The Legendary History of Walkinshaw and the Emergence of Mobil 1 HSV Racing

Tom Walkinshaw and the Walkinshaw name have been synonymous with Australian motorsport for 26 years and is the most prestigious and successful team in the country.

Since 1976, Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR) has competed in motorsport around the world and has amassed scores of championships, hundreds of race wins, and more than 1000 podium results.

Around the globe and across a breadth of different categories and manufacturers, Walkinshaw has produced some of the most significant and remarkable achievements in racing history, at the most famous race tracks in the world.

With a roll call that includes some of the biggest name drivers, managers and technical staff in the world, there are few races the iconic team hasn’t contested.

Australia remains a country close to Walkinshaw’s racing heart with an involvement in local racing for just over three decades, beginning with the debut of the Holden Special Vehicles racing program in 1988.

However, TWR’s first trip to Australia was four years earlier in 1984 when be brought a pair of Mobil-backed Rovers to compete in Group A at the Bathurst 1000. The following year Tom returned but this time with three V12 Jaguar XJ-S race cars and won for the first time at Mt Panorama.

TWR’s relationship with Holden began in 1987 and from that Walkinshaw’s most famous team, the Holden Racing Team (HRT), was born. Over 26 years, HRT yielded seven Bathurst wins (1990, 1996, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2009, 2011) and six driver championship wins (1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002). Walkinshaw also produced two other driver championship wins with their HSV Dealer team (2006, 2007) bringing their total to eight.

Winning Bathurst on debut in 1990, HRT hit its straps in the mid-1990s with the emergence of Craig Lowndes and the late, great Peter Brock, before drivers like Greg Murphy, Mark Skaife, Jason Bright and Todd Kelly pushed the team to the mantle as the most successful touring car team in V8 Supercars history.

In recent years, it was James Courtney and Garth Tander who headed the driver line-up and delivered a trophy cabinet full of silverware. They enjoyed a six-year partnership, the longest driver pairing in the history of Walkinshaw, which many alleged wouldn’t work.

In 2015 the Holden Racing Team celebrated its 25-year anniversary and marked the milestone with seven special liveries including a Star Wars themed car for the Bathurst 1000 and a special 25-year tribute for the season closer in Sydney.

Walkinshaw’s relentless desire for success continues as the team re-emerges as Mobil 1 HSV Racing for the 2017 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship. Two powerhouse brands, Mobil1 and HSV, who have shared Walkinshaw’s long history of success come together to create the new-look Walkinshaw Team.

Walkinshaw will continue to build the Holden VF Commodore Supercar and keep their technical expertise, manufacturing, and engine program in-house.

Steering the team to glory in 2017 are Scott Pye #2 and James Courtney #22, and joining them for the endurance season are Warren Luff and Jack Perkins.