Holden Dealer Team
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| Manufacturer | Holden (1969-87 BMW (1988) Ford (1989-90) |
|---|---|
| Team Principal | Harry Firth (1969-77) John Sheppard (1978-79) Peter Brock (1980-90) |
| Team Manager | Harry Firth (1969-77) John Sheppard (1978-79) Peter Brock (1980-81) Grant Spears (1982-86) Graham Browne (1987-93), Alan Gow (1987-90) |
| Race Drivers | (Notable) Peter Brock, Colin Bond, John Harvey, Larry Perkins, David Parsons, Jim Richards, Allan Moffat, Brad Jones, Andy Rouse, Andrew Miedecke, Vern Schuppan |
| Chassis | Holden Monaro (HT) Holden Torana (LC, LJ, LH, LX) Holden Commodore (VB, VC, VH, VK, VK SS Group A, VL) BMW M3 Ford Sierra RS500 |
| Debut | 1969 |
| Drivers' Championships | 4 |
| Round wins | 38 |
| 1990 position | 2nd (Brock), 12th (Miedecke) |
The Holden Dealer Team (aka HDT) was Holden's semi-official racing team from 1969 until 1986, primarily contesting Australian Touring Car events but also rallying, rallycross and sports sedans during the 1970s. From 1980 the Holden Dealer Team, by then under the ownership of Peter Brock, diversified into producing modified road-going Commodores and other Holden cars for selected dealers via HDT Special Vehicles.
Holden ceased its association with Brock's businesses in February 1987, and for the remainder of that year the race team became known as HDT Racing, which name was later dissolved when Brock secured a contract with BMW Australia to operate a BMW M3 race team (formerly JPS Team BMW) in 1988. Further into 1988, Brock sold off his HDT Special Vehicles road car business, which has nevertheless, under various ownership, continued to modify Holden vehicles to this current day.
The podium finish for brock in the 24hr 427 Monaro inspiretd the new HDT owners (Pennsi brothers) early 2001 to develop a range of HDT Monaro's also carrying the Monza name. Three of these vehicles where produced during the early part of 2000.These new branded Monza's where built to different specs, with the most powerful and highly developed type being the R/T variant which was had seen track work on most club days at eastern creek.
The Firth Years
After showing an increasing interest in motorsport during the 1960s, Holden decided to form a team to enter both Touring Car and Rally events in 1969. However, Holden’s parent company, General Motors forbade its manufacturers from officially entering motor sport circuit racing events worldwide. Holden was able to circumvent this directive by naming its team the ‘Holden Dealer Team’ which was officially owned by its dealers. In reality Holden bankrolled the entire operation and Holden executive John Bagshaw, who was the driving force behind the establishment of the team, created the financial framework which allowed the HDT to be funded without Detroit's knowledge. Holden appointed former Ford Works Team manager Harry Firth to run the operation.
Harry Firth hired two talented, but relatively untested, drivers in Colin Bond and Peter Brock. These two drivers would form the backbone of the team over the next few years. At that year's Hardie-Ferodo 500 the team entered three HT Monaro GTS350’s and tasted immediate success, finishing first and third, with Bond winning with co-driver Tony Roberts, while Brock finished third with Des West.
Concerned at the ongoing development of rival Ford's V8 powered XW Falcon GTHO Phase I, in 1970 Firth opted to run a much smaller race car based upon the Holden Torana with a 6-cylinder engine. The LC Torana GTR XU-1 was a match for the larger and more powerful Falcon GT-HO at most circuits, but at Bathurst, with its long straight and steep 'mountain' climb, the car was less competitive, and Ford’s Allan Moffat dominated both the 1970 and 1971 Bathurst events. However in the wet 1972 Hardie-Ferodo 500 the Holden Dealer Team with its LJ Torana GTR XU-1 broke through Ford's domination, with Peter Brock winning the first of his nine Bathurst victories in a solo drive in the last of Bathurst's 500 mile Series Production race formats.
Rallying and Rallycross
Holden had been supporting rally adventures since the early 1960s and had made use of the brand's successes in its advertising ... support had often been arranged via dedicated state 'dealer' teams, however it was not until 1969 that the whole arena of rallying and Holden motor sport in general was grouped together under the management of Harry Firth and the Holden Dealer Team. The new team kicked off in August 1969 with Harry himself behind the wheel of a HT Monaro GTS 253 rally car, but he soon after announced his retirement from active driving, handing over the rally Monaro to his old rival, Barry Ferguson. Colin Bond and Tony Roberts, both of whom had considerable previous rallying experience, then joined in as additional members of the rally team.
