TWR says no to more manufacturers

TWR boss Tom Walkinshaw said that any move away from the Holden versus Ford fight would destroy the value of V8 Supercars. Walkinshaw, the former Arrows F1 team boss, argues against opening up the category to other manufacturers.

The Scotsman says that delving down the path of having several or more brands on the grid would dilute the essence of the Aussie touring car culture.

“You can’t move away from the Ford and Holden battle,” Walkinshaw told BigPond Sport exclusively.

“It is the culture and moving away from that head-to-head battle would destroy some of the magic.”

“This is a uniquely Australian show.

“They have to be large sedans.

“You can’t suddenly step in and build smaller front-wheel-drive type cars.”

There has been speculation in recent weeks that the next generation Falcon could share some of the architecture with the US-made Ford Taurus and possibly be front-wheel-drive.

“This show doesn’t have to be relevant to the market. It must not move away from being rear-wheel-drive.

“That is part of what makes it truly Australian.”

Walkinshaw, speaking on the eve of the Super Cheap Auto Bathurst 1000, has strong opinions on the future of Australia’s No 1 motor racing category.

The world economic crisis threatens to cast a shadow over V8 Supercars.

“V8 Supercars is in for a difficult time in the immediate future,” Walkinshaw commented.

“The world financial market threatens all sports including motor racing so there is going to be some impact because everybody is watching their pennies.”

So where does Walkinshaw think V8 Supercars will be in five years time?

“I don’t think you can have five-year plans in this business anymore.

“It’s more of a week-to-week, year-to-year deal.

“So it’s a good question and it will be interesting to see where it is placed down the road.”