The 2015 V8 Supercars season has drawn to a close, and what a season it was!

Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Holden Racing Team the year began in spectacular style, with the launch of the 2015 season livery at the Clipsal 500. The striking day-glo red paint continuing to take right of place on the HRT Commodores in what will be remembered as one of the most recognisable liveries in pit lane. Once the cars made it to the track, James Courtney asserted his dominance on the streets of Adelaide, taking back-to-back wins with Garth Tander sharing the podium in 3rd place.

For the Tasmanian and Perth rounds of the V8 Supercars calendar, we again paid our respects to those who fought under the ANZAC flag, showing our appreciation through an unwavering support of the Returned Services League. The team persisted to push hard, striving for continual improvement in what was ultimately a challenging middle section of the season.

In a tribute to the late great Peter Brock and a perpetuation of the 25th anniversary celebrations, we ran a homage to the 1997 Bathurst 1000 car at the Townsville event. It was here that James collected his second pole position of the season.

Arriving at Bathurst in October, Garth Tander and Warren Luff were sitting 4th in the PIRTEK Enduro Cup after a solid weekend at the Sandown 500. It was here that the HRT cars took on a new life showcasing a stand out Star Wars inspired livery exhibiting both the light and dark side of the popular franchise. On the Sunday the team rolled out in Storm Trooper influenced race suits and after, what is always a dramatic weekend of racing, Garth steered the #2 to the 3rd step on the podium.

Back to the season livery on the Gold Coast, the 11th event of the season and the final event of the endurance calendar, the HRT cars were on the improve and ready to race on a circuit that has returned success in the past. The event also signalled the return of James Courtney from injury and the first time we saw the combination of Courtney and Jack Perkins.

The team didn’t disappoint, with the #22 taking out Sunday’s race which also saw Perkins rise to the top spot on the podium for the first time in his V8 Supercar career. Tander and Luff ultimately finished 3rd and were rewarded for consistency over the endurance season, securing the PIRTEK Enduro Cup. Along the way Luff became the first driver to win the cup twice; demonstrating that consistency at this time of the season is something the whole team should be proud of.

With the last five races of the calendar in the space of 10 weeks, the season wrapped up quickly but not before one final livery to celebrate the 25th anniversary.

The year presented a mixture of celebration and challenge but ultimately the team is primed to come out swinging in 2016.

But before that, we are taking a well-earned break which means our office and workshop will be closed from Monday 21st December 2015 and will be reopening on Monday 11th January 2016.

From everyone at the Holden Racing Team, we wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We look forward to seeing you at the track in 2016.