In 1970, the rally team ran a Monaro GTS 350 for Bond whilst Ferguson and Roberts each drove the new Torana GTRs. As the team progressed, Colin Bond in partnership with George Shepheard won the Australian Rally Championship three times in 1971, 1972 and 1974 driving the LC Torana GTR XU-1 and later the LJ Torana GTR XU-1 while team mates Peter Lang and Warwick Smith won in 1973 making for four consecutive titles for the HDT. During this period, Peter Brock proved himself to be very successful in Rallycross races at Calder Park Raceway in Victoria, Catalina Park in New South Wales and in Whyalla in South Australia, driving HDT's famous Holden Torana GTR called "The Beast". In Brock's hands this supercharged version of a LC Torana GTR proved virtually unbeatable. At the time Brock was sweeping all before in in Rallycross, young team mechanic, test driver and sometime race driver Larry Perkins also raced Rallycross with the HDT with some success.
LJ Torana GTR XU-1 V8
In 1972, Harry Firth began developing a V8-engined version of the LJ Torana GTR XU-1, to be able to compete with Ford's anticipated XA Falcon GT-HO (Phase IV) and Chrysler's mooted 340ci V8 Charger at Bathurst (Chrysler continue to this day to say that the Charger R/T V8 was a myth and that their intention was to continue with the 265ci Hemi-6, but Ford's GT-HO Phase IV definitely wasn't as 4 examples were built with two examples surviving as of 2013). The first V8 Torana was fitted with the small block 253ci (4.2L) Holden V8, but this was soon upgraded to the 308ci (5.0L) version. This car was built to Series Production rules at the time but Harry Firth had Colin Bond race the car, disguised as a Sports Sedan, at the 1972 Easter ATCC race meeting at Bathurst. Bond took an easy victory in the five lap support race with a lap time some four seconds faster than the team's 6-cylinder Series car ran on the same day. Production plans were terminated following the 'Supercar scare' of June/July 1972.
The road handling of the V8 XU-1 remains a contentious point. While Firth maintained until his death in 2014 (at the age of 96) that the V8 actually handled better than the 6cyl XU-1, his rival at the Ford Works Team, Howard Marsden, believed that the V8 would have brake issues due to its greater speed, as well as other handling problems. While Firth continually dismissed this, Marsden's claims were later backed up by Peter Brock who also raced the car in sports sedans. Brock claimed that while the V8 was faster in a straight line, its handling was in fact terrible due to the extra weight and that the XU-1's chassis was never built to take the greater torque of the 5.0L engine (Brock told that the first time he used full acceleration in the car, its greater torque actually cracked the windscreen).
Of the four V8 XU-1 prototypes built, none survived as Holden crashed them in an effort to re-coup the costs involved in its development. Firth claimed that he personally lost some A$55,000 of his own money on the cars with the HDT carrying out almost all of the development work.
LH Torana SL/R 5000 L34 and LX Torana A9X
In 1974 Holden was able to keep the V8 engine eligible for racing when it released the larger, but significantly more powerful LH Torana SL/R 5000. Peter Brock dominated the Australian Touring Car Championship that year, using both a LJ-series GTR XU-1 and then the new LH-series SL/R 5000. Both Brock and Bond suffered engine problems with the new L34 Option variant of the SL/R 5000 at Bathurst in 1974, putting them out when the team seemed to be in an unassailable position (the Brock/Sampson car was six laps in front when it retired on lap 118).
At the end of the 1974 season Brock left the HDT team, whilst Colin Bond continued on as the team's sole circuit racing driver. Bond went on to win the 1975 Australian Touring Car Championship whilst also competing in rally events for HDT in a LH Torana SL/R 5000 L34.
HDT's circuit racing presence returned to a two-car status for 1976, initially with South Australian Formula 5000 driver Johnny Walker joining the team, but following his departure along came John Harvey who would remain with the team until its split from Holden in early 1987. In 1977, Colin Bond departed HDT to join Allan Moffat’s semi-works "Moffat Ford Dealers" team where he went on to finish second behind Moffat in both the ATCC and at Bathurst that year. Thereafter, John Harvey became the HDT principal driver, to be joined by Charlie O'Brien.
