Football, meat pies, kangaroos and broken hearts as Holden withers away

Peter Brock on the way to winning the 1978 Bathurst race in a Holden Torana A9X.

We were all Holden or Ford. Over the top of the Mountain, through the Esses and down into Conrod Straight, we were all riding with Brocky or Dick Johnson.

In the days when every second Australian home had a locally built car in the garage, it was ­almost an Australian birthright — we were all either Holden red or Ford blue.

It might have been because your dad drove a Kingswood or Fairlane — or maybe you just stuck with whatever your first car was. Either way, you swore by Peter Brock’s Torana or Johnson’s Falcon. Not just during the Bathurst 1000 but all the events in the Australian Touring Car Championship. And it spilled over into our daily lives, dictating the make of car we drove.

After Brock, for Holden fans, came his protege Craig Lowndes and Mark Skaife, then seven-time champion Jamie Whincup driving a Commodore. And all of them locked in fierce rivalry with Ford drivers throughout their careers.

Peter Brock behind the wheel of his Torana in 1973.

Holden V8 Supercars, it was said, were as Aussie as football, meat pies and kangaroos. And once a Holden driver, always … well, maybe not.

The traditional rivalry between Holden and Ford in Australian motorsport will soon be no more following the bombshell announcement from General ­Motors that the Holden brand will cease to exist by the end of the year. The writing was on the wall for the old rivalry last year when the Mustang replaced the FGX Falcon as Ford’s racing weapon in Australia — two years after local manufacturing of Fords ceased.

It was writ even larger when GM axed the Australian brand’s most famous car, the legendary Commodore, last December due to declining sales.

Holden provides factory backing for one of the Supercars’ most powerful teams, Triple Eight Race Engineering (the Red Bull Holden Racing Team). Triple Eight ­extended its deal with Holden midway through last year for another two years until the end of 2021.

Holden makes up more than half the Supercars grid, with 16 Commodores racing in this year’s series, which gets under way this weekend with the Adelaide 500.

In a statement on Monday, Holden said it would hold talks with Supercars and the Holden Racing Team to determine its ­future in the sport and work through the ramifications of the company’s decision. “We are aware of our commitment and we will work through with Red Bull Holden Racing Team the implications of this decision,” it said.

A spokesman for Supercars said: “Today’s news is understandably disappointing for fans who have followed Holden’s success in Australian Touring Cars and ­Supercars since its debut in the 1960s.

“Holden has been firmly part of the heritage of our sport and has helped shape Supercars to become the sport it is today. The Commodore will remain on track for the 2020 championship season and we’re looking forward to seeing it alongside the Ford Mustang once again this weekend when the 2020 Virgin Australia Supercars championship begins in Adelaide.”

Walkinshaw Andretti United team, formerly the Holden Racing Team before losing its factory-backing to Triple Eight, said the brand was forever linked with its history. “Our team has shared a long and successful relationship with Holden in Australia for three decades,” the team said. “It’s very sad to see them leave.”

The death of Holden struck such a blow that even the old rival was commiserating. Ford tweeted: “All of us here at Ford Australia are saddened to hear the news that Holden will cease operations. Its vehicles have been worthy competitors both on road and on the racetrack. To our friends at Holden … We will miss you.”