Skaife to retire

[Bravotwozero]

No headline
October 24, 2008
Race legend
to make his
final pit stop
THE checkered flag is about to drop on one of Australia's great motor-racing careers with Holden's Mark Skaife set to announce his retirement from V8 Supercars next week.


The five-time Bathurst champion will quit the sport at the end of the year with Ford young-gun Will Davison tipped to take his seat at the powerful Holden Racing Team (HRT).
Skaife -- a touring car legend with more than 210 race starts -- has been under pressure to retain his drive with HRT after a number of disappointing results this year.


Holden powerbrokers last week met in Victoria to discuss the ageing champion's position on the team following a disastrous Bathurst campaign where he and teammate Garth Tander finished in 12th place.
"He is hoping to make a decision in the next couple of weeks," said a Holden spokesman. "He has a lot to think about.
"It is important he goes out on his own terms. For a guy who has been so successful it is important he finishes the way he wants."
Raised on the NSW Central Coast, Skaife has been wrestling with the decision for some time.


The 41-year-old would not comment on his future last night with racing at the Indy 300 on the Gold Coast to begin today.
The end of Skaife's illustrious career is expected to catapult Jim Beam Racing driver Davison to stardom with a seat on glamour team HRT.
The off-contract driver last night confirmed a number of approaches from rival teams but would not confirm or deny he is poised to sign on with HRT as Skaife's replacement. "It is all going on but I have nothing to announce and nothing has been finalised," Davison said.
"I can't say what is going on but I am very comfortable with what is happening. It has been a very slow process and we have eliminated a number of things.
"It is getting to the stage of the year where we will finalise something and it is basically down to a couple of teams."


Skaife's Holden teammate Tander would not speculate on his 2009 race partner. "We are just focusing on the championship and obviously there is a lot of rumour and speculation about," he said.
Skaife made his touring car debut in 1987 at Sandown in a Nissan Gazelle before going on to become one of Australia's most successful drivers.
He won his first Bathurst title in 1991 and replaced the late Peter Brock as the face of Holden in 1998. He won a record 40 touring car races and five championship titles


http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,...-23770,00.html

[minux]

Its about 2 years overdue i think. At least now he can concentrate on running HRT and making it an unbeatable force liek it was when he was a little younger.

If Will does sign with HRT, watch out. Will and Garth will dominate the series and Ford will cry and rules will be changed again and again to help them win

[BANKS]

what rules where changed?

[minux]

what rules where changed?

How about project blueprint to allow parity to start with?

[greenfoam]

Project bluecheat :P

[TVR-190]

Such a shame, hopefully he takes over HRT

[STEALTHY™]

Media at it again. One of the first lines in the report "It is important he goes out on his own terms. For a guy who has been so successful it is important he finishes the way he wants."

That basically answers it, he'll retire when he's good and ready. And while he's not finishing 29th, he much still be doing something right.

How about project blueprint to allow parity to start with?

No coincidence that fords colour is 'blue' and the parity is called 'blue'print.

[hingo1983]

How about bringing back the old homologation rules. That way we get good racing, and awesome road cars.

[Reaper]

How about bringing back the old homologation rules. That way we get good racing, and awesome road cars.

Way too expensive for the manufacturers. Can't see it happening for a long time if ever.

Reaper

[hingo1983]

Surely putting a roll cage in a FPV and HSV and racing them on the track wouldn't cost anymore than building a full blown race car from pretty much scratch? I'm sure the people who watch the V8's would also be ultra keen to own a car similar to what is on the track. Doesn't have to be a big run or anything, even if it was only about 100 of them, its still nice knowing that they are racing real cars you can get from a showroom and the constructors can make a few bucks in the process.

[Reaper]

Surely putting a roll cage in a FPV and HSV and racing them on the track wouldn't cost anymore than building a full blown race car from pretty much scratch? I'm sure the people who watch the V8's would also be ultra keen to own a car similar to what is on the track. Doesn't have to be a big run or anything, even if it was only about 100 of them, its still nice knowing that they are racing real cars you can get from a showroom and the constructors can make a few bucks in the process.

Bolting a roll cage into a FPV or HSV would be cheap. Unfortunately there is a heap more too it than that, especially if you are talking about going down the homologation of a small run of "Bathurst" hotties every year. Do a bit of research of the old Group A era or back a few years earlier to Group C in the 70's (80 - 84 was a bit different - closer to what we have now).

A change in rules to bring the cars back closer to their road base should be explored but the old model just doesn't pay these days (not that it ever really did).