The 1977 touring car racing season also saw the debut of the LX Torana, the new A9X performance option replacing the L34 version and available in both four-door "SL/R 5000" sedan and two-door "SS 5.0" hatchback body types. However, due to teething troubles with this new homologation special, the Holden Dealer Team struggled against the two-car Moffat Ford Dealers team, with Allan Moffat winning both the 1977 ATCC title and also the big one, the Hardie-Ferodo 1000 at Bathurst.
After a solid eight years as team manager of the HDT, and a 29 year career in motor racing that had began with preparing the 1948 Australian Grand Prix winning BMW 328 for Frank Pratt, 59 year old Harry Firth retired at the end of the 1977 season. He later told how he had become increasingly frustrated that Holden weren't listening to his advice on what was needed to be successful in Australian touring car racing. Firth would go on to be the chief CAMS scrutineer for touring cars from 1978-81 alongside Frank Lowndes, the father of Craig Lowndes.
John Sheppard takes over
One of the first moves made by Sheppard was to bring Brock back to the team. It was a wise decision for Brock dominated the season, becoming the first driver to win the 'triple crown' of the Touring Car Championship, the Hang Ten 400 at Sandown and the Hardie-Ferodo 1000 (with Jim Richards). Despite his record and being regarded by many as the number one driver in the team, Brock still had to prove himself to Sheppard. He was initially given the team's slower 4-Door A9X to drive in the opening rounds of the 1978 ATCC at Sandown and Symmons Plains. After winning both he was finally given one of the team's hatchback Torana's to drive for the rest of the season.
Ironically, soon after Sheppard took over the team, the HDT was forced to re-build the Torana's as CAMS chief scrutineer Harry Firth refused to pass them for racing. When Sheppard protested that the cars were the 1977 cars built by Firth, Harry waved off the protest as he knew what he had done with the cars and knew they weren't legal.
Brock was narrowly defeated by privateer Torana driver Bob Morris for the 1979 Australian Touring Car Championship, but went on to dominate the Hardie-Ferodo 1000. Brock qualified on pole position, he and Richards lead every lap of the race, Brock set a new lap record on the very last lap of the race and they won by a massive six-lap margin.
Before Bathurst, the Holden Dealer Team also entered a three-car Commodore team in the Round Australia Rally, the team using the VB model Commodore. Anxious to prove the then new cars reliability, the cars were perfectly prepared and finished first, second and third. Brock, who won the event along with co-drivers Matt Phillip and Noel Richards, has cited this event as his career highlight as it was an event in which many motor racing experts throughout Australia did not believe he would do well in, despite his previous rally and rallycross exploits.
The Brock era
Despite the success, by 1980 Holden was ready to pull the pin on the Holden Dealer Team. They believed that since Ford had pulled out of touring car racing at the end of 1978, there was no longer any point in competing against privateer teams driving Holden cars, and they put the team up for sale. Peter Brock purchased the team, and in order to finance it, called on Holden dealers to support him, with major dealer support coming from Vin Kean in Adelaide who could see a market for "hotter" versions of the road-going Commodore. In return for providing assistance, Brock would build a special range of modified, high performance Commodores for the dealers to add to their range. (See section on HDT Special Vehicles below). For the first time, the team really was a 'Dealer Team'. Meanwhile, Brock also took over the management of the racing team as John Sheppard had left the team when Holden pulled out. As time went on, Brock increasingly handed management of the organisation over to John Harvey.
Despite the off track changes, the Holden Dealer Team remained as competitive as ever, with Brock claiming a second 'triple crown'. During the final months of 1979 the team had been testing and developing a VB Commodore. This led to a situation where Brock and the HDT were virtually had the only race ready car for the start of the 1980 ATCC, which had to conform to CAMS new engine emission regulations which meant the Torana's and Falcon's of previous years were out, and the new Commodore and XD Falcon model were in. Other cars had come on during the year, namely the new European style Falcon and the Chevrolet Camaro. This time the HDT's Bathurst adventure was less straightforward. Chasing Dick Johnson's XD Falcon early in the race, Brock collided with a back marker. The damage was only minor but Brock went a lap down soon after leaving the pits and rejoining the track. Within half a lap however, Johnson hit a rock on the top of the mountain and was out of the race, and Brock and Jim Richards fought their way back throughout the day to score a come from behind win. Team mates John Harvey and driver/engineer Ron Harrop failed to finish after engine failure. Ironically, Harvey's engine blew just as Channel 7's camera's were following the #25 car across the top of The Mountain with commentator Mike Raymond praising the HDT's reliability record.
