Archive Archives - Red Bull Ampol Racing Team

Test Day, RBAR Style

James Young — Fri, 19 Feb 2021 18:45:00 +0000

And just like that, the roar of those V8 engines are back soothing the earlobes of petrol heads around the nation.

Test day for Red Bull Ampol Racing, in simple terms, means one thing: flogging the hell out of our Commodores while our team of wizards (race engineers) cast as many spells (car setups) as possible to the delight of their minions (drivers and mechanics).

Test day was also the first time our Kiwi foreigner was back in the #97 after a stint of winning every race New Zealand could throw at him over the Christmas break. So, how’d you find it, SVG?

“Bloody hell it was hot today, but it was so good to get back in a V8 – to feel that power and using a sequential shift again after a couple of months out of the car was awesome,” SVG said.

We’ve been trying different setups and programs on each car throughout the day, working closely with (Dave) Cauchi and Wes (McDougall) to get the most out of the day. Obviously both Jamie and I have new engineers for this year, but it’s been great to get the first test day under our belts.”

In what feels like his 4,789^th Supercars test day, JDub was ever the optimist when explaining what an ideal test day looks like.

“There are always new and better ways to do things, so test days are a fantastic way of getting everyone up to speed for the year ahead, because before you know it, round one at The Mountain will be upon us,” JDub said.

“It was also awesome to see so many fans at Queensland Raceway today as well. Seeing the crowd on the hill as we zipped past lap after lap was something we haven’t seen for quite a while.”

From here, the team will divulge in a mountain of data before we face the real mountain in the coming weeks. Bring it on.

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SVG joins the Pro Eseries big league

James Young — Mon, 16 Nov 2020 05:07:00 +0000

SVG is joining the big league…the Pro Eseries that is.

After successfully taking out the Supercars All Stars Eseries during the year, the 2020 Bathurst 1000 winner will join teammate Jarrad ‘Fuelcell’ Filsell in the series which will see two Red Bull Holden Commodores take to the virtual grid for rounds four and five.

No stranger to the simulator, SVG believes the Pro Eseries is a whole different ball game.

“I’m looking forward to joining Fuelcell in the Pro Eseries for the next two weeks, said SVG.”

“Jarrad and I have raced against each other before, but I’ve been out of my sim for a few weeks now so I’m expecting to be a bit rusty.

“I really enjoy racing on my Omen sim, but the pros are in a whole different league so I’m expecting a challenge however the American ovals are always fun, which we’re at this week.

“Hopefully we can have a fair crack, and it’ll be even better if we get a couple of good results for the team.”

SVG will contest rounds four and five of the Pro Eseries on Tuesday nights, with all the action live streamed on the Red Bull Holden Racing Team’s Facebook page.

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Top Shots: Bathurst 1000 Edition

James Young — Wed, 11 Nov 2020 22:48:09 +0000

How could you possibly pick a handful of your favourite images from this year’s Bathurst 1000?

Well, that’s exactly what we’ve asked the Red Bull Holden Racing Team’s official photographer, Mark Horsburgh, to do.

Here are his Top Shots from the 2020 Bathurst 1000!

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On set with National Storage

James Young — Tue, 03 Nov 2020 09:00:00 +0000

We are delighted to share National Storage’s latest ad campaign featuring our own Red Bull Holden Racing Team Driver, Jamie ‘JDub’ Whincup.

Last month, JDub travelled to the National Storage’s Bundall centre for a day on set to promote how easy it is to book and move-in to storage with National Storage.

In between filming, JDub sat down with the National Storage marketing team for some quick-fire questions about his racing beginnings, and how his 2020 year has unfolded. Read more on their blog here.

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SVG & GT win the Bathurst 1000

James Young — Mon, 19 Oct 2020 22:47:00 +0000

Jamie Whincup / Craig Lowndes – Car #888
Race result – DNF

Shane van Gisbergen / Garth Tander – Car #97
Race result – First

Jamie Whincup – Car #888

“I’m rapt for the team – massive day, particularly for the 97 crew. They made it happen, Shane made it happen in the middle of the race when he passed cars and got to the lead and then 60 qualifying laps to the end was really impressive to watch. I wish I was part of the battle. The pace they had, I’m pretty sure our car would have had the same so it was disappointing to not be out there cutting laps at that pace like he was. All in all, I’m aware that at Bathurst you win some, you lose some. In hindsight I wish I would have done it a little bit differently, but Brodie (Kostecki, co-driver car #99) was playing a tough game and it got the better of me. I underestimated the surface temp of the tyres and in a normal situation it would have been fine, but I just turned in with the rears still on fire and oversteered and hit the wall. Thankfully, the car is nowhere near as bad as it looks so we’ll be able to just bolt a couple of wishbones on and it’ll be ready to go in a couple of hours. I’m not sentimental but seeing Shane drive around with the Holden flag out the window made me reflect on all the people who have supported the brand, all the people who’ve worked for Holden, all the fans – there are so many passionate people associated with this Aussie brand. I so hope they were watching that last lap and felt the win as much as we did in the garage.”

