Supercar Teams Get The Paintbrushes (And Stickers) Out

New Old Lick Of Paint For Red Bull


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If there's one thing Supercar fans are proud of (besides the decades-old Holden-Ford rivalry), it's the long history of motorsport in Australia.

So it's only fitting that the Sandown race has become the de facto "retro round" of the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship.

After all, the Victorian circuit has been around in Australian touring car racing longer than any other.

Similar to the AFL's heritage rounds, teams are encouraged to adopt a "retro" look for the race with cars and team kit reflecting past glories.

One of the first teams to adopt an "old school" paint job is the Red Bull Holden Racing Team.

While the livery doesn't mirror any specific theme from the past, the team has drawn on the Holden Dealer Team Monaros and Toranas that collected swags of wins in the late 1960s and 1970s.

Holden designer Peter Hughes put it all together and explained his inspiration.

“This livery is a direct throwback to the glorious years of Holden’s original factory racing team, which I’m confident the fans will love,” he said.

“HDT’s 1971 GTR-XU1 Torana was drawn upon for the thick, simple red striping and placement of the historic Holden Lion on the c-pillar, combining it with the ‘70s Holden font on the rear quarter signage."

“Keeping true to the look of the era, the bonnets of the Red Bull Holden Racing Team Commodores are dark blue, maintaining the stark contrast between panels that was common for the period.”

Expect to see the livery on the #88 Jamie Whincup/Paul Dumbrell car and the #97 machine steered by Shane van Gisbergen and Matt Campbell.

“I think the retro theme is a great way for both fans and competitors to celebrate the heritage of our sport and Sandown is the perfect place to do it," said Whincup.

“It has so much history and if it means we can keep racing there a few years longer, then I’m all for it.”

Another team that's unveiled a fresh look is Tekno Autosports.

But unlike the Red Bull squad, Will Davison's colours aren't retro and will be run at this weekend's Red Rooseter Sydney SuperSprint.

Car #19 will switch numbers to #95 and adopt the colours of Disney Pixar's Lightning McQueen character from the Cars movies.

Davison's pretty excited to run in the famous red and hopes it'll get the youngsters on board.

“It’s amazing how powerful the movie is and how much they adore the film and Lightning McQueen in particular," he said.

“Having the car on the grid takes it to a whole new level. It’s not just another sponsor livery on the car, it’s great news for the whole category.

“My little nephew is pretty excited and I’m looking forward to see the reaction it gets at Sydney Motorsport Park."

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Triple M's coverage of Supercars is presented with Mobil 1. Purchase any Mobil 1TM SuperTM product for the chance to win a share of three HSV vehicles and $15,000 worth of VISA gift cards. Visit askformobil.com.au 

Sean Maynard

14 August 2017

Article by:

Sean Maynard




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