While the Holden Dealer Team was unable to win another Touring Car Championship, the team maintained its excellent Bathurst record over the next few years. Brock won Bathurst again in 1982 with former Formula One driver Larry Perkins (who had been with the HDT in the early 1970s under Harry Firth), and again in controversial circumstances in 1983. The rules at the time permitted 'cross-entering' which meant that after Brock's car dropped out with an engine failure, both Brock and Perkins transferred into John Harvey's car, leaving Peter's younger brother Phil, who was to be Harvey's co-driver, without a drive. The trio then went on to win the race. For 1984, which was the last year for CAMS Group C touring car regulations, Brock and Perkins made it three in a row and the team made it a 1-2 when John Harvey and new recruit David Parsons crossed the line right behind, but 2 laps back, Brock in a form finish.
During 1984, members of the Holden Dealer Team, including drivers Bathurst winning co-drivers Brock and Perkins, launched an assault on the 1984 24 Hours of Le Mans in France driving a 400 km/h (249 mph), 650 bhp (485 kW; 659 PS) Porsche 956B supplied by 1976 Bathurst winner John Fitzpatrick and sponsored by former ATCC and Bathurst champion, retail tyre entrepreneur Bob Jane. Running under the name of "Team Australia", the team also ran in the lead up race to the event, the 1000 km race at the Silverstone Circuit in England where they finished 22nd (second last) after losing a lot of time in the pits early in the race repairing a broken rear upright. At Le Mans Perkins qualified the Porsche in 15th position (as a former F1 driver affectionately nicknamed "Larrykins", Perkins was the name driver as far as the sports car and formula racing oriented European motoring press were concerned. In a complete reversal of the situation in Australia, Brock was regarded merely as a saloon car driver along for the ride). Perkins started the race and along with Brock had the car up to 5th place after a few hours before being forced to spend some 45 minutes in the pits after the car lost a wheel during Brock's second stint, putting them out of winning contention. The team fought back and were still hopeful of a respectable finish when their race came to an end at just before 2am after Perkins crashed the car in the Esses after a clash with another 956 while trying to make up lost ground, the resulting damage put an end to Team Australia's race. Ironically, Perkins had clashed with the same 956 during practice but the car was undamaged.
In mid-1984, the team had built two new VK model Commodore's for the end of season Australian Endurance Championship races and the Group C support race at the Australian Grand Prix at Calder. The cars were painted in Marlboro's "day-glo" colours and were regarded as the best looking of the Dealer Team's Commodores. Brock's own #05 won three of the four races it was entered in, the wins being the Castrol 500 at Sandown, the James Hardie 1000 and the Motorcraft 300 at Surfers Paradise.
While it has been widely reported that the #05 VK Commodore was undefeated in Brock's hands, this is untrue. The car did finish first in all three Endurance Championship races it competed in, however Brock's fourth and last race in the car saw him finish second to the Nissan Bluebird Turbo of George Fury in the support race for the 1984 Australian Grand Prix.
Group A
In 1985 Australian touring car racing now ran underthe FIA's International Group A formula, rather than the indigenous Group C regulations that had been in force since 1973. This led indirectly to the Holden Commodores becoming less competitive against the imported Nissans, Volvos, BMWs and Jaguars. Despite only one win during the 1985 season, Brock nearly pulled off an upset podium at Bathurst, retiring due to a broken timing chain three laps from the end of the race while running a strong second behind the much more powerful Tom Walkinshaw Racing Jaguar XJS, driven by 1974 Bathurst winner John Goss and German Armin Hahne.
