The Holden Racing Team has revealed the look that its first Car of the Future will carry in its maiden shakedown at Calder Park today.
The factory Holden outfit will become the third team to have one of its own 2013-specification cars on track, with Triple Eight Race Engineering and Ford Performance Racing having debuted their cars at Norwell on August 1 and at Winton on September 3 respectively.
The car will be driven by the squad’s Dunlop Series runner Nick Percat.
CLICK HERE for Speedcafe.com’s story from earlier this week for more on today’s shakedown and the HRT’s fluid COTF test plans
While Holden teams will race the yet-to-be-released VF model Commodore next season, team-built COTF cars aren’t expected to wear the new panels until next January.
The VF Commodore will be one of three new-look cars on next year’s V8 Supercars grid, with Nissan’s Altima and Mercedes’ E63 AMG also set to join Ford’s Falcon FG at the season-opener.
The HRT’s managing director Steve Hallam described today as an emotional one for the team.
“It’s quite a day,” he said. “This is the first time in seven years that we have designed and built an entirely new car and you can feel the emotion of the occasion throughout the organisation.”
Hallam also paid tribute to the efforts of the squad’s chief designer, Doug Skinner, who has been one of the key players in assisting the category develop the new rule package.
HRT drivers Garth Tander and James Courtney currently sit sixth and 11th in the 2012 V8 Supercars Championship standings respectively, while the third Walkinshaw Racing-prepared entry of Russell Ingall is 14th.
The team confirmed yesterday that Ryan Briscoe, Darren Turner and Peter Dumbreck will partner its three drivers in October’s Armor All Gold Coast 600.
CLICK HERE for yesterday’s story on the Gold Coast signings
See below for the unveiling on Network Seven’s Sunrise breakfast show this morning
