A new year, new livery, a new sponsor and a new driver – in 2008 the Holden Racing Team has everything before it at the start of another V8 Supercar season.

The last few years have bought their share of triumphs and tragedies for Australia’s famous motorsport team. Skaife beat Peter Brock’s long standing record of round wins at Eastern Creek and both Todd Kelly and Mark Skaife had their share of race wins, while Todd claimed the first round of the year at Adelaide’s Clipsal 500.

But overall 2007 was disappointing for the team and the off-season coup in signing newly crowned V8 Supercar champion Garth Tander, as well as attracting new team manager Rob Crawford and major sponsor Toll Holdings, puts the Holden Racing Team in one of its strongest pre-season positions ever.

In its long history the team has consistently demonstrated its winning form, experience and innovation, amassing six championships and five Bathurst 1000 titles, as well as 57 round victories – many more than any other team.

The Holden Racing Team was born in 1988 following the establishment of the joint venture between the TWR Group and General Motors Holden, in forming Holden Special Vehicles. It was a logical step to form a touring car team to create a marketing link between the Special Vehicles division and the on-track heritage of Holden's motor sport activities.

Originally, HRT was based in Notting Hill in Melbourne's outer east. However the growth of the Team necessitated a move in early 1996 to its current base at Clayton Business Park, in the same complex as Holden Special Vehicles.

In 1989, Perkins Engineering was contracted by Holden Special Vehicles to run the racecars under the HSV banner, with the Holden Racing Team being established the following year under the management of Win Percy. Success was immediate, with Percy combining with Alan Grice to win that year's Toohey's 1000 at Mount Panorama, followed by a second place in 1991.

With the establishment of the V8-only category (later to become V8 Supercars) in 1993 and a return to the supporter-preferred Holden Vs Ford battles, HRT rebuilt. Under Managing Director John Crennan and Team Manager Jeff Grech the restructure began, with new personnel, new equipment and in 1994, the return of Peter Brock to the Holden factory team, plus the support of major sponsor Mobil Oil (Australia) Ltd. Mobil then became naming rights sponsor in 1995.

The three-year plan implemented in 1994 had its result in 1996 with Craig Lowndes, in his debut season, sweeping the Australian Touring Car Championship. Alongside Greg Murphy, he backed this up with wins in the Sandown 500 and Bathurst 1000 events. That was the first title for HRT, followed by the recent remarkable winning run of Championships from 1998 to 2002, shared by Lowndes and then Skaife. Victories at Australia's premier touring car event, the Bathurst 1000, also followed in 2001 and 2002.

2003 began the most challenging period in the team's history. Initially the Team was in charge of the homologation development of Holden's V8 Commodore race package, including the V8 category's “Project Blueprint” for technical parity, which was a massive engineering test.

As Holden's official factory team, the Holden Racing Team is proud to be able to continue Holden's long tradition in motor sport in Australia. The Team is also honoured to have been, or be associated with major National and International companies as part of the sponsor portfolio with firstly Telecom (Telstra) and then Mobil as naming rights sponsors. Holden of course now has the official naming rights, with Mobil the primary sponsor.

HRT contracts the Tom Walkinshaw Performance Group for its V8 Supercar requirements. This includes in-house racecar preparation, sub-assembly, composite and fabrication areas plus an engine build shop, which includes three, 1000 horsepower water-brake dynamometers. This “dyne” area is also used in the development of the HSV road cars, including “optimising” of the HSV engines.

The success of the Holden Racing Team has encouraged key joint venture partners in technical support areas such as the partnership with John Hart Technology and Mazak Machine Tools that have resulted in HRT enjoying one of the most comprehensive small design and manufacturing facilities in Australia. Similarly too, a long association with automotive paint refinisher PPG, has allowed the Group to have its own body repair and paint shop based in-house.

The Holden Racing Team sees motor sport as a business, and will continue to work towards success for itself and its diverse sponsor group in the challenging seasons ahead.