Holden Commodore team scores emotional sendoff victory with Bathurst 1000

Associated PressOct 18, 2020, 11:00 AM EDT
Bathurst 1000 results
Mark Horsburgh/Edge Photographics via Getty Images
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BATHURST, Australia — Shane van Gisbergen drove his Holden Commodore to victory in the Bathurst 1000 results in an emotional end Sunday to the marque’s formal involvement in Australia’s greatest motor race.

Holdens have contested the 1000 kilometer (600 mile) endurance race on the picturesque Mount Panorama circuit in New South Wales state since 1968, achieving a record 34 wins — 27 by Commodores — while fierce rivals Ford have 21.

In doing so, they have achieved almost cult status among Australian motorsports fans. But maker General Motors has decided to wind up the Holden marque from the end of the year and, while current Supercars teams will race their existing cars again next season, Sunday’s race signaled the end of an era.

General Motors will continue in touring car racing next year with its Chevrolet Camaro.

New Zealand-born van Gisbergen overcame two safety cars in the last eight laps to hold out the challenge of Cameron Waters in a Ford Mustang and to win the race for the first time after finishing runner-up in 2016 and 2017. The win was also a triumph for co-driver Garth Tander and the Red Bull Holden team.

In a strategic finish van Ginsbergen and Waters, whose co-driver was Will Davison, pitted together but van Gisbergen managed to stay ahead, winning by 0.86 seconds. He turned in some of his fastest laps of the day in the last stages of the race.

Shane van Gisbergen (right) and Garth Tander celebrated after winning the Bathurst 1000 (Mark Horsburgh/Edge Photographics via Getty Images).

“It’s just awesome,” van Gisbergen said. “The last few laps were really tough with the safety cars but the team did a faultless job and the car got better all weekend.

“It’s a great way to send out Holden.”

Scott McLaughlin, who was named the recipient of the Barry Sheene medal, finished fifth, and teammate Fabian Coulthard took fourth, wrapping up the team championship for DJR Team Penske.

McLaughlin, who has won three consecutive Supercars drivers championships, hopped on a plane after the race to fly to the United States. He will make his NTT IndyCar Series debut Oct. 25 with Penske in the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

Ryan Hunter-Reay hired as replacement for Conor Daly at Ed Carpenter Racing

By Jun 8, 2023, 9:05 AM EDT
Ryan Hunter-Reay Carpenter
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Ryan Hunter-Reay was named to replace Conor Daly in Ed Carpenter Racing’s No. 20 Dallara-Chevrolet, starting in the NTT IndyCar Series event next week at Road America.

Hunter-Reay is the 2012 series champion and 2014 Indianapolis 500 winner. He finished 11th for Dreyer & Reinbold last month in the 107th Indy 500, his first start since the 2021 season finale. He drove full time for Andretti Autosport from 2010-21.

“We need to improve our competitiveness and I wanted to add a fresh perspective from a driver like Ryan who has a massive amount of experience and success as well as a reputation as a team leader. I am excited to welcome Ryan to the team,” team owner Ed Carpenter said in a team release. “We have worked together in the past as teammates and he tested for ECR at Barber Motorsports Park in October 2021, where he made an immediate impact as we were able to qualify one of our cars on the pole following that test. I am confident that his experience and technical abilities will be an asset to ECR as we move forward toward our goals as a team.”

Hunter-Reay has 18 IndyCar victories, most recently in 2018. He also is a winner in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, having been a part of winning entries in the 2020 Twelve Hours of Sebring and 2018 Petit Le Mans. Last year, he was an endurance driver for Cadillac Racing while being on standby for Chip Ganassi Racing.

He replaces Daly, whose departure was announced a day earlier in what the driver and team said was a mutual decision.

“I was surprised when I got the call from Ed,” Hunter-Reay said in a team release. “He described how frustrated he was that his team has not been able to realize its potential despite their efforts, investments, as well as technical and personnel changes over the past few years and asked for my help. Ed and I are very close friends and have been for a long time. I’ve worked with the team in the past and they are a very talented group with high expectations and a committed partner in BITNILE.COM.

“This will certainly be a challenge for me as well. It’s a tough situation jumping in a car in the middle of the season without any testing in what I believe to be the most competitive series in the world. Certainly, part of my motivation in saying ‘yes’ to Ed is the great challenge ahead. The last time I turned right driving an NTT IndyCar Series car was in October of 2021 with this team at Barber. However, I remain very confident in both my driving and technical abilities and believe by working with the talented people at ECR and Team Chevy, while representing BITNILE.COM, we will make progress. I am going to do everything I can do to help the team achieve its long-term objectives.”

Said Milton “Todd” Ault, the chairman of sponsor BitNile.com: “It is great for BitNile.com to be aligned with an Indy 500 Winner and an NTT IndyCar Series champion. I have followed Ryan’s career for years and I am confident he will challenge the entire ECR team to perform at higher levels. I wish everyone luck at Road America.”