Where would we be without our fans? You guys are the essence of the sport and the backbone of V8s, and we’d like to say a massive thank you to every single one of you, whether you’re a recent Red Bull Racing Australia convert or a diehard Triple Eight fan from day one.
No matter where you’re at in your stage of V8 fandom, here’s a little list of ways to tell if you’re a RBRA super fan at heart. Do you tick any of these boxes or have you got another one to add? Tell us below, Facebook us or send us a tweet.
1. As of January 2013, your drink of choice is an ice cold can of Red Bull. If any other energy drink so much as crosses your path you dismiss it with contempt. And of course you’ve got a slab of the limited edition cans stacked up on a shelf opposite your bed so Lowndesy and J-Dub’s game faces are there to greet you every morning.
2. Who needs normal clothes when you’ve got a closet full of RBRA gear? Sure, you should probably save those pennies to buy Old Mate that drink you owe him, but surely that can wait, especially when the new line of drivers’ caps has just been released. Priorities people.
3. Every limited edition or promotional item the team has ever produced is crammed into your overflowing man/girl cave. Craig’s 91 wins tee? Wear it to bed every night. The prehistoric-looking mobile phone with the drivers on the cover that made race car noises? Still use it. The cereal box with Lowndesy smiling back at you enticing you for a hot lap? Those Weetbix will still be edible, right – it was only 2005…
4. Your profile picture on all your social media accounts is of you with one or both of the drivers. Or of one of the cars on track. Or of you with the cars. Or of you in one of the cars. The possibilities are endless.
5. Bathurst is pretty much a Red Bull-fuelled four day public holiday. Every waking moment is spent cheering the RBRA Commodores to the top of the leader board right from practice through to the final fight to the flag on Sunday afternoon. You’ve actually triple-dosed on Red Bull in an attempt to make those waking moments last as long as possible.
6. You’re the lucky owner of several panels that have come off the actual race cars themselves after emerging worse-for-wear in battles with walls, other cars or both over the years. The Red Bull Racing Australia VF Commodore bonnet has pride of place though, the drivers’ autographs gleaming across the bulls in shiny black texter. Pure art right there.
7. Have you ever done a hot lap? What a ridiculous question. Hell yeah, you have! In fact, that passenger seat is pretty much moulded to your backside by now and the team mysteriously has a ride suit made specifically for your measurements. Coincidence?
8. You’ve watched last year’s character clips so many times that you can talk along with all of them and you’ve got J-Dub’s hairstyle down to a T. You’re also a tad partial to tuning into Harlem Shake Version 888 when you’re in need of a laugh. Elephant Man for the win.
9. The RBRA workshop is like your second home. You know the phone number off by heart and the address is logged as a saved destination in your Holden MyLink sat-nav – not that you need it of course.
10. Finally, you’ve got one of these:
