Triple 8 Racing moves to Commodores !

[VladTepes]

THE most successful team in the V8 Supercar series, Triple Eight Racing, will become a Holden team next year in a deal worth at least $3 million.
The biggest backflip since Craig Lowndes defected from Holden to Ford in 2001 will be officially made today with the team boasting Jamie Whincup and Lowndes to join the Holden Racing Team as one of the company's two racing arms.

The move will put Lowndes back into a Holden Commodore.

The Triple Eight defection comes after the team was sacked by Ford at the end of last year, partly because the TeamVodafone racing colours were considered too close to Holden's red and too far away from the corporation's blue oval.

A three-year deal will be confirmed today in Melbourne, although no one at Holden or Triple Eight was prepared to discuss the details yesterday.

"No comment at the moment. Try me again later tomorrow," the owner of Triple Eight and pitlane general for TeamVodafone, Roland Dane, said yesterday.

Holden's motorsport manager, Simon McNamara, would not return calls, although there has been open discussion inside the company since the start of the year about a plan to get back into the winner's circle.

Ford this year switched all of its funding to two teams, Ford Performance Racing and Stone Brothers Racing, which have failed to win.

Dane retaliated by removing all Ford badges from the Falcons raced by Lowndes and reigning V8 Supercar champion Whincup, replacing the one in the grille with a Hog's Breath Cafe logo.

But he still pushed ahead with development and construction of all-new FG Falcons for TeamVodafone, as well as Triple Eight's customers, Dick Johnson and Paul Cruickshank. How the Holden switch will affect those deals is not yet clear.

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,25848657-10389,00.html (http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,25848657-10389,00.html)

[Basil135]

I have been a fan of Craig Lowndes & Jamie Whincup for years, and will follow them no matter what car they drive.

I am a Ford man, but the way the Ford Motor Company treated 888 Racing, well, this sort of move has been on the cards for ages.

One would have to suspect that 888 have had a car for testing / evaluation for a while now, just so that they can see what can be done.

Just remember, Russel Ingal made the same move many years ago, and where did it get him?

[gone bush]

888 racing moving to Holden next year - You Beauty!!!!!!!!!:ehigh5::banana:

[harry]

get out of here!!

[CraigE]

:lol2::lol2::lol2::tease::tease::Rolling::Rolling: :Rolling:Vodaphone will be sporting Holdens next year. Both Lowndes and Whinchup will be driving Holdens.

Has been coming for a while, with even speculation it may have been a Toyota.
I suppose this is what Ford deserves for its poor support to motor racing and picking the wrong team to back.
Still have not stopped laughing.
The only issues I can see is all the real Ford supporters will abandon them and they may pick up some Holden supporters, but either way will lose a big chunk of their supporter base.

[LandyAndy]

What are you saying Craig????.
The Holden drivers cant pilot their dunnydoores into a wining position,so giving a good Ford team Dunnydoores instead of Falcoons all of a suden Holden can win again.
I think not:p:p:p:p:p
TAXI RACING:twisted::twisted::twisted::twisted:
Andrew

[PAT303]

It's embarrassing that Holden needs to give cars to a Ford team to win,it's worse that they are looking at having a standard cage with hung panels and stick on lights,grill etc like Nascar.If that happens I'll give it away. Pat

[Slunnie]

I think that its poor that Ford doesn't support its teams.

If it were me, I would go to the manufacturer that supported me. In my racing days that exactly why I stayed with PCR - they always supported me, where others didn't.

[Sprint]

it doesnt worry the Ford fans too much.... we know the only time Clowns and Whingecup will be near the front of the pack next year is when they get lapped......

[Slunnie]

it doesnt worry the Ford fans too much.... we know the only time Clowns and Whingecup will be near the front of the pack next year is when they get lapped......
A bit sore there. :p

[Sprint]

hardly, im only making a simple statement of fact.....

[ADMIRAL]

A bit sore there. :p The cream always rises to the top. I don't think it will matter what they are driving. They are a very professional team, and are bound to succeed. If anything it will put the wind up the other Holden teams, and they will have to lift their game.

[PSi]

The cream always rises to the top.

Don't forget that scum floats to the surface, too, with no reference whatsoever to anyone mentioned earlier in the thread.

[amtravic1]

Iy you carefully read the press release from 888 racing you read that they have been developing some of the engineering for Holden teams for some time.

I watch the races and like to see Ford win as Holden dominated for too long however in my opinion the cars are almost the same underneath with different bodies.
Bring back the real production car racing or allow others in as well. I wonder how well an Aussie taxi would do against a Skyline GTR or whatever they are, not too well I suspect. The two make racing has had its time and is now boring.

Ian

[CraigE]

Iy you carefully read the press release from 888 racing you read that they have been developing some of the engineering for Holden teams for some time.

