Tander: I Need Results to Stay

The Daily Telegraph reports off-contract Garth Tander could leave Holden Racing Team if results don’t rack up this year. 

“My contract ends at the end of 2014 so I am off-contract,’’ Tander told The Daily Telegraph.

“Ryan (Walkinshaw), Adrian (Burgess) and my manager are already talking but it is something to be worked through.

“It has never been about the money. The one thing I will be able to hang my hat on at the end of my career is that it has never been about the paycheck. It has always been about the results. To a degree there does need to be a bit of light at the end of the tunnel. I will have to wait and see how we go.’’

Highly rated former Triple Eight team manager Adrian Burgess has taken the reins at Holden’s factory team this season and there’s promise of improvements with a range of technical staff changes.

While this is Tander's sixth year with the team, and he has won the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 in a red Commodore, he is yet to back up the Championship crown earned in 2007 with the HSV Dealer Team.

Teammate James Courtney, who started with HRT in 2011, is also a former Championship winner. He achieved the honour with his former team Dick Johnson Racing and Burgess was a part of that victory. The friendship between Burgess and Courtney dates back to 2002, when Courtney was racing in British Formula Three – but that relationship is not something that bothers #2 driver Tander.

“I am not concerned about the relationship Adrian and James have had in the past,’’ Tander told The Daily Telegraph.

“The first thing Adrian said to me when he came in was that there would not be any favouritism to one side of the garage.

“I know Adrian well but I have never worked with him and I have to take him at face value. I have no reason to believe that James will be favoured. I can’t be concerned about that. I will just turn up, do the job to the best of my ability, and if I do that, then the results will speak for themselves…

“I want to win races and Championships.

“I wake up to win. That is why a train at 5am and it what motivates me. I am away from my family a lot and I make those sacrifices to win. It is a team effort and we need to get back to where we need to be. I think we can do that this year.’’ 

The V8 Supercars kick off the 2014 season at the Clipsal 500 Adelaide this weekend.

The event begins tomorrow with an array of support categories on track, with the V8 Supercars rolling out for practice and Qualifying on Friday. Secure your tickets now.

Click here to read The Daily Telegraph’s original article on Tander.