By 1986, a homologated version of the VK Commodore, originally intended to be released in 1985 but delayed due to the unavailability of parts which prevented HDT Special Vehicles from making the required 500 before the 1 August homologation date, made the Commodore much more competitive, and Brock was able to sign longtime rival Allan Moffat to the team. The HDT, taking advantage of Group A regulations, also ran a car for Brock and Moffat in the 1986 FIA Touring Car Championship (formerly the European Touring Car Championship). Due to the liberal nature by which European regulators enforced the rules, the HDT was not as competitive as they hoped, but they still achieved some successes, such as co-winning the Kings Cup team's prize at the Spa 24 Hours with Allan Grice's Australian Racing Team. The HDT's best FIATCC finish was a 5th place at Donington Park, but the car was generally out-paced by Grice's privately entered Commodore prepared by long time Roadways Racing chief mechanic/engineer, the talented Les Small.
By 1987 the relationship between Brock and Holden had soured, primarily over the controversial 'energy polarizer' device Brock was installing in the HDT road cars (see below). Moffat and Harvey both left the team, and HDT's 1987 international campaign was limited to an assault on the Spa 24 Hours, and team did not pose a threat in that year's ATCC. That year the Bathurst 1000 was a round of the World Touring Car Championship and Rudi Eggenberger's turbocharged Ford Sierra RS500s dominated the race, finishing 1-2. Brock's own car failed early but he and co-driver David Parsons were cross-entered into the team's second car, which started the race in Peter McLeod's hands and made up ground in the wet conditions, and eventually finished in third place behind the two Sierras. Like 1983 a driver (in this case Formula 2 racer Jon Crooke) missed out on a Bathurst win when the lead car retired and its drivers transferred to the second car. Ten months after the race was held, the Sierras were disqualified for running illegal bodywork and Brock, Parsons and McLeod became the victors.
The team continued under the direction of Alan Gow, with continued support from Mobil, but without the assistance of Holden, new automotive partners had to be found. At the end of 1987, Frank Gardner had retired and shut down the JPS Team BMW. The team bought the JPS team assets and became the official team for BMW Australia. But by 1988 the 2.3L BMW M3 was no longer competitive against the much faster Ford Sierra's and Brock, Jim Richards, David Parsons and emerging talent Neil Crompton found themselves fighting for scraps rather than the wins the JPS team had achieved in 1987. The Mobil team's only win during 1988 was when Brock and Richards won the Pepsi 250 at Oran Park.
By the 1989 ATCC season Brock was forced into the unthinkable and spent the next two years racing Ford Sierra RS500s in order to be competitive. The cars were supplied by Englishman Andy Rouse (Brock's 1989 ATCC car had been the one Rouse had used to win the 1988 RAC Tourist Trophy at Silverstone). Rouse also supplied the team with the latest technical information for the cars and was Brock's co-driver at Bathurst in 1989 and 1990, the pair recording a DNF in 1989 and a 5th place finish in 1990. Limited budget forced the team into a merger with Miedecke Motorsport in 1990, the merger was made all the more easier as Andrew Miedecke's team also ran Rouse supplied Sierra's.
The venture with Ford was not without success. Brock won his first ATCC race since the 1986 when he stormed to victory in the final round of the 1989 series at Oran Park to claim 3rd in the championship behind the Shell Sierra's of Dick Johnson and John Bowe. Brock went on to claim his last Bathurst Pole Position at the 1989 Bathurst 1000, but a rear hub failure caused the #05 car's retirement on lap 81 while the team's second Sierra (#105) driven by Brad Jones and Paul Radisich finished in 9th place. The team was again a force in the 1990 ATCC although they suffered a setback when Miedecke rolled his Sierra in at Mallala after a clash with John Bowe. Consistent placings, and a win in Round 7 at Wanneroo, saw Brock finish 2nd in the championship.
With Rouse going on to race Toyota's in 1991, the team faced the prospect of going it alone with the expensive Sierra's without the latest technical information. At the end of 1990, Brock concluded a deal that would see him close his team and take his sponsorship to Perkins Engineering to race a Holden VN Commodore.[1]
Peter Brock's HDT Special Vehicles
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The cars built by HDT Special Vehicles for road use quickly gained an enthusiastic following. The cars were built under Peter Brock's direction and had approval from Holden. Several versions of modified high-performance road-going Commodore sedans were produced through the early and mid-1980s, with some being "homologation specials" produced to meet the both Group C and Group A racing regulations. These vehicles were all individually numbered with only 4246 Brock HDT's made and are considered to be collectors' items due to their rarity.
