HRT Announce Enduro Line Up

[RaceTime]

HOLDEN RACING TEAM ANNOUNCES ENDURANCE DRIVERS

Longhurst and Mezera Join the "Red" Squad

Media Release: Wednesday May 30th, 2001

The Holden Racing Team today revealed that former Bathurst winners Tony Longhurst and Tomas Mezera have joined the team to contest the two endurance events later this year, the Queensland 500 and Bathurst 1000.

The pair won the 1000k-event at Bathurst in 1988 driving a Ford Sierra but HRT is yet to confirm whether Longhurst and Mezera will drive together in the two races later this year.

"That depends on the state of the Shell Series Championship at that point." HRT General Manager Jeff Grech said this week. "If both Mark (Skaife) and Jason (Bright) are close to or still leading the Series, we will consider all our options at that time.

"The main thing for us is we have two very experienced and quick drivers at our disposal who can either compliment Mark and Jason or team together and still be very competitive. The V8 Supercar category is experiencing tremendous growth and popularity and with such strong fields, it makes finding available talent for the endurance events quite difficult.

"With Tony and Tomas, we have two drivers who have won at Bathurst, are currently in the category, Tony almost won at Mount Panorama last year and Tomas was part of HRT up until 1996 so is well used to the Team and its people." Grech pointed out.

Longhurst seemed set to win last year's FAI 1000 until contact with another car on lap 151 sidelined his Stone Brothers Falcon. "Benched" by Ford at the conclusion of last season, Tony has competed this year's Shell Series in the Rod Nash Racing-prepared Holden Commodore and is looking forward to stepping up to the Factory Commodore.

"I'm very, very excited and looking forward to the opportunity." Tony said this week. "It's great to be going to Bathurst with the Holden Racing Team, regarded as the best Team in the country right now. I don't think I could ever say I've gone to that event saying I'm driving with the 'best team' before.

Holden has made me feel very welcome since the start of the year; the
atmosphere is very different and very positive. There's lot's of positives with driving for HRT. I've had a good association with Skaifey for a long time and of course I'll be in the same Team as Tomas with whom I won Bathurst in 1988. We don't know if we'll drive together as yet but, it's good to be back together again." Said Longhurst.

For Tomas Mezera, it's a return home in many ways, after driving with HRT from the early '90's until 1996.

"It's good to be back" Tomas said of this week's announcement, "particularly at this stage of my career. While things have changed at HRT from a marketing, technical and results point of view, lots of the same people are still there which is good as I feel part of the place.

"For me personally, the last couple of years have been difficult ones but now I have the opportunity to do well. HRT has been the leading team for the last 4 years and the equipment is the best. You know that when you hop in, you can push yourself and the car and if you don't make a mistake, you have a very good chance of being up the front." Mezera said.

Both Longhurst and Mezera had hoped to have their first run in the HRT VX Commodores earlier this week but the test day at Melbourne's Calder Park Raceway was rained out. Both drivers will have plenty of opportunities to dial themselves into the Series leading cars prior to the Queensland 500 on August 26th.

For further information or interviews, please contact:


Paul Weissel
Holden Racing Team
Phone: 03 9544 0322
Fax: 03 9562 9921
Mob: 0418 588 801