FORD Australia president and CEO Andrew Birkic has paid tribute to Holden ahead of the brand’s departure from the Repco Supercars Championship.
Today marks the last time the Lion brand will compete in Australian motorsport’s top tier, having been discontinued by parent company General Motors in 2020.
The Ford versus Holden rivalry has been at the forefront of Australian touring car racing since the 1960s as the marques battled for supremacy in the showroom.
Under Supercars’ new Gen3 era, the Chevrolet Camaro will replace the Holden Commodore ZB as the General Motors contender against Ford’s new Mustang.
“Ford versus Holden has been the central story of Australian Motorsport for six decades, and it’s a major moment in history to see that story come to an end this weekend,” said Birkic.
“We’re proud of the battles across the eras and will always remember those key rivalries – Geoghagan v Beechey, Moffat and Johnson v Brock, Ambrose v Skaife, McLaughlin v Van Gisbergen.
“Let’s hope that we see some great racing this weekend in Adelaide, that honours the incredible history between our brands.
“We now look forward to the Gen3 era beginning in 2023 and are extremely excited about our new seventh-generation Mustang hitting the track in Newcastle.”
Tributes to Holden in Adelaide include a Holden Racing Team throwback livery being run on the Walkinshaw Andretti United Commodores, which took a fairytale 1-2 finish in the Saturday race.
