THE Toll HSV Dealer Team Commodore VE that Garth Tander took to the 2007 V8 Supercars Championship Series crown has a new owner.
The Queensland-based Jones family are the new owners of the car, making it the second Walkinshaw Racing-built Commodore VE in their collection.
They also have the ex-Todd Kelly #22 Holden Racing Team Commodore VE that won the first race for the VE Commodore in V8 Supercars in Adelaide in 2007.
The same chassis – WR 003 – later spent time with Brad Jones Racing and finished second in the 2009 Bathurst 1000 with Jason Richards and Cameron McConville at the wheel.
The ex-Tander car (chassis WR 004) will head to Queensland soon to sit alongside its sister car.
“Rick (Wyatt, ex-HRT new car build chief) is just finishing off a little bit of work on it, he’s a perfectionist,” Peter Jones told v8sleuth.com.au today.
“He wants every nut and bolt lined up perfectly. The engine has been completely rebuilt by Walkinshaw Racing and he’s been through the car to have it looking spot-on.”
“We’re hoping to go down and pick it up from Melbourne soon.”
Tander won 15 races in the ‘07 championship on his way to sealing the title in the very last race of that year at Phillip Island.
This car, as well as every other ATCC/V8 Supercar Championship-winning Holden is included in our 400 page hardcover collector’s edition book, ‘Racing the Lion’ documenting 70 years of Holden in Aussie motorsport.
ORDER HERE: Get your copy now of ‘Racing the Lion’ to add to your collection.
The car – chassis WR 004 – was raced by Paul Dumbrell in 2008 in Autobarn colours for the HSV Dealer Team and in 2010 and 2011 by his brother Lucas’ then-new team with Gulf Western Oil backing and a range of drivers including Daniel Gaunt and Warren Luff.
Its last ‘main game’ start came in 2012 as the Shannons Supercars Showdown Commodore of Jesse Dixon and Cameron Waters at that year’s Bathurst 1000.
Since then, it has been returned to its Tander Toll HSVDT livery and even had a restoration of the restoration, ensuring it’s detail-correct and returned to the spec in which it claimed championship glory.
The car’s former driver Tander is joining the Supercars TV team for this year’s Repco Supercars Championship, beginning at Mount Panorama next weekend.
WHO’S DOING WHAT IN TV IN 2021: Read here for all of the changes in the TV line-up for this year’s Supercars Championship.
Jones’ own collection of race cars includes the #10 ANZ Allan Moffat Ford Sierra RS500 that finished second at Bathurst in 1989 and a JPS BMW M3 as well as a handful of other interesting and cool cars.
His son Harri is racing in Porsche Carrera Cup this year with McElrea Racing and will step behind the wheel of the ex-Kelly HRT car at the Phillip Island Classic Historic event next month as part of the SuperSprint event via the Australian 5-Litre Touring Car Association featuring a range of ex-V8 Supercars, five-litre touring cars and invited cars.
The Phillip Island Classic will be held on March 5-7 but will be limited to competitors only with no fans permitted.