Craig Lowndes – Car #888

“The day started off really well. In the warm-up, we were happy with the car and where we got it. We’d been working really hard all weekend to make sure the car was going to be nice for today. The start of the race for me was a little entertaining. I got a ripper start and managed to get a couple of places. I had to be a little bit patient following some other drivers but I made the passes eventually as the car was coming to us. I was quite happy and comfortable. The original plan was to do a single stint and then a double, but unfortunately we didn’t get to my double. It’s one that I think got away because we had a nice car and definitely had the same speed as 97 had. It’s unfortunate, but that’s motor racing and we’ll come back next year fighting harder. To have a win here as a team to close out a chapter of factory Holden backing is sensational.”

Shane van Gisbergen – Car #97

“How unreal is that. The last 60 laps were so intense, and all the safety cars made it really tough, but it was an awesome job all day by Garth and the whole team as well. The car just got better and better throughout the day and the last couple of stints were really cool to drive. I’ve had some bad runs at Bathurst in the past, and today was all about making no mistakes. I made sure I capitalised when it rained – I got to the front and never let go of it. We’ve been the factory team for the last couple of years, and to not have Holden support racing anymore is devastating, but to win the last Bathurst 1000 for them was something pretty special.”

Garth Tander – Car #97

“I can’t believe it – it’s just so surreal to be honest. 2020 has been such a strange year for me, effectively sitting on the couch for six months waiting for this race, to then go through quarantine and spend so much time away from home to do this one race. To have success here is just amazing, it really is. I can’t thank the team enough. They put so much faith in me with the work that they allow me to do with setting the car up, and Shane as well gives me plenty of opportunity to be part of the team. The car was mint today – I’ve never had such a good race car at Bathurst. It was a real pleasure to drive this car and very special especially given it was Holden’s last factory involvement. To stand on the top step representing Holden in the factory-backed car is pretty cool.”

Roland Dane – Team Owner

“Bathurst, as much as anywhere, is about teamwork and though Garth and Shane went above and beyond in delivering the result today, the team did a great job behind them. They did awesome pit stops that helped create the win as well as what Garth and especially Shane in the second half of the race did to bring it home. A real team effort and a special way to say farewell to the Holden brand in Australia as a new-car brand. To close it off in this way hopefully has some meaning for the fans and Holden ex-employees, ex-dealers and everyone else who have put so much into Holden over the last 70-plus years, especially in 60-plus years of motorsport, so I’m very happy that we’ve played a part in that. We must acknowledge the lengths that the Victorian teams have gone to in keeping racing going. All the people who’ve been away from home for so long and keeping the show on the road, they deserve our thanks, not only from us, but also from everyone else in the motorsport community for enabling us to run the championship and hopefully they can now go home and relax.”

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Triple Eight to bring Camaro to Supercars

Ainslie McCormick — Wed, 14 Oct 2020 23:29:48 +0000

Triple Eight Race Engineering will race the Chevrolet Camaro in the Supercars Championship from 2022.

In line with Australia’s premier motor racing category’s transition to a new era of machinery, known as Gen3, Triple Eight will enter the 2022 Supercars season fielding Camaros adapted to the new regulations, continuing the team’s long relationship with General Motors.

Having already been at the forefront of the design work, led by Supercars, for Gen3 componentry since April this year, Triple Eight, as the current and final Factory Holden Team, has been charged with the design of the Gen3 Camaro race car body by Supercars while being endorsed by GM. The Brisbane-based outfit has a history of engineering excellence in the sport, previously heading up the development of multiple models, including most recently the Holden Commodore ZB.

The race car IP will be retained by Supercars, meaning other Teams competing in the Supercars Championship will also be able to run the Camaro, either purchasing complete race cars from Triple Eight or having access through Supercars to the intellectual property to build their own.

Triple Eight will race the Commodore for one last season in 2021. This weekend’s Bathurst 1000 marks the final race for Holden in an official capacity, exactly 10 years since Triple Eight’s 1-2 finish in the Great Race in the team’s debut year with the iconic Australian brand.