HDT and Brock's association with Holden ended sensationally in 1987, after Brock began fitting a device known as the "Energy Polarizer" to HDT vehicles. The Polarizer was a small box with crystals and magnets encased in an epoxy resin which Brock claimed improved the performance and handling of vehicles through "aligning the molecules". Brock was also quoted as saying that the Polarizer "made a shithouse car, good." Regarded as pseudoscience by Holden and the vast majority of the Australian motoring community, a new VL series "Director" model was then released in February 1987 which incorporated not only the Polarizer, but also a new independent rear suspension system developed by HDT without Holden's approval. Holden ended its association with Brock as he had refused to supply a Director for test purposes despite numerous chances to do so. While refusing to supply a test car, Brock told Holden through the media that the cars specs were available in a magazine article which detailed the Director's pre-launch tour of Europe and North America in 1986 where it was compared to cars from BMW and Opel. Holden was therefore unwilling to honour warranties on any cars thereafter modified by Brock's HDT operation.
Brock would go on to claim that Holden had wanted to end its association with HDT Special Vehicles in order to set up their own brand of up-market Holden Commodore's, and that the company was jealous of his large public profile and HDT's success in improving on their factory made cars without the resources of General Motors behind them.
Holden, in a partnership of sorts with Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR) which was based in England, then set up Holden Special Vehicles in 1987. HSV took over the role of producing factory-approved modified Commodores for general road use as well as for Group A racing homologation.
Legacy and collectibility
The HDT Commodores have a substantial place in Australian motoring enthusiast history, and thus they are highly collectible. It is not uncommon to see these vehicles selling for over $60,000 for a clean genuine example or even between $80–150,000 for an extremely low km example.
Enthusiasts in many Australian States have formed HDT Owners Groups, having regular concourse events, showcasing the many fine examples that HDT produced over the years.After the death of Brock, HDT vehicles became more collectible than ever. According to the Australian 5/2007 Wheels Magazine showroom condition cars are generating prices as high as $200,000 AU.[citation needed]
Brock era HDT road cars
Vehicle types manufactured in partnership with Holden :
- VC COMMODORE HDT - 5.0 ltr
- VH COMMODORE ADP - various sedan and wagon vehicles - 4.2 ltr, 5.0 ltr
- VH COMMODORE SS GROUP ONE - 4.2 ltr
- VH COMMODORE SS GROUP TWO - 4.2 ltr
- VH COMMODORE SS GROUP THREE - 4.2 ltr, 5.0 ltr
- WB STATESMAN DE VILLE MAGNUM - 5.0 ltr
- WB STATESMAN CAPRICE MAGNUM - 5.0 ltr
- VK COMMODORE LM5000 - 5.0 ltr
- VK COMMODORE ADP - various sedan and wagon vehicles - 5.0 ltr, 4.9 ltr
- VK COMMODORE ADP (SL GROUP A) - 5.0 ltr, 4.9 ltr
- VK COMMODORE SS - 5.0 ltr, 4.9 ltr
- VK COMMODORE SS GROUP THREE - 5.0 ltr, 4.9 ltr
- VK CALAIS DIRECTOR - 5.0 ltr, 4.9 ltr
- VK COMMODORE SS GROUP A - 4.9 ltr (Blue Meanie)
- VK COMMODORE SS GROUP A GROUP THREE - 4.9 ltr
- VL CALAIS LE - 3.0 ltr, 3.0 ltr Turbo, 4.9 ltr
- VL CORSA (COMMODORE LE) - 3.0 ltr, 3.0 ltr Turbo
- VL COMMODORE SS GROUP A - 4.9 ltr
- VL COMMODORE SS GROUP A "Plus Pack" - 4.9 ltr
Vehicle types manufactured following dissolution with Holden :
- VL HDT DIRECTOR - 4.9 ltr, 5.6 ltr
- VL HDT GROUP THREE - 4.9 ltr
- VL HDT DESIGNER SERIES - various sedan and wagon vehicles - 3.0 ltr, 3.0 ltr Turbo, 4.9 ltr
- VL HDT AERO - 4.9 ltr, 5.6 ltr
- VL HDT BATHURST - 4.9 ltr, 5.6 ltr
In addition to the Holden/HDT mainstream editions listed above, various 'one-off' vehicles were manufactured by HDT Special Vehicles during the 1980-1988 period, perhaps the most significant of those being the HDT MONZA hatchback coupe fitted with a 5.0 litre V8 that was displayed around Australia in 1985 with hopes of production that unfortunately did not eventuate. John Harvey later reported that while Peter Brock was keen to add the Monza to HDT's list of cars (Brock had previously raced the Bob Jane owned Chevrolet Monza in the Australian Sports Sedan and GT championships during the early 1980's), the reasons for not building the Monza were that as it was an older model the projected production costs were too high to make it viable.