I watch the races and like to see Ford win as Holden dominated for too long however in my opinion the cars are almost the same underneath with different bodies.
Bring back the real production car racing or allow others in as well. I wonder how well an Aussie taxi would do against a Skyline GTR or whatever they are, not too well I suspect. The two make racing has had its time and is now boring.

Ian
They did race against the GTRs some time ago, but it caused a huge commotion as it was not on par racing. At the time the average v8 group A car cost around $100k. The GTRs cost $1million each without spares. Of course they were going to win.
I would like to see a return back to the group a / 3 style formats where any make could enter as long as they sold x amount of the cars, not similar cars with completly different everything. This was the issue with the GTR's and Sierra. Not one was sold in Australia that resembelled the cars on the rack. The Sierra that you could buy in Aus was a POS. I know I have been in one. Same with the GTRs, while they were ok they were nothing like the race equivalent.
Even now the supercars are becoming a farce.
At least in days gone by you could by group classed vehicles from HDT, Walkinshaw, Ford, Valiant, Jaguar, BMW etc etc

[CraigE]

What are you saying Craig????.
The Holden drivers cant pilot their dunnydoores into a wining position,so giving a good Ford team Dunnydoores instead of Falcoons all of a suden Holden can win again.
I think not:p:p:p:p:p
TAXI RACING:twisted::twisted::twisted::twisted:
Andrew
I honestly dont think it will make much difference and would expect to see 888 still dominate in a Holden, as the development boys over there seem to be a fair bit ahead of everyone else for some reason.

[pop058]

Just to clear a fews things up about the defection. Yes 888 will be using crumpledores next year, but they are running as there own seperate team and are NOT part of HRT. HRT is the factory team with it's own sponsorship (Toll has recently signed on again for another 3 years) and info. The manager of HRT has made it publically clear that no data sharing or driver swapping will occur. Of the 2 (blue and red), I am very much a Ford fan, but I think Henry needs a kick in the bum for the way the Ford teams (particularlly 888 & DJR) have been treated lately.

Paul

[mudmouse]

I think that its poor that Ford doesn't support its teams.

If it were me, I would go to the manufacturer that supported me. In my racing days that exactly why I stayed with PCR - they always supported me, where others didn't.

That's right!

I've always backed Ford but they are pathetic supporters of Motorsport (in Australia). Aaaaaaaand they're putting a 4 cylinder in the Falcon next? year - good grief :eek:.

Having said that, my favourite car was an EH I had for 3 years and I've got a LX hatchback in the garage..... Still, my rosey coloured glasses keep me in the 70's with Moffat, Bond, Gibson, Bartlett, Goss.........

Matt.

[pop058]

That's right!

I've always backed Ford but they are pathetic supporters of Motorsport (in Australia). Aaaaaaaand they're putting a 4 cylinder in the Falcon next? year - good grief :eek:.

Having said that, my favourite car was an EH I had for 3 years and I've got a LX hatchback in the garage..... Still, my rosey coloured glasses keep me in the 70's with Moffat, Bond, Gibson, Bartlett, Goss.........

Matt.

latest info is it the world V6 motor, aprox 3.5 lts IIRC

Paul

[Fusion]

hardly, im only making a simple statement of fact.....

:Rolling::Rolling::Rolling: A FACT ! The only fact here is that is a stupid statement . It wouldn't matter what car 888 have they will be up the front racing for the no.1 pozzy . To say that they will be lapped ( your fact ) just because they are in a holden is just down right stupid !

[Sprint]

:Rolling::Rolling::Rolling: A FACT ! The only fact here is that is a stupid statement . It wouldn't matter what car 888 have they will be up the front racing for the no.1 pozzy . To say that they will be lapped ( your fact ) just because they are in a holden is just down right stupid !

settle petal!

[scarry]

Gibson motorsport did it when they banned the GTR.The next year they did pretty well in Dunnydores......

888 will do the same.

[DiscoDan]

Shame to see them move, I spent the weekend with them at the 2006 Clipsal 500, first year and race as Vodafone. Great team and great people.:)

Love my Fords, but they do make crap decision. Dropping the GT's in the 70's, V8's in the 80's, their lack of racing support, developing the 6 more than the 8, selling Land Rover:mad:

I like Craig and Jamie but it will be hard to cheer for a Holden, I do hope they make it 4 times at Bathurst under the Ford banner. That would rub it in to the Ford bean counters.

Just watching the 24 hour Spa and love the Nascar (sadly I like a Toyota driver) and I think we should open up the racing here again and put all classes on the track for the endurance races.

Oh well, I wish them best of luck

[VladTepes]

Love my Fords, but they do make crap decision. Dropping the GT's in the 70's, V8's in the 80's, their lack of racing support, developing the 6 more than the 8, selling Land Rover:mad:



Gotta disagree there. Best thing Ford ever did for those companies was to sell them - Aston, Jag, Ford.

All have since released new models and/or will release more soon - now that they have MONEY to invest in them again. Bloody Ford left everything sitting on the shelf.