V8SC: TeamVodafone, HRT Reveal 2012 Liveries

Defending V8 Supercar champions TeamVodafone has unveiled a new livery for its Commodore racers today, while reigning Bathurst 1000 winners HRT has pulled the covers from its own car this week.

TeamVodafone drivers Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup took a 1-2 finish in the 2011 series, with Whincup joining Lowndes as a three-time champion in the process.

“2011 was a great year for TeamVodafone and I certainly gave the Championship my best shot and was proud of my driving achievements throughout the season,” Lowndes said.

"I’m confident with the existing Holden Commodores and the TeamVodafone crew that we will now go into the 2012 season with fantastic momentum and then some."

28 year-old champ Whincup was most rapt about the switch to white suits: "We are running white suits this year, which I am stoked about."  

"With the in-car temperatures reaching 60 degrees we are always looking for ways to stay as cool as possible and the difference between white and red is actually quite significant.”

"V8 Supercars announced some fantastic developments for the sport last year, I think it's a great thing we are starting a little later and I’m glad the first event has returned to Australia, as it’s great to kick things off on home soil," Whincup said.

"In saying that, I'm looking forward to heading back to Abu Dhabi for the Formula 1 race; it’s definitely going to be one of my highlights of the season."

The team has also locked in Paul Dumbrell, Warren Luff, Sebastian Bourdais and Richard Lyons as co-drivers for Sandown and Bathurst, along with the international race on the Gold Coast.

The TeamVodafone cars will be out for their first pre-season test this Saturday at Sandown Raceway in Victoria.

As for the legendary Holden Racing Team, the reigning Bathurst 1000 champion team has rolled out its own new look for 2012.

Destined for its first pre-season test this weekend at the hands of Garth Tander and James Courtney, the 2012 HRT car is the work of Holden Design's Peter Hughes, introducing carbon-fibre accents and a dose of gold.

"The 2012 Holden Racing Team livery is a progressive evolution of last year’s dramatic change in appearance,” Hughes said

"We've introduced gold into the HRT logo to better integrate the livery as a whole and turned up the volume – this year’s car is even more aggressive and angry, but still unmistakably HRT.”

HRT's Simon McNamara added that the addition of gold is a "fitting tribute to the team's winning heritage". 

“Last year, in its 21st year the Holden Racing Team won its seventh Bathurst and 200th all-time race so the updated logo reflects the success it has had in bringing home the gold,” he said.

Driver James Courtney said that while he had a tough start to 2011, this year's championship holds promise.

“The first half of 2011 was tough, but we made changes within the team, put our heads down and got to work."

“We had a strong finish to the year. We showed improving car speed, Garth [and Nick Percat] won Bathurst, and we were among the highest points scorers in the second half."

In 2011, HRT recorded race wins in Abu Dhabi (Courtney), Adelaide, Melbourne, Townsville (Tander) and at Mt. Panorama (Tander/Percat), with the Bathurst victory coming as HRT’s 200th all-time race win.

The team also achieved podium finishes at Perth, Winton, Launceston, Sandown and Sydney. HRT finished fourth in team points with Tander fifth and Courtney 10th in driver points.