New Generation
In May 2007, Peter Champion, a good friend of Peter Brock, purchased the HDT Special Vehicles business. Since then a 'New Generation' of road vehicles based around the VE Commodore have been developed. HDT's VE Commodore sedans form the new "Heritage Series" and these "Retro" cars are themselves based upon iconic HDT special vehicle designs of the Brock era. The first of these 'New Generation' HDT cars is called the VC Retro sedan, appropriately styled upon Brock's first public release vehicle, the VC HDT Commodore sedan of late 1980.[2]
HDT Heritage Series[3]
- VC RETRO sedan - based upon VE SV6, SS, and SS-V
- VC/VE RETRO 30TH ANNIVERSARY sedan - based upon VE SS and SS-V
- VH RETRO sedan - based upon VE SV6, SS, and SS-V
- VK GROUP A RETRO sedan - based upon VE SS and SS-V (Blue Meanie MkII)
- VK GROUP 3 RETRO sedan - based upon VE SS and SS-V
- VL Group A Retro sedan - based upon VE SS and SS-V
Championships
This is a list of championships and series won by the Holden Dealer Team from 1969 to 1987 in touring car racing, rallying and rallycross.
Australian Manufacturers' Championship results have not been included as that title was awarded to the manufacturer (e.g. General Motors-Holden) rather than to an individual driver or team.
In addition to the series mentioned on the list the Holden Dealer Team also contested various Sports Sedan series, as well as two rounds of the 1984 World Endurance Championship with a Porsche 956B.
| Year | Championship or Series | Driver | Co-driver | Car |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Calder Rallycross Championship | Peter Brock | Holden LC Torana GTR (supercharged) | |
| South Australian Rallycross Championship | Peter Brock | Holden LC Torana GTR (supercharged) | ||
| New South Wales Rally Championship | Barry Ferguson | David Johnson | Holden Monaro HT GTS350, Holden LC Torana GTR XU-1 | |
| 1971 | Australian Rally Championship | Colin Bond | George Shepheard | Holden LC Torana GTR XU-1 |
| South Pacific Touring Series | Colin Bond | Holden LC Torana GTR XU-1 | ||
| Calder Rallycross Championship | Peter Brock | Holden LC Torana GTR (supercharged) | ||
| South Australian Rallycross Championship | Peter Brock | Holden LC Torana GTR (supercharged) | ||
| New South Wales Rally Championship | Barry Ferguson | David Johnson, George Shepheard | Holden LC Torana GTR XU-1 | |
| 1972 | Australian Rally Championship | Colin Bond | George Shepheard | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 |
| Toby Lee Series | Colin Bond | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | ||
| Sun-7 Chesterfield Series | Colin Bond | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | ||
| Calder TAA Series | Peter Brock | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | ||
| Calder Rallycross Championship | Peter Brock | Holden LC Torana GTR (supercharged) | ||
| Catalina Rallycross Series | Colin Bond | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1, Holden LC Torana GTR (supercharged) | ||
| 1973 | Australian Rally Championship | Peter Lang | Warwick Smith | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 |
| South Pacific Touring Series | Peter Brock | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | ||
| Sun-7 Chesterfield Series | Colin Bond | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | ||
| 1974 | Australian Touring Car Championship | Peter Brock | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1, Holden LH Torana SL/R 5000 | |
| Australian Rally Championship | Colin Bond | George Shepheard | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | |
| South Pacific Touring Series | Peter Brock | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | ||
| Sun-7 Chesterfield Series | Colin Bond | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1, Holden LH Torana SL/R 5000 L34 | ||
