MOTORSPORT: New Commodore to make Bathurst debut?

The 2018 Commodore Supercar, the first factory-backed Holden six-cylinder touring car since the 1973 Torana GTR-XU1, is expected to make its public debut with demonstration laps at next year’s Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000.

But it won’t debut in anger until the opening round of the 2018 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship on the streets of Adelaide, less than one month after the production car goes on sale in February 2018.

The new-generation racer’s bodyshape will be based on the MY18 Commodore production car revealed for the first time in official images this morning.

The racing version of the first Commodore not to be locally-designed or built is currently under development here and in the USA.

Holden Motorsport and homologation team Triple Eight Race Engineering is handling the adaption of the five-door body Sportback to the standardised category wheelbase and control rear-wheel drive chassis.

Meanwhile, the twin-turbo petrol V6 that will power the car is currently under development by General Motors’ competition arm in the USA.

The production car will come without a turbo V6 engine -- or a V8, for that matter -- and will offer a choice of front- and all-wheel drive.

Holden Motorsport boss Simon McNamara said car and engine development programs were slightly ahead of schedule.

He said strong progress on the development of the new Commodore’s all-important aero package was being made, despite the issues presented by the car’s coupe-like roofline.

“That is the core vehicle of what we will run,” confirmed McNamara. “It does inherently have a couple of aerodynamic challenges for us, but we have been across that for a number of months.

“We are right on track, in fact probably slightly ahead of schedule, of when our surface treatment needs to be done.”

He also confirmed engine development was on-track.

“I can tell you the engine program is in about its 5000th hour of work that has been going on. We are right on schedule with that one, in fact slightly ahead of where we wanted to be.

“We will have the first run of our engine spec on the dyno in the next couple of weeks in North America.”

McNamara would not confirm timing of the first test sessions for the new-generation Commodore and was coy when asked about the expected public debut at Bathurst, the premier event in the domestic motorsport calendar.

“Wouldn’t that be a lovely thing,” he said.

While Ford teams continue to push for the Mustang and Garry Rogers Motorsport is in early stages of discussion with Kia about racing the forthcoming Stinger GT, the five-door Commodore is currently the only car confirmed to be taking advantage of the NewGen technical regualtions that officially take effect from the start of the 2017 season.

These rules allow engines other than V8s and bodyshapes other than four-door sedans for the first time since Australian touring car racing went exclusively Falcon versus Commodore in 1994.

Holden has campaigned V8s in the local championship since the introduction of the LH Torana SL/R5000 in 1974.

McNamara said racing the new-generation V6 twin-turbo Commodore in Supercars would emphasise both the changes to the car itself and those Holden was making as a brand.

“It [racing] shows the Commodore nameplate still adds value to the core audience of Holden,” he said. “But it also indicates to a broader audience -- and the new audience we are trying to talk to -- that Holden is very different and the vehicle itself is quite a premium looking car and has premium technology and safety features.

“So it is positioning itself further up the tree but it is still covering off what we need to cover off. So it ticks both boxes for us.”