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Erebus and GRM fight for second-best Holden status

Erebus and GRM are proving their credentials in the 2017 Supercars Championship. (Source: Erebus Motorsport)
Roar Guru
8th June, 2017
4

The disappointing nature of the HSV Racing Team’s decline in the 2017 Supercars Championship has been well documented in this column and it appears the decorated Holden outfit isn’t going to be on the way back up anytime soon.

Having typically occupied the moniker of the ‘second-best Holden team’ on the grid for many seasons – behind juggernaut Triple Eight – there is little hope the Tom Walkinshaw team will be claiming those honours again this season.

However, Walkinshaw’s failures are set to be capitalised by two unlikely contenders, who have enjoyed a far more rewarding start to 2017 than the former factory Holden squad.

Minnow outfit Erebus Motorsport and Supercars stalwart GRM have come out of the blocks firing, each recording a respective podium in the five rounds to date, as well as having a driver each within the top ten of the championship.

Both teams have endured a vast spectrum of fortunes in the build-up to this season, with the common denominator being that they’ve had to ditch their previous cars in favour of the Holden Commodore VF.

Erebus came into the Australian touring car category in 2013, having brought the prestigious Mercedes-Benz marque to the sport. The project ultimately fizzled away with little success, forcing team owner Betty Klimenko to park the E63 AMGs at the end of 2015 and move their entire operation to Melbourne, with an entirely new crew and ex-Walkinshaw Commodores.

Garry Rogers’ famous unit, however, weathered an acrimonious falling out with Swedish manufacturer Volvo, who, despite their fruitful involvement in the Supercars Championship, decided to ruthlessly withdraw from Australia at end of last year.

With a very small turnaround from the end of 2016, GRM were able to prepare two new Commodores for 2017, as well as an additional two for their drivers contesting the Super2 development series.

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While Erebus have had a one-year head start on GRM with the development of their Commodores, both are closely matched in the team standings, with 348 points separating them for fourth and fifth. Only the leading championship contenders lie up ahead.

Veteran Garth Tander’s team-building skills are visible in his return to GRM, which is something the HSV Racing Team would sorely need in their current dire state. Meanwhile, since his dismissal from the Prodrive Ford operation, David Reynolds has held a similar role as Tander at Erebus.

It is difficult to see both drivers for their respective teams being in championship contention. Though in their bids to be named the best Holden team behind Triple Eight they can certainly make an impact on the final outcome.

Having demonstrated top-ten worthy results at demanding circuits such as Phillip Island and Winton this year, there is a case for both Erebus and GRM to win a race or two before season’s end.

At the conclusion of 2016, Reynolds was able to clinch a hard-fought podium at the championship finale in Homebush, indicating that the Erebus Commodore has the capability to be strong at street venues also.

On the other hand, Tander demonstrated his specialist abilities during the Season of Endurance during his final years with Walkinshaw’s Holden Racing Team, becoming the Enduro champion in 2015.

It would be significant considering the history of both outfits, if they were to take race victories this year and finish ahead of the HSV Racing Team in the standings.

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Both are often looked upon as underdog teams and to punch above their weight and succeed would be a great tale to tell for Supercars in 2017.

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