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Tander reacts to WAU's move to 'archenemy'

06 May 2022
'I'm not surprised that they shopped around'
3 mins by James Pavey
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Walkinshaw Andretti United’s switch is no shock considering its openness to change, says Garth Tander.

It was confirmed Friday that WAU has lined up a high-profile switch to Ford from 2023.

WAU will campaign Mustangs when the Gen3 era commences from next season.

The team has campaigned Commodores since 1990, and has a long, decorated history with General Motors.

However, the team lost its factory status to Triple Eight in 2016.

In the years since, Ryan Walkinshaw has been especially vocal regarding the team’s push to bring in a new manufacturer.

Tander, who raced out of the Walkinshaw stable between 2005 and 2016, reasoned why the news was of little surprise to him.

"I’m not surprised that they shopped around,” Tander told Supercars.com.

“Unlike before, there’s no direct link to tie them to a manufacturer.

"Walkinshaw’s business link to GM isn’t as as strong as it once was.

"They had been very open in the past about a different manufacturer, so this isn’t a shock.

"Ultimately, it’s a very different automotive landscape these days.

"The real shock for some is that they’re switching to what has long been perceived as the archenemy.”

Tander won the championship for the Walkinshaw-run HSV Dealer Team in 2007.

He shifted to the Holden Racing Team in 2008, and won the Great Race in 2009 and 2011.

The team currently has Chaz Mostert and Nick Percat on its roster, with both drivers under contract for 2023.

For Mostert, it marks a return to the Blue Oval, having raced Fords between 2013 and 2019.

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Percat, meanwhile, has never raced Ford machinery in either Supercars or Super2.

Tander, who was critical of WAU’s inconsistency in 2022, suggested the team’s focus on performance was key to the decision.

“It’s obviously a big story,” Tander said of the switch.

“It’s a team with such a rich history, and a long history with GM at that.

“It was important to make a decision sooner rather than later, considering Gen3 and the team's commercial standing.

“Importantly, they are a race team, and they rightfully put a high price on performance.

"With Gen3 on the horizon, they obviously felt aligning themselves with Ford was the right move."

Tander won Bathurst twice for HRT

WAU leaves behind over 30 years of Holden history; the team won six drivers’ titles, eight Bathursts and over 180 races in Commodores.

HRT was the form team of the late 1990s and 2000s, with Craig Lowndes and Mark Skaife the dominant figures of the sport.

Come 2023, and what was Holden’s spearhead team will be a Ford squad.

Tander expected the fan base to be divided on the news, but said the team’s decision is centred on shoring up its own future.

"50 per cent of the fans will be happy, and the other 50 per cent won’t,” Tander said.

"If there’s one message for fans, you have to quote a great Ford man, Dick Johnson.

“He once said, ‘The only thing you’ll get from looking back is a sore neck’.

“That’s what the team is doing now, having secured its future."

The 2022 season will resume at Winton on May 21-22. Purchase your tickets now.

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