American liveries for V8 Supercars teams ahead of Austin

A number of the V8 Supercars teams features special liveries for the first ever American round for the championship in the Austin 400 this weekend.

Holden Racing Team, with drivers Garth Tander and James Courtney, will display the Australian flag on their cars.

“V8 Supercars’ first visit to the US is an exciting time for HRT in being able to showcase Holden’s new VF Commodore to the market where it will soon go on sale badged as a Chevy. The people at [Holden head office] Fishermans Bend are very proud of exporting a rear-wheel-drive V8 performance sedan to America – the home of muscle cars. As Holden’s factory race team, we’re also proud to wave the Aussie flag and show what truly world class cars Holden is manufacturing in Australia,” said Tander.

Ford’s Pepsi Max Crew will also run a new livery for the race, as the team has been officially adopted by Austin Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. Drivers Will Davison and Mark Winterbottom will both carry the official logo and tagline of Live Music Capital of the World.

“As the factory Ford team the US is somewhat home turf. Our ties with America are only strengthened by our partnership with Pepsi Max so when you add our association with Austin CVB we are the automatic choice for a home team for local fans,” said Pepsi Max Crew Team Principal Tim Edwards.

Mercedes team Erebus Motorsport will feature the American flag on their three cars, with Tim Slade’s #47 E-Class running a new ‘stars and stripes’ inspired livery with their sponsor Heavy Haulage Australia.

“I think the new livery is awesome and I think it is one of the best I have seen in quite a while. I really hope the American supporters like it and that they enjoy the TV show MegaTruckers when it is released there. Maybe I can convince Jon and the Heavy Haulage Australia crew to keep it on permanently,” said Slade.

Former V8 Supercars champion Russell Ingall’s Supercheap Auto Racing Holden VF Commodore will also feature a new livery, as visible in the pictures below.

The Austin 400 starts on Friday with the first practice session at 10.10 local time.