| 1975 | Australian Touring Car Championship | Colin Bond | Holden LH Torana SL/R 5000 L34 | |
| South Pacific Touring Series | Colin Bond | Holden LH Torana SL/R 5000 L34 | ||
| 1978 | Australian Touring Car Championship | Peter Brock | Holden LX Torana SS5000 A9X Hatchback | |
| 1980 | Australian Touring Car Championship | Peter Brock | Holden VB Commodore |
Bathurst 500/1000 Wins
| Year | Class | No | Drivers | Chassis | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | |||||
| 1969 | D | 44 |  Colin Bond Tony Roberts
|
Holden HT Monaro GTS350 | 130 |
| Chevrolet 350 5.7 L V8 | |||||
| 1972 | C | 28 | Peter Brock
|
Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | 130 |
| Holden 202 3.3 L I6 | |||||
| 1978 | D | 05 | Peter Brock Jim Richards
|
Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback | 163 |
| Holden 308 5.0 L V8 | |||||
| 1979 | A | 05 | Peter Brock Jim Richards
|
Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback | 163 |
| Holden 308 5.0 L V8 | |||||
| 1980 | 3001cc - 6000cc | 05 | Peter Brock Jim Richards
|
Holden VC Commodore | 163 |
| Holden 308 5.0 L V8 | |||||
| 1982 | A | 05 | Peter Brock Larry Perkins
|
Holden VH Commodore SS | 163 |
| Holden 308 5.0 L V8 | |||||
| 1983 | A | 25 | John Harvey Peter Brock Larry Perkins Phil Brock
|
Holden VH Commodore SS | 163 |
| Holden 308 5.0 L V8 | |||||
| 1984 | C | 05 | Peter Brock Larry Perkins
|
Holden VK Commodore | 163 |
| Holden 308 5.0 L V8 | |||||
| 1987 | 3 | 10 | Peter McLeod Peter Brock David Parsons Jon Crooke
|
Holden VL Commodore SS Group A | 158 |
| Holden 304 4.9 L V8 |
Drivers
Those who drove for the Holden Dealer Team in its many guises in touring car racing during its 24 years of competition include (in order of appearance):
Spencer Martin (1969)- Kevin Bartlett (1969)
- Peter Macrow (1969)
- Henk Woelders (1969)
- Colin Bond (1969-1976)
- Tony Roberts (1969-1970)
- Des West (1969)
- Peter Brock (1969-1974, 1978-1993)
- Christine Cole (1970)
- Sandra Bennett (1970)
- Bob Morris (1970)
- Larry Perkins (1971-1972, 1982-1985, 1991)
- Doug Chivas (1973)
- Leo Geoghegan (1973)
- Bob Skelton (1974)
- Brian Sampson (1974)
- Johnnie Walker (1975)
- John Harvey (1976-1987)
- Wayne Negus (1976-1977)
- Charlie O'Brien (1976-1977)
- Ron Harrop (1977-1980)
Jim Richards (1978-1981, 1988)- Vern Schuppan (1981)
- Gary Scott (1982, 1987)
- Phil Brock (1983)
- David Parsons (1984-1985, 1987-1988)
- David Oxton (1985, 1987)
Allan Moffat (1986-1987)- Neal Lowe (1986)
- Kent Baigent (1986)
- Graeme Bowkett (1986)
- Jon Crooke (1987)
- Neil Crompton (1987-1988, 1992)
- Peter McLeod (1987)
- Brad Jones (1989)
- Mark Larkham (1989)
- Paul Radisich (1989)
Andy Rouse (1989-1990)- Andrew Miedecke (1990-1992)
- Tony Noske (1990)
- Tomas Mezera (1991)
Manuel Reuter (1992)- Troy Dunstan (1992-1993)
- Steve Harrington (1993)
- John Cleland (1993)
See also
- Holden Dealer Racing Team (1968 team run by Scuderia Veloce, not associated with the HDT)
External links
References
- ^ Hassall, David (2009). Brocky: Peter's Own Story A Life in Top Gear. Box Hill: Hassall Publishing. p. 161. ISBN 9780646525624.
- ^ HDT Special Vehicles - The Story, Official Website.
- ^ HDT Special Vehicles - current releases, Official Website.
Championships
- Giant Killers 1972
- Giant Killers 1973 - pgs 35, 51
- Racing Car News, October 1972
- Racing Car News, November 1972
- Australian Motoring News, 9 March 1973
- http://www.bowdensown.com.au/cars/hodgsonxu1.html
- Australian Competition Yearbooks 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978
- Australian Competition Yearbook Number 8 (1979)
- Australian Motor Racing Yearbook Number 10, 1980/81
- The History of the Falcon GT (Stewart Wilson) © 1978
- Sydney Morning Herald - 19 August 1973 - pg 15