The V8 Supercar is, undoubtedly, Australia’s answer to the sports cars being manufactured by the US, Japan, and Europe. Many driving aficionados may think that this is just another late bloomer in the industry. However, the HSV V8 Supercar has proven them wrong. This car has won the appreciation of many car-racing enthusiasts in Australia and abroad. In fact, it has proven itself in many racing prestigious racing events around the world. This became possible because of the very people behind it; the men behind the wheels, the Holden Racing Team.

The Holden Racing Team was formed right after TWR and Holden tied up to establish Holden Special Vehicles in 1988. The basis for creating the team was not really for winning races at first. Considering the tough challenge met by the fledgling car manufacturer from the more established competition, it was necessary for a group of ace drivers and crew to promote HSV cars to the world. The result went beyond the expectations of the HSV owners Tom Wilkinshaw and Holden General Motors. The team became popular after debuting in the 1988 Australian Touring Car Championship’s Calder Park Round. The team used the Commodore VL Group A SS for the said competition. However, it was at the 1988 Australian Grand Prix support race that the team achieved its first win.

In the following races that they participated, the HRT used other cars that are not manufactured by HSV. In 1990, Tom Wilkinshaw pushed for making the team a genuinely Holden Racing Team, one that uses only HSV. Because of this, the team suffered a setback in 1990 season of the Australian Touring Car Championship. The team had to face the more advanced racing cars created by the likes of Nissan and Ford. The setback was only temporary and was considered as a necessary phase for experimenting and learning. Later, as it got involved in more races, HSV cars also developed further. In 1993, the 5-liter V8 engines were produced. However, the team still was not able to achieve respectable finishes although they did better compared to the previous races.

The years 1994 and 1995 were the times when HRT began to finish their races with more success. Even if it did not win top spots in most races, it was able to take the second or third places often. This became possible with the return of ace drivers and the infusion of new and younger racers. However, nobody can deny that the powerful V8 engines were major factors to the winning turn-around that the HRT was experiencing. Since then, as the team gathered more acclaim, the Holden cars became all the more popular not only among Australians but also abroad. In fact, clubs such as the HSV Owners Club of Victoria have arisen to patronize further these Australian-made automobile wonders. They have helped so much in promoting the cars on an international scale through their websites. At the same time, the HRT continues to reap fame for themselves and for HSV.