Supercars: Camaro v Mustang set to become new rivalry as third make fails to make the grid
The traditional Ford v Holden rivalry may be gone, but that doesn’t mean fans still won’t have something exciting to support. We take a look in the second part of a state of play series.
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Sean Seamer has declared the Camaro will become the new Commodore after confirming the series will become a two-make fight between General Motors and Ford.
The Supercars boss has all but ruled out the addition of a third manufacturer for next year in a revelation that will see the Mustang take on the Camaro in an all American-fight in 2022.
“I think it would be very difficult to get a third manufacturer on the grid next year,” Seamer said.
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“There are active discussions that are going on at the moment and as the world starts to come through the other side of COVID in varying places and varying markets, it’s starting to give us a little bit more clarity on what manufacturers road maps look like and that’s been very helpful. Those discussions are progressing.”
In a wide-ranging interview with News Corp, Seamer also predicted that the rivalry that has been the foundation of the sport would continue, with General Motors to replace Holden as Ford’s V8 rival.
“We hope that the Holden fans will come out and barrack for the Camaro,“ Seamer said.
“All indications and feedback I have had is that they will. For us, we have to focus on what makes us special and that’s being fast, being loud, the visceral experience that only we can deliver.
“Irrespective of the shape and the format of the cars, we’ll stay true to that heritage and DNA as we go through into Gen3.”
The beloved Holden brand was axed in Australia at the end of last year and there is no longer an official factory-backed Holden team on the Supercars grid.
While teams will continue to campaign in a Commodore ZB this year in a bridging season before the Gen3 regulations come into effect in 2022, diehard fans of the famous Lion are going to need to gravitate to a new brand.
Supercars and Holden legend Mark Skaife said it was the job of the category to ensure the rusted-on Holden fans gravitated to the new GM product.
“A very wise man once said to me, you are better off trying to keep a customer than trying to find a new one,” Skaife said.
“I think if you take that as your mandate, it’s the sport’s job to gravitate and migrate those Holden fans across to whatever the GM product is next year.
“Right now, Holden fans have still got something to cheer for, they’ve still got a Commodore (on track), they have still got the teams and the drivers they have been cheering for, for a long time.
“But what the sport’s job is … to ensure you take those red fans and you give them something to cheer for.”
To be unleashed under the “Gen 3” program, the Camaro will be designed and built by Triple Eight Race Engineering.
The new car will be made available to all teams, with Supercars to retain intellectual property rights.
“I think what you’ll find is that the Camaro is going to look tough,” Skaife said.
“It’s road presence, it’s a great name plate, it’s a GM powerhouse name plate, it’s a bit like a Mustang nameplate for Ford. It’s a really good looking car, the images we have seen now for next Gen (3) are just superb.”
Ford legend Dick Johnson said the famous rivalry that he helped forge would survive thanks to General Motors and Camaro maker Chevrolet.
“It will still be Red v Blue,” Johnson said.
“I know how passionate our fans are and I also know how passionate there fans are. They (Holden fans) won‘t need much encouragement to keep the war going and the Camaro will become their new Commodore.”
Red Bull Racing are expected to lead the fight against Ford with Shane van Gisbergen to lead the former Holden factory team.
“I think the fans will gravitate towards the Chevrolet next year,” said Triple Eight boss Roland Dane.
“The feedback that we have had has been overwhelmingly positive and continues to be.
“The demise of the Holden brand in the new car market here is unfortunate, it has happened and it’s old news now and everyone has moved on.
“The Holden brand continues to hold a place in the hearts of many Australians as being something that they have grown up with and enjoyed etc, and I’m sure that we’ll get plenty of Holden fans going forward even as we start racing Chevrolets.
“I don’t see that as an issue, the hangover from Holden fans. To be honest, our fan base across the country has become much broader than just Ford and Holden, but they do like to gravitate towards the brands when it comes to watching the racing.
“And we are going to continue that with Chevrolet, which is a very aspirational brand in this country. So I don’t see it as impediment, I think it is only going to add to the excitement.”
