The realm of the V8 Supercars was thrown into a royal mess, with the shock news breaking that Volvo will be pulling the plug on its operation with Garry Rogers Motorsport at the end of 2016.
Initially it was announced that Polestar, the performance division of the Swedish manufacturer, would be ending its association with V8 stalwart Rogers.
However now, Christian Dahl, the figurehead formally of Polestar fame and now head of Cyan Racing, demanded a return of “Cyan Racing property” by the end of the season.
“After all, Cyan Racing was involved from day one when the cooperation was created with Volvo Polestar, so it is a matter of both sporting competitiveness and commitment as well as business ethics to see this through,” Dahl said.
“However, Volvo Car Group’s performance brand Polestar is our assignor in motorsport and decisions from this group sets the precedent for our agenda and this means that we will cease the activities with Garry Rogers Motorsport in the V8 Supercars after 2016 and bring back our engines and race cars to Sweden after the season end.”
Ultimately that torpedoes any plan the Dandenong-based outfit had of racing the S60 chassis beyond the end of this season, in similar style to rivals Prodrive who currently operate the Ford Falcon FG X without factory support from the Blue Oval.
This news also contradicts the ‘exclusive’ that News Limited published in The Daily Telegraph last week, stating that Volvo will be on the grid “for at least another three years”, with a line from team boss Garry Rogers saying “the deal is signed”.
As it stands, there are currently no manufacturers committed to the premier touring car category beyond the end of 2016.
Ford, as stated above, no longer gives factory support to either Prodrive or DJR Team Penske, despite the latter’s alliance with American giant Roger Penske – who made a last-ditch effort to rally support from Detroit prior to the start of the season.
Nissan meanwhile are re-evaluating their programme. Currently, they run a factory-backed team with four cars, headed by the Kelly brothers Rick and Todd. There are whisperings that the Japanese marque could defect from the Kellys to another home, or worst case scenario, exit altogether.
The major concern, however, lies with the most iconic brand in the Australian touring car championship.
While many cannot envisage the category without Holden, who in Tasmania celebrated their 500th win in the championship, it could be a reality that soon may be faced. Not only by the 13 drivers that currently pilot the legendary Commodore, but by the Australian public at large.
Dark and difficult times lie ahead, as anticipation grows over the future of all the manufacturers. Instead of drivers being the subject of the annual silly season, it will focus on teams and cars.
The ultimate irony of all this uncertainty is that the racing product in 2016 has been unpredictable and exciting. A small margin of 93 points separate the top five and until Volvo driver Scott McLaughlin’s dominant double at Phillip Island, there had been six different winners in the first six races.
Using motorsport as a battleground and a means to sell the humble automobile no longer seems to be the agenda for the new era of executives at the helm of icons such as Holden – as mass production in the automotive industry begins to strafe an alternate path to that of the past.
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