Quotes

Roland Dane, Managing Director, Triple Eight Race Engineering: “It’s very pleasing to bring such an iconic car, the Chevrolet Camaro, back to Australia’s race tracks. Personally, I have enjoyed a long motorsports relationship with General Motors, dating back to the 1990s in the British Touring Car Championship, so I’m happy to be able to continue that. We’re very pleased that GM have entrusted development of the Gen3 Camaro to Triple Eight for this exciting new era of Supercars racing. The Camaro looks fantastic as a road car and there’s no doubt that it will make a spectacular, aggressive race car. Preparations for the introduction of Gen3 regulations are well under way, but our sights this week are fully focussed on delivering the best results possible for Holden and Holden fans.”

Mark Reuss, President, General Motors: “We at GM are thrilled to continue an involvement in Supercars in Australia and New Zealand. Chevy Camaro will be an exciting addition to the track, and we have every confidence Triple Eight will ensure the race-going version will be a faithful representation of the road-going Camaro ZL1’s DNA.”

Sean Seamer, CEO, Supercars Championship: “It’s great news to have GM continuing their presence in Australasia’s leading Motorsports Category. The Camaro will play a key role in the development of our new generation of race cars, so when it hits the track, it’s sure to excite not only our younger fans, but importantly, all those who remember the nameplate’s rich history in the sport.”

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Thanks, Holden Fans

James Young — Wed, 14 Oct 2020 02:31:52 +0000

When the Red Bull Holden Racing Team Commodores roll out at Bathurst this weekend, for the final round of the 2020 Supercars Championship, it will be a very special occasion.

Over 50 years of Holden factory support will come to an end, when Jamie Whincup, Craig Lowndes, Shane van Gisbergen and Garth Tander represent the icon brand one last time as full-time Holden factory race drivers.

As a tribute to the millions of Holden fans who’ll be watching the great race on television this year, Holden and Triple Eight Race Engineering today unveiled a unique livery update for the #888 and #97 ZB Commodore Supercars.

The striking THANKS HOLDEN FANS graphic is a respectful acknowledgement to the many wonderful supporters, drivers, engineers, dealers, commercial partners, marketers and everyone who helped make so many great memories.

The battle between the official works teams of Holden and Ford has lasted for over half a century, and divided race fans into two intense and loyal camps – Red versus Blue. Triple Eight will carry the Holden flag one last time this Sunday.

Standing at the famous Skyline at Bathurst, Craig Lowndes summed up the occasion “I’ll certainly miss the usual crowds at Bathurst this year. This tribute livery on the last factory race team Commodores is a tremendous message of thanks to the Holden fans. Jamie and I would be extremely proud to bring home a final victory for Holden.”

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Fuelcell takes the Eseries Driver’s Seat

James Young — Wed, 07 Oct 2020 00:00:30 +0000

With the final round of the Supercars season fast approaching, the Pro Eseries is just getting started, and preseason is in full swing.

So, ladies and gentlemen; start your virtual engines and put your hands together for our 2020 Pro Eseries driver… Jarrad ‘Fuelcell’ Filsell!

You might be wondering, what does it take to be a Pro Eseries driver for the Red Bull Holden Racing Team?

Our criteria: have the best Omen gear in the business and be faster than JDub on the sim…not that that’s hard!

For Jarrad, the opportunity to join the Red Bull Holden family is an exhilarating thought.

“I’m really excited to be joining the factory Holden squad in my second season in the Pro Eseries. I think the competition is definitely harder this time around as the series grows and evolves, so I’m just going out there to win as many races as possible.”

No stranger to the virtual racing world, Fuelcell has been getting many laps under his belt in preparation for the season start following the Bathurst 1000.

“I’m lucky enough to coach on the iRacing platform, so being on the sim almost every day of the week keeps my mind fresh and in tune with any car. With the Omen 30L and Omen X monitors, I can definitely see the difference in top-of-the-range equipment really putting me in the best shape going forward this year.”

Having regularly raced against Shane ‘SVG’ van Gisbergen numerous times, meeting the drivers and crew at The Bend was an amazing experience for the Adelaide-based sim racer.

“The Red Bull Holden Racing Team have been extremely accommodating so far, especially in the current climate. I was fortunate enough to meet the team at The Bend a few weeks ago which was an awesome experience. I regularly race against Shane as well, and with his help I always learn different techniques, but any racer won’t give away their tricks – I’ll just have to figure them out myself!”

The Supercars Pro Eseries kicks off at the end of October, with drivers battling it out for the Championship over six rounds.