Reaper

[Lumps of cheese]

Good decision if that's the way he goes imo.
Skaife has been great for the sport and for holden so good on him.

[BANKS]

How about project blueprint to allow parity to start with?

i havent been following it this year so i wouldnt have a clue what that is lol

[50LTRv8]

i havent been following it this year so i wouldnt have a clue what that is lol

All blueprint really means is that the cars are basicly identical except for the engine and the body shell they attach to the car. The gearbox, diff, front and rear suspension as well as the rest are either the same or you only have a few settings to choose from, eg the diff, (I think there is 3 diff ratios they can run).

For Parity you see

[immortality]

All blueprint really means is that the cars are basicly identical except for the engine and the body shell they attach to the car. The gearbox, diff, front and rear suspension as well as the rest are either the same or you only have a few settings to choose from, eg the diff, (I think there is 3 diff ratios they can run).

For Parity you see

there is a lot more to operation blue print then that. they do aerodynamic testing, speed testing etc to make sure the holden doesn't have an advantage. they made holden change the wheel track/wheel base on the VE to get it witin operation blueprint specs. basically back to VZ spec with VE body. total bull****

[STEALTHY™]

i havent been following it this year so i wouldnt have a clue what that is lol

Project blueprint has been around since the AU days.....

[excalibur]

Its about 2 years overdue i think. At least now he can concentrate on running HRT and making it an unbeatable force liek it was when he was a little younger.

If Will does sign with HRT, watch out. Will and Garth will dominate the series and Ford will cry and rules will be changed again and again to help them win

agreed as a skaifey fan i to think it is overdue
running HRT now without worrying about driving and his own performance should take one hell of a load off his shoulders

[VSTrev]

Skaife is holding a press conference at 1:00 pm today.


I could go on for pages but i will stop myself.
I can't believe this is happening. I realy hope skaife stands up at this thing and tells the media and the management to go get (insert word here). But he won't - being the holden boy that he is he will tow the line and do whatever they tell him.

"Going out on his own terms" my ass.

Skaife is still quick - and if the media and management would leave him alone then wins would come.

I guess we will find out in about 3 hours.

[markovr]

So who the **** will the ford arseholes whinge about now if Skaifey goes....

[VT-565]

"Going out on his own terms" my ass.

I agree fully.

Seems as though he is getting pressure from above, but we'll probably never know, it will always be speculation.

[VSTrev]

This is direct off Yahoo7 Sport

Bathurst great Skaife quits V8s - Yahoo!7 Sport

Bathurst great Skaife quits V8s
AAP - October 29, 2008, 1:13 pm

Five-time Bathurst 1000 winner Mark Skaife has announced his retirement from fulltime V8 Supercar racing.

Skaife is among the sport's greatest champions, winning five Bathursts and five Australian touring car championships in a career which started in a Nissan Gazelle in 1987.

The 41-year-old retires with more touring car/V8 round wins than any other driver, taking out 40 of the 211 rounds he has contested.

With fellow V8 champions including Craig Lowndes and Garth Tander looking on, Skaife drew the curtain on his full-time driving career in Melbourne after more than a decade as Holden's highest-profile driver.

Skaife admitted the decision to quit had been difficult, but acknowledged it was the right time to move on.

"Motor racing has been my life for the past 21 years, and as any professional sportsman will attest, if you have a love and passion for what you are doing, then retirement is not something you ever easily consider," Skaife said.

[Zuicider]

i hope skaife doesnt take over hrt, or their workers will be running from there like hell fire. good driver but ****ty angry attitude

[88GreenVN]

Skafy will just end up like Crompton - racing Aussie race cars as the V8 super cars have got very boring.

I like the new Toyota Aussie race car at the QLD Indy race. (Phil Ward said he could have 10 car makers by 2010) Bring it on.

[Reaper]

i hope skaife doesnt take over hrt, or their workers will be running from there like hell fire. good driver but ****ty angry attitude

He has owned it for several years ever since Walkinshaw went broke a while back. It was briefly bailed out by Holden and shortly there after sold to Skaife. I understand that Walkinshaw does have a stake in it again now.

Reaper

[minux]

i hope skaife doesnt take over hrt, or their workers will be running from there like hell fire. good driver but ****ty angry attitude

You fail.

Skaife has owned HRT since 2003. Amazing how all the workers ran like hell fire...

Only reason I tuned into V8's was to hope for skaifeys next win. Now i can turn the crap off for good.