Supercars screaming out for a new hero
Mark Skaife has revealed his fears for the future, with the Holden legend likening the loss of Scott McLaughlin and Jamie Whincup to that of Dick Johnson and Peter Brock.
Still reeling from McLaughlin’s sudden IndyCar switch, the sport was last month delivered another blow when Whincup announced this year would be his last as a full-time driver.
Skaife has admitted the sport will struggle to find a new big name who can become the face of the sport, with Supercars to lose both its greatest driver and the heir apparent in the space of 12 months.
“I think it reminds me a little bit of when Peter Brock and Dick Johnson were retiring and I see it as a bit of a changing of the guard,” Skaife said.
“I remember Ford and Holden talking to us trying to fill the void when massive names like Dick and Peter weren’t going to be on the grid. So I see it partially the same a little bit.”
Even before Whincup announced his retirement, Supercars was facing the challenge of not having its defending champion on the grid for the first time in 24 years.
Not only the defending champion, McLaughlin was considered to be the future face of the sport and a driver that would go on to challenge Whincup’s record of seven titles after winning three straight.
“He would have had a crack at it, for sure,” said Johnson.
“He had won three straight so that is saying something. He was certainly the one that would have replaced Jamie and he was a very special talent. That’s for sure. And it was tough to see him go.”
If that was not enough of a blow for Supercars, Whincup, the greatest championship driver in the history of the sport, announced his impending retirement just four months after McLaughlin left Australia.
Arguably the two biggest names in the sport gone – and soon to be gone – from the grid.
Between them, they share 10 Supercars titles and five Bathurst crowns, with Whincup owning just about every record in the book.
The series was already facing significant change following the loss of the Holden brand’s official involvement and next year’s launch of the Gen3 cars.
Supercars chief executive Sean Seamer was confident a new generation of stars would emerge.
“I think what you have seen over the history of this sport is a passing of the baton from generation to generation of driver – from Dick Johnson, Peter Brock, there is always another star ready to step up, and I think that’s one of the things that makes this year really exciting,” Seamer said.
“You’ve got some extremely talented drivers in that pit lane that will all be looking to race Jamie to the final chequered flag and I think it’s going to be an interesting year.
“Jamie is obviously not going anywhere and I think it’s great for him and the team, the strong succession plan that Triple Eight has had in place starting to evolve over the course of the next 12 months.
“There are a lot of really interesting stories and narratives to unfold over the course of this year for the drivers and for the teams.”
Triple Eight team boss Roland Dane knows better than most the legacy Whincup has created – and will leave in the sport – after combining with the star for all of his Supercars title wins.
But Dane said losing figureheads and blooding new talent was part of the evolution of every sport.
“Sport is full of people who have retired or gone off to do something else, every sport,” Dane said.
“Time shows me time and time again that sports move on and find new heroes and new stars. It doesn’t matter whether it is motorsport, one of the footy codes, or cricket or whatever.
“To be honest, a lot of today’s stars end up being forgotten pretty quickly as the world moves on to the next one. That’s part of sport, I don’t see that as an issue.
“There are plenty of good drivers, younger drivers that are either in the category or heading towards the category, so that’s just part of sport and a great part of sport.”
Skaife has urged generation next to stand up and has anointed Ford’s Cameron Waters, Dave Reynolds, Andre Heimgartner and Anton de Pasquale as those who would need to step up to become a face of the sport.
He said the next generation was going to need to step up – on and off the track – to keep the sport in the spotlight.
“A lot of the young people and the rising stars will have to work harder and that’s not a bad thing,” Skaife said.
“Now that we haven’t got the luxury of Scott being here, who is going to pick up the baton?
“In Ford land, I see Cam Waters having to do more, I see David Reynolds, now he’s gone across there (to Ford), he has got to do more. I see young blokes like Andre Heimgartner, they will have to do more.
“And straight away the expectation around Anton De Pasquale and Will Davison is huge (at DJR), so they have got to grab that mantle.
“You will have to pick those Ford people and emphasise how much they have to do to make up for the loss of a Scott McLaughlin.
“If you want your sport to stay as the pre-eminent motorsport category in this part of the world, then you have to work hard.”
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