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Eseries Recap: Round 10

Ainslie McCormick — Mon, 15 Jun 2020 05:47:29 +0000

Get the rEcap from your Eseries Champion SVG, teammate JDub & wildcard CL after the finale at Oran Park & Bathurst!

“It’s pretty awesome to end the Eseries with the championship. I qualified really well at Oran Park, but unfortunately couldn’t quite pull a fast lap together at Bathurst, and I managed to qualify fourth. The Oran Park race was heaps cool. I was only a teenager when I last raced there, so it brought a heap of cool memories back. I was able to extend my lead there before a crazy race a Bathurst. I was a bit angry at myself for pushing too hard for the win at Mount Panorama which caused me to spin out Anton (de Pasquale), but everything worked out in the end. I really have to thank everyone at Supercars for putting on a great show. The Eseries was a lot of fun and kept us busy during these crazy times. Thanks to the team, my crew who spotted me every week, Omen and HP for supplying me with my simulator gear, and Armor All for their donations to my designated charity, Wings for Life.”

Shane Van Gisbergen

“It’s been a tough 10 weeks for me in the Eseries, but I had a lot of fun. Overall, I’m proud of all the team at Supercars for bringing together a championship when we couldn’t compete on the real racetrack. So many people behind the scenes dug deep and made it happen, no more so than my fellow Supercars’ drivers that put in hours and hours of time on the sim each week getting ready for the competition. I quickly realised that the gaming world is very different to the real world, although both just as challenging and requiring the same amount of skill. I look forward to continuing using my simulator on a monthly basis racing my mates for fun from time to time. I thank everyone who tuned in to watch the competition and I hope it only makes everyone hungrier to enjoy the action from Sydney Motorsport Park at the end of the month.”

Jamie Whincup

“It was great to be a part of the Eseries again, especially for the final round, although my performance wasn’t as good as I would’ve liked it to be. Oran Park holds fond memories for me. The track is just as busy on the sim as it was in real life. It’s great Shane has taken out the Eseries championship. It’s been really close between Anton (de Pasquale), Scotty (McLaughlin) and Shane the whole way through. I got in SVG’s way unfortunately in qualifying at Bathurst but luckily enough he managed to get over it. The championship win for Shane is great for the team and all the sponsors involved, but now the Eseries has concluded they have to get their head back into the main game.”

Craig Lowndes

Eseries Round 10 Results

Shane van Gisbergen – Car #97

Race 1 (Oran Park) – First
Race 2 (Mount Panorama) – Fifth
Eseries Championship Final Standings – First (2426 points)

Jamie Whincup – Car #88

Race 1 (Oran Park) – 27th
Race 2 (Mount Panorama) – 25th
Eseries Championship Final Standings – 22nd (862 points)

Craig Lowndes – Car #888

Race 1 (Oran Park) – 30th
Race 2 (Mount Panorama) – 31st

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Eseries Recap: Round 9

Ainslie McCormick — Thu, 04 Jun 2020 01:57:50 +0000

Get SVG & JDub’s rEcap from the second-last stop of the Eseries at Michigan Speedway!

“I had a lot of fun last night at Michigan. Fortunately, I had a heap of Omen gear waiting for me when I arrived back in Australia, so I spent the first few days of my quarantine setting up my simulator here which is quite different to my one back in New Zealand. It was a bit hard to get used to at first, but I think my sim is where I want it to be now – being an oval track last night made it a bit easier, but next week will be tough one. I think we’re at Oran Park & Bathurst next week, so I’ll be getting some laps under my belt ready for the final round. The first two races last night were good. I got caught in a bit of action in both but managed to come back through the field. The reverse grid race was a lot of fun coming from the back. In the last race, we definitely made a bit of an error by not understanding the new rule and we pitted twice, which really hurt us. We’ll get on top of that and make sure we make no further mistakes for the final round next Wednesday night. It’ll be a bit of a fight between Scotty (McLaughlin) and myself, but I’m really looking forward to it.”

Shane Van Gisbergen

“It’s been a pretty full on week for me this week. In between moving houses and numerous Supercars commission commitments, unfortunately I didn’t have a heap of time to practice on the sim this week, which obviously showed in my results. In saying that, I really enjoyed the Michigan Speedway oval. The racing is so technical and it’s all about positioning the car well. For last night’s races, you could say I was on for a couple of good results…but crashed out. The truth is, I think I started more trouble than I received – that was my bad. I copped a penalty for driving on the pit exit line which really cost me and ended up bleeding out at the front of the pack to end up a lap down. I decided to stay there and help SVG where I could although he didn’t need it. It would be nice to finish this crazy Eseries championship with a good result next week at Oran Park, back at a track I’m very familiar with. Bring it on.”

