HRT’s Garth Tander and James Courtney will go Side By Side with the Magpies for next week’s Wilson Security Sandown 500.
The bonnets of the two V8 Supercars Champions new HRT VF Commodore race cars for the traditional warm-up to Bathurst will be adorned with the official Collingwood Football Club emblem and black and white stripes.
Tander and Courtney revealed the one-off tribute Collingwood livery as the Magpies underwent their final training session at the Westpac Centre ahead of tomorrow night’s Elimination Final against Port Adelaide at the MCG.
Sandown is the first race of the three-round Pirtek Endurance Cup which is being seen as the V8’s own ‘finals’ – and it includes Australia’s great race, the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 at Mt Panorama.
GM Holden’s Motorsport and Sponsorship Manager, Simon McNamara said HRT and Collingwood were key components of its marketing and sponsorship mix.
“The Holden Racing Team has been our official factory racing team for over 20 years, and it is an integral part of Holden’s DNA,” McNamara said.
“Our partnership with the Collingwood Football Club is only in its first year, but it is already delivering spectacular results for Holden.
“It was natural for su that we bring these two iconic Australian sports teams together, side-by-side, for an important, high profile event like the Wilson Security Sandown 500.”
Three-time Bathurst winner Tander said while he was not a Magpies supporter, Collingwood’s “Side By Side” motto reflected HRT’s own mantra, “I Bleed Red”.
“Collingwood and HRT are very similar; they’re both teams working together, side-by-side, with individuals making sacrifices to achieve the team’s common goals, whether that be the AFL Grand Final win on that one day in September or a victory in Australia’s greatest race, the Bathurst 1000 at Mt Panorama in October,” Tander said.
“Whether you love them or not, you can’t help but admire the Magpies and how the footy club goes about its business.
“It’s easy to see why Collingwood has over 80,000 members and is so successful on and off the field.”
Brought up on rugby league, Sydney-born Courtney said Collingwood and HRT’s legion of fans were similar.
“I’m a Sydney ‘westie’, but one thing I do know about AFL is Collingwood’s fans are the most loyal and passionate fans of any in the game, the same as HRT’s in V8s,” Courtney said.
“HRT’s fans ‘bleed red’ and with Collingwood supporters it’s ‘us against them’ – I love it!”
HRT’s has one of the most formidable enduro driver line-ups with Tander once again joined by his 2011 Bathurst 1000-winning co-driver, Nick Percat, and four-time Bathurst winner Greg Murphy partnering Courtney.
The Endurance Cup includes Sandown, Bathurst and the Armor All Gold Coast 600 on the streets of Surfers Paradise.
HRT’s Collingwood Magpies tribute VF Commodores will hit the track for the first time in practice next Friday at Sandown.
