand, although in recent years, the fervor has diminished slightly.
But as SPEED's Tommy Kendall recounted from his lone V8 drive for a Ford team at the 1996 Bathurst 1000, during its heyday, supporting Ford or Holden was both a badge of honor and risk of bodily injury if you took a wrong turn atop Mount Panorama.
"My team guys told me, 'Hey, be careful wearing your Ford team shirt because it's pretty rough up there,'" Kendall told this writer in Road & Track. "Depending on your affiliation, coming back with the imprint of a beer bottle on your forehead was par for the course if you wandered into the wrong camping grounds.
"Once you get the beer bottles flying, you know you're dealing with seriously passionate fans."
Whether fans and drivers of the Nissan and AMG Mercedes brands will spark similar rivalries won't be known for some time, but don't be surprised if Australia's the less-than-bashful Ford and Holden supporters focus their intensity against the Japanese and German marques.
Farewelling the V8 series' two-manufacturer era also comes with saying goodbye to the production-based chassis that will race for the final time at this weekend's Sydney Telstra 500 season finale.
Based on stats compiled by the series, a total of 309 Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore chassis have been constructed, and the history books also reflect an interesting dynamic in how the fight between the two models has played out in V8 competition.
Holden has been the most successful, with 10 championships to nine by Ford, a significant 349/217 edge in race wins and a closer 166/129 lead in pole positions. Holden also holds the advantage in fastest laps (323/241) and podiums (497/392).
MISC
• The familiar dayglo orange Vodafone livery of the Triple 8 Engineering team will be worn for the final time this weekend as the reigning series champions are expected to return in 2013 in Red Bull colors. "Since becoming TeamVodafone in 2007 the team boasts a 46.15% winning ratio having won 84 of 182 V8 Supercar Championship races contested so far," the team said in its release.
• V8 legend Greg Murphy and V8 journeyman Karl Reindler will compete in their final races for Kelly Racing this weekend. With the Kelly team preparing to field four factory Nissan Altimas next season, and brothers Rick and Todd Kelly slotted into two of those seats, two new drivers will be signed to represent the team and manufacturer.
“Greg Murphy's two year program has been a great boost to the credentials of our young team and his willingness to sign with us at the end of 2010 was important in our Pepsi Max sponsorship," said Rick Kelly. "Murph is a real pro who constantly pushes the team to lift the bar and his experience has been invaluable in the development of many of our technical staff in the past two seasons. His back issues and missing four races threw the momentum of the Pepsi Max Crew earlier in the season, and as a team since Murph's return we haven't been able to deliver a strong enough package to allow him the opportunity to compete at the front of the field which we all know he is capable of."
“Karl has been a great fit with everyone in the team this year. He has a great attitude, is a true team player, keeps himself extremely fit and also has a good feel for the business and marketing side of the sport. Karl is coming up to his fourth year in the main game in V8s in 2013 and will be knocking hard on the door as an emerging young talent in the main game series and I am sure will be in demand for the 2013 season.”
For Murphy, who has had mixed fortunes since joining the team, and Reindler, who's caught fire one too many times, landing a seat of equal or greater competitiveness could be a challenge.
• 2010 V8 series champion James Courtney, who won his title driving for the Dick Johnson Racing Ford team and now represents the factory Holden Racing Team outfit, will make his 100th V8 start this weekend in his home town. “Life’s great, so here’s to another 100 starts,” he said.
• As noted last week, Shane van Gisbergen, who sits fifth in the championship, will make his exit from the V8 championship after the finale, although he's expected to return in 2014.
• With Formula One, IndyCar, NASCAR, WRC and most known major championships having concluded their respective seasons, the V8 Supercars effectively close the 2012 racing calendar on December 2nd.
Marshall Pruett is SPEED.com's Auto Racing Editor, and covers the IndyCar Series. Before joining SPEED, Pruett worked in open-wheel racing for 20 years as a mechanic and engineer. He also contributes to RACER, Road & Track and Racecar Engineering. Follow him @MarshallPruett.
Supercars Darwin Australia
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