Holden’s time in Supercars to end after 2020 season finishes

Holden has reached a formal agreement to end its Supercars tenure after the bombshell announcement the iconic brand was being retired.

Holden’s retirement was met with sadness around Australia.

Holden’s commitment to the Supercars championship will formally end at the completion of the 2020 season.

The manufacturer has revised its agreement with Triple Eight Race Engineering to provide factory support for the Red Bull Holden Racing Team after the news earlier this year that the brand would be retired by parent company General Motors.

While Holden’s contract with Triple Eight originally ran until the end of the 2021 campaign, an agreement has been reached to terminate the contract a year early.

It will mean the powerful Red Bull team, which features multiple championship winners Jamie Whincup and Shane van Gisbergen, could line up in a different brand of car from 2021 onwards.

Holden and Triple Eight joined forces in 2010 and have won six drivers’ titles, four Bathurst 1000 races and eight teams’ championships as a partnership.

With Ford and Nissan having withdrawn their factory support in recent seasons, the agreement means none of the championship’s teams will have direct manufacturer backing from next season.

Triple Eight says it will retain its branding with Red Bull, with the energy drink giant contracted until the end of the 2021 season.

The Supercars grid won’t look the same next year.

Originally published as Holden’s time in Supercars to end after 2020 season finishes