Jamie Whincup

Eseries Round 9 Results

Shane van Gisbergen – Car #97

Race 1 (Michigan Speedway) – First
Race 2 (Michigan Speedway, reverse grid) – First
Race 3 (Michigan Speedway) – 14th
Eseries Championship Standings – First (2165 points)

Jamie Whincup – Car #88

Race 1 (Phillip Island) – 30th
Race 2 (Interlagos) – 31st
Race 3 (Interlagos, reverse grid) – 25th
Eseries Championship Standings – 22nd (816 points)

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Holden and Triple Eight Agree to Settlement

Ainslie McCormick — Tue, 02 Jun 2020 00:38:05 +0000

GM Holden and Triple Eight Race Engineering have reached an amicable agreement in the wake of Holden’s announcement that the manufacturer will be closing later this year.

The settlement, the details of which are commercially confidential, will see the Red Bull Holden Racing Team remain on the grid in its present guise until the end of the current Virgin Australia Supercars Championship season. The existing contract had been due to expire at the end of 2021.

The two powerhouses of Australian motor racing joined forces in 2010, winning on debut in Abu Dhabi and going on to claim a one-two finish in the Bathurst 1000 in the same year. In total, Holden and Triple Eight together have claimed eight teams’ championships, six drivers’ titles and four Bathurst 1000 victories.

The future branding of Triple Eight’s Supercars team is yet to be determined, with the current contract between co-title partner Red Bull and Triple Eight in place until at least the end of the 2021 season.

The whole team at Triple Eight extends their heartfelt thanks to Holden, all Holden employees past and present with whom we’ve interacted, and the dealer network for their incredible support and friendship over the past decade. The team is totally committed to delivering the best possible results, both on and off the track, for the remainder of the season.

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The Race to Diversify

Ainslie McCormick — Mon, 01 Jun 2020 09:15:11 +0000

There’s no denying the Covid-19 pandemic hit the sporting world for six.

One day we were claiming double-pole positions on the streets of Albert Park, the next we were back at home-base wondering when we’d see the Bulls charge down a racetrack again.

In the interests of keeping our highly skilled team of engineers in check, Red Bull Holden Racing Team boss Roland ‘RD’ Dane decided to turn the team’s attention to a different kind of heart-pounding machine – ventilators.

Speaking on the Business Australia ‘The Company You Keep’ podcast about The Conrod Project, Triple Eight Race Engineering’s emergency ventilator, RD said that the thought of not utilising the skills of our engineers during the current health crisis didn’t sit well with him.

“When you’ve got a group of really highly motivated and skilled engineers, which an appreciable portion of our team is made up of people like that, then [I] wanted to try and make sure our brains didn’t go stale, first and foremost,” he said.

“It was very clear early on that one of the issues in a lot of countries was going to be the number of people who are available to operate such machines (ventilators). Don’t forget at that time, we were all seeing some pretty horrific pictures of warehouses, for want of a better word, in Italy, with camp beds, the sort of thing that you’ve gone to a camping shop and bought, with people like lying there with almost no assistance.”

Utilising similar technology found in our supercars, the team was well equipped to not only make a fully functioning emergency ventilator, but create a world-class machine that exceeds the TGA’s specifications.

“We came up with the concept of using a system we use in racing – telemetry – which is a way of transmitting data, live data from multiple sources. So on a race car, for instance, there can be 100 different sensors on the car at any one time that are transmitting data back to a central point in a pit lane, in a race circuit.

“Applying that principle to ventilators, you could then have 10, 20, 30, ventilators in a room or in a warehouse that had patients attached to them that then could be monitored from a single position, and warnings, et cetera come up on that monitoring screen that then would allow the potential to operate with maybe fewer people.”

Offering his pearls of wisdom, RD concluded that it’s important to recognise the skills and opportunities within businesses that can be leveraged if a crisis like this were to strike again.

“It’s a very trendy expression these days to say ‘think outside the box’, but honestly, think of, very broadly to begin with, about what possibilities that could be in other areas for your business.

“Then if you’ve identified opportunities, hone in on them. Don’t use a shotgun approach to everything. Hone in on what you might be good at, where your skill sets, where your equipment… whatever else, where your assets… whether they’re people or whether they’re physical assets can be used best, and then concentrate on a small number of potential opportunities.”

To listen to the full podcast, click here.

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