Team Vodafone set for Holden switch

[Reaper]

Team Vodafone set for Holden switch


Dominant Ford runner, Team Vodafone, looks set to be running Holdens next year… But HRT will remain the factory team
Speculation is rife Holden is set to reveal that top V8 Supercar outfit Triple Eight Race Engineering/Team Vodafone will field Commodores in the country's premier racing series from next year. An announcement is thought to be imminent -- perhaps as early as tomorrow (Wednesday).
Team Vodafone has been the dominant force in V8 racing this year Down Under. Though the team campaigns Falcons it does not receive funding from Ford. Cash support from the Blue Oval was withdrawn in a sponsorship purge last year.
Although the key players are remaining tight-lipped about the defection, the dogs are barking loudly in the motorsport press. Auto Action magazine will lead with the story in its edition 1351 on sale tomorrow.
It is believed that the (Tom) Walkinshaw Performance-run Holden Racing Team will remain the General's factory flagbearer, but that Roland Dane's Team Vodafone may be the only other team with financial support from Holden.
If indeed Dane is switching from running Fords to Holdens, it almost certainly means that Toyota -- the most logical, yet always unlikely, potential third entrant in the sport -- won't be going V8 Supercar racing for at least the next three years, if ever.

[Vee-ard]

Wow. Got nothing else to say to that, pretty amazing.

[Zeussy]

Hmmm, interesting news there Reaper.. as always

So does that mean that the 'team drivers' are moving over aswell?
A return to Holden - by Lowndes, and a new start for Wincup??

Why would Ford do this to one of their strongest teams, and drivers?? Money must be tight over at the Ford camp?

[CANYONERO]

can someone photoshop those 888 colours on a VE, i want to set it up as a work colleagues wall paper ( he's devo at the news hahaha) is a huge fan of whincup and 888. want to rub it in! PM me please lol.

[Jezza]

well im going to say that this could be an interesting turnout and its a surprise that ford are letting this slip through there fingers

[Jezza]

here is a gallery from the announcement
Holden Motorsport > Galleries > Photo Galleries > Photgalleries Display

[Astranomical]

Well this is a surprise to say the last...Lowndes driving a Holden again!

[CANYONERO]

well im going to say that this could be an interesting turnout and its a surprise that ford are letting this slip through there fingers

ford wernt sponsoring 88 in anyway that part of the reason why there leaving.

[Grennan]

Yeah Ford withdrew funding for this season because the 888 cars looked to similar to the HRT red and white cars or some rubbish.



Pwned.

[Kal123]

Wow great news, I've always been a fan of the 888 team. Should be very interesting.

[Reaper]

888 have also been the Vauxhall factory team in BTCC for many years. Being another GM company it may have played on Ford's decision on funding.

The word is 888 wanted to be a Holden team when they came to Aus but the level 1 licenses at the time were not available.

Reaper.

[CANYONERO]

here is a gallery from the announcement
Holden Motorsport > Galleries > Photo Galleries > Photgalleries Display

cheers mate, worked a treat lol.

[JUZDVS]

Copied from the NZV8 website:

The decision to swap racing marques was assisted by the lapse of Lowndes’ deal with Ford at the end of the year, and comes after the four-time Bathurst winner and Whincup extended their contracts with Triple Eight until 2012.

[Nevyn]

a strange, but clever way of getting Lowndes back into a Holden

[S.O.S]

Reading parts of articles, it was saying "they were forced to make lowndes a car this year". Were they considering building both brands under the one roof ?, or considering the move much earlier then this ?.

[D-Man]

Yeah Ford withdrew funding for this season because the 888 cars looked to similar to the HRT red and white cars or some rubbish.



Pwned.

nothing to do with it lol that is the public facing for the reasoning.

Ford cut millions in funding their different areas etc in Asia Pacific around Feb 09' and even more globally over the last few months.
i know since we do alot of work for them and we got hit with it - their web advertising budget was cut in half.

has nothing to do with colours, it's all about cost savings for ford, they might not be making enough money from the advertising they are doing so they have dropped it.

[JUZDVS]

I think 888 is a pretty good investment in the terms of advertising tho........

[v8_stato]

****in bullshit i say.

[street1]

wow this should be good

[D-Man]

I think 888 is a pretty good investment in the terms of advertising tho........

only as long as people are buying their cars...
not to mention Ford trying not to go bankrupt...having too much money going out and not enough coming in isnt a good situation... cut the funding and save money.

[HamaTime™]

Pretty sweet. Lowndes will be back at Holden where he belongs, along with Whincup! DOMINATION!

[c44f]

Good news & it will be interesting to see if Wincup can continue his winning ways.



brooksy

[Phreddy]

Pffft - as far as I'm concerned, who needs the pair of poofters????

Just my opinion.... I can't stand either of 'em.