http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,25129224-5012691,00.html
V8 SUPERCARS' top team have dumped Ford for a pink pig as payback for the manufacturing giant's sponsorship snubbing. Team Vodafone - home to 2008 champion Jamie Whincup and Bathurst king Craig Lowndes - have replaced the Ford badges on their Falcon with a pig for the season beginning on March 19.
So that's what that was eh?
http://www.v8supercars.com.au/content/hero_news/march09/not_such_a_pig_of_a_start_for_whincup/
Whincup also won Race One yesterday (Saturday) in his new FG Falcon, which his team has branded a ‘Hogster’.
"I think we proved today that we are the fastest Holden team out there, there isn't any Ford's in front of us either... just a couple of pigs!"
- Garth Tander, HRT
How ironic Mr Tander that a driver driving for the HRT should complain that the opposition aren't representing the enemy. Perhaps his views are worth consdering, for it underlies something far deeper in the sport.
http://www.v8supercars.com.au/content/hero_news/july08/teamvodafone_courts_toyota/
888 themselves as I found out had been in talks with Toyota. Perhaps either as a result of this, or generally because of funding cutbacks, 888 weren't given any of Ford's allocated money for 2009. This may have been an act of stupidity on the part of Ford, because the team that has won Bathurst thrice in a row is no longer a viable platform from which to blow a trumpet from.
With the global financial crisis taking hold and GM and Ford being total basket cases, it has been announced by both GM and Ford that the local RWD platforms are looking shaky at best:
http://www.drive.com.au/Editorial/ArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleId=60193
http://www.caradvice.com.au/20794/gm-cancels-holden-global-rwd-platform/
It follows that without either the Commodore or the Falcon in existence, then there won't be Commodores or Falcons to build V8 Supercars from.
What I'm wondering is that because Holden has had $149million thrown at it by the Australian Government to build a "four cylinder car" and Ford already announcing that they'll be building the Focus from 2011... what is the future of Touring Car Racing in Australia from 2012?
Since the carmakers basically dictate the class of racing that goes on, are they likely to adopt WTCC regs or something similar in principle to the CoT from NASCAR? Cause there certainly won't be any big sedans to build cars from.
Do we see Holden for instance pulling out a Cruze? The car currently campaigns in the World Touring Car Championship under S2000 rules.
http://www.fiawtcc.com/Cars_Details.asp?idCar=6
What of Ford? Ford Australia ran a Fiesta to S2000 regulations in the ARC and Arena Motorsport are running one in this years BTCC.
http://www.crash.net/BTCC/News/143256/1/arena_focus_hits_track_for_first_tests.html
Maybe it's neither. A standardised "nothing" car with associated decals front and rear wouldn't be a lot different in principle with say NASCAR. How about a prototype thing like the DTM? Whatever the case the current VE and FG V8 Supercars have no common componentry whatsoever with their road going counterparts.
It could be argued that this already the case though. The pushrod V8s haven't been seen in road car for nigh on 10 years and the road going versions of both VE and FG are larger than the dimensions spelled out in the regulations; as such that they actually have metal cut from the chassis and the roofs are re-profiled, just to comply.
For 2009 at least my loyalties will be split, between the Blue Oval and the Pink Pig, but for now I'll say...
Go the Hogster!
No comments:
Post a Comment