IT was the simple change that helped transform the Temu-spec Holden Racing Team into a title-winning force.
That was Garth Tander’s observation of what a fresh set of colours did for the HSV Dealer Team ahead of the 2005 Sandown 500.
Having joined from Garry Rogers Motorsport in the off-season to replace Paul Weel Racing-bound Greg Murphy, Tander’s arrival coincided with an initial identity shift for the HRT sister squad.
“The team had undergone a major shift during the off-season. It no longer was Kmart Racing,” he writes in his new book, The Finish Line, which is now in stores.
“The sponsorship ended and we rolled out in 2005 under the new banner of the HSV Dealer Team.
“The red, black and white livery of our cars made us look like a Temu version of the Holden Racing Team.”
Garth Tander at Wanneroo for Round 3 of the 2005 season. Pic: an1images.com / Graeme Neander
It was under the Kmart banner that Murphy and Rick Kelly had won back-to-back Bathurst 1000s in 2003 and ’04; the new era started poorly – to the extent that five rounds into 2005, Tander and Kelly were 15th and 19th respectively in the points.
The trajectory improved upon the championship’s return home from Shanghai, but Tander highlights a clear turning point later.
“Importantly, the cars had a new livery applied in time for the Sandown 500 where I took pole position, and Rick and I finished fourth in the race. A stunning black and red look gave the team its own identity to really separate it from the HRT,” he wrote.
Pic: an1images.com / Justin Deeley
“Psychologically it was important for the team too; we didn’t look like HRT Lite any longer.”
The next year, the team’s Commodores would take on an orange-and-black scheme thanks to the signing of sponsor Toll, and titles would follow for Kelly in ’06 and Tander in ’07 as the HRT itself was consistently overshadowed.
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