Following the recent announcement that the Holden Racing Team and Toll HSV Dealer Team would exchange regulars for the Betta Electrical 500 and Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000, Crash.net V8 Supercar reporter
Matthew Agius takes a look at driver swappings and whether or not it is in the spirit of the game to exchange drivers.
Tom Walkinshaw is a clever man. A very, very clever man. So much so in fact that he has made one of the defining decisions of the 2006 V8 Supercar Championship – taking Garth Tander from the Toll HSV Dealer Team, a championship contender and one of the best performers this year and swapping him with Todd Kelly of the Holden Racing Team in order to ensure that his two championship contenders drive in separate cars, both equal in technology, equal in driver pairings, and each blessed with two Bathurst winners behind the wheel.
Tander (one Bathurst win) joins Mark Skaife (five Bathurst wins) in the #2 Holden Racing Team Commodore, whilst Todd Kelly (one win) will drive alongside his brother Rick (two wins) in the lead Toll HSV Dealer Team entry.
And this is where Holden has secured its championship interests and maintained its Bathurst chances. The lead entries from each of these teams are still at short odds for endurance success, but now should one of these cars retire from either Sandown or Bathurst, one of Holden’s title contestants will still be in with a shot.
But is it really in the spirit of the game? Certainly, the Toll HSVDT and the Holden Racing Team have been grouped for testing – in that respect regarded as one team – but on the track they seemingly, and to the less-fanatical series supporters, operate separately and with different agenda. Where is the line drawn?
