Calling all cars...calling all cars.

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Release Date: 24/04/2003
TEGA Rejects General Motors Bid For Holden Racing Team!

Touringcar Entrants Group Australia Pty Ltd (“TEGAâ€￾) today rejected the formal application by Holden Ltd to the change of control of the Holden Racing Team (“HRTâ€￾) to General Motors Australia Ltd.

Holden purchased the shares in TWR Australia, the company that operates HRT following the receivership of TWR International.

While rejecting the Holden application, TEGA has advised TWR Australia that it must find a new owner that will be suitable to the TEGA Board by no later than 1 June or risk the termination of the license that allows the team to compete in the V8 Supercar Championship Series.

“The agreements that TEGA holds with teams that compete in the Series provide the Board with an absolute discretion to withhold its consent to the sale or sub-licensing of racing entitlements to an entity controlled by a company which is a vehicle manufacturerâ€￾ said TEGA Chairman Kelvin O’Reilly. “We have exercised that discretion.â€￾

“The Board has been endeavouring to work through a number of issues with Holden since they advised us that they had purchased the shares in TWR Australia without applying for or receiving our consentâ€￾ he said. “TEGA’s pre-emptive rights to purchase the licenses were also denied us through Holden’s purchase arrangements with the receivers of TWR Internationalâ€￾ said O’Reilly.

“Holden have stated that they intend to sell the licenses but at this time TEGA is not convinced that they are acting in a timely fashion suitable to us to rectify the situations in which they have placed themselvesâ€￾ said O’Reilly.

“The Board is of the view that this matter must now be resolved quickly for the benefit of V8 Supercar racing as a whole.â€￾

Prior to being advised that Holden had purchased the shares in TWR Australia, the Board of TEGA had asked its investigative body – the TEGA Tribunal to conduct an investigation into possible breaches of the Ownership Restrictions contained within the Teams’ License Agreement.

“The TEGA Tribunal has commenced its investigation into the concerns that TWR Australia may have or have had simultaneous interests in HRT, K Mart Racing and Paul Weel Racing – a total of six (6) cars that compete in the Championship,â€￾ said O’Reilly.

“If the investigation reveals a breach of the 4 car provisions of the teams agreement, the racing entitlements of the teams are required to be suspended while the teams licenses are soldâ€￾ he said.

Following sale of the licences, teams found to be in breach of the ownership restrictions will be prevented from competing in the V8 Supercar racing until such time as the Board enters into a new agreement with the team.

Currently the Board policy of TEGA and AVESCO would see the person/s or entities who are the legal and beneficial owner of a Teams’ License not re-admitted to V8 Supercar racing for a minimum period of two years.
 
Ford Australia take note:-

Tom Walkinshaw Racing had some bad dealings with the purchase of Jordan at exacatly the wrong time. When the F1 bubble burst, wee Tommy was left holden da can. :(

TWR were one of the most astutely run companies. Holden Racing Teams success can be mostly attributed to his coming in with Rover 3500 Vitesse ( old 62 Buick 215 V8) ram tube injection system, Zytech fuel injection management system and FISA exhast system to breath enough life into a heavy 69 vintage 5 liter V8. Eventually getting a 450 hp car to beat the 500 HP Sierra Cosworths was a pretty mean feat when the GM Holdens were heavier as well. The Walkinshaw VL Commodore at full flight was getting to be a mighty thang. The VN Group A that followed was an absolute screamer.

Toms contacts with MIRA in Britain made the already slick Opel shape of the Commodore VN slicker still, with huge downforce. Basically, Tom's team blended a strong core of very focused Aussies who had worked with the legendary work of the Holden Dealer Teams Harvey,Perkins,Brock, Gretch and Burns, and then infused all the profesionalism of the European Touring Car Challenges V12 Jag, Rover and BMW Group A and 2 racers which he had worked with. The combination was very strong. Perkins latter sucess in the V8 Supercars showed that he was a major brain, and it was very fortunate that TWR's acquistion ensured the vital strain of information wasn't lost after the Holden Dealer Team self distructed as a result of Brockies Wilderness Experience with Dr Dowker.

Holden is too smart to bungle this one...things will work out ok. Ford has another 25 years of team building to get up to the HRT level...they had it all, and then lost their nerve when the dollar$ looked too scary. The Falcons Touring Car success with Dickie Johnston in the early 80's showed that FoMoCo Australia was sadly wrong in dropping out in racing support, then deep sixing the Cleveland, and then not commiting to the CrossFlow Turbo Falcon...all because they were too tight to give the Dick Johnston Racing Falcon Grand Prix Turbo the design support it needed. Same with the AIT conversion, same with the SVO Falcon XF. Same deal with the AC Cobra, GT40, GTHO Phase I Falcon.

Rember the rule....gold doesn't win races, its goldan'Team Work. Gurney, Shelby, Moffat, Dick Johnson were Fords only reason for success...those guys picked there teams, then there brains, then sunk the gold coins into the blue oval...a cause which couldn't fail.
 
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