WAU salutes HRT history with special livery

Walkinshaw Andretti United has paid homage to its rich Holden history with a special throwback livery.

This weekend’s VALO Adelaide 500 will be the final round for Holden in Supercars.

WAU and Triple Eight will both carry special tribute liveries at the December 1-4 event.

Triple Eight revealed its livery — a white-based livery centred on Holden’s logos — on Tuesday.

The WAU livery features elements of the early 1990 cars of the Holden Racing Team.

Both WAU cars will carry the lion and helmet, which were the primary features of HRT’s foundation livery in 1990.

Chaz Mostert and Nick Percat will also wear race suits reflecting the livery.

A special thank you message to Holden fans also adorns the roof the car.

Mostert’s naming rights sponsor Optus has also embraced the occasion with a retro logo.

WAU’s story began in 1990 as HRT, with the team racing Commodores since its inception.

The team ran under the HRT banner between 1990 and 2016, before taking on the WAU name in 2018.

Between 1990 and 2022, the team has taken 187 wins and 274 podiums in 404 round starts.

From 2023, WAU will race Ford Mustangs, ending a three-decade-long association with General Motors.

The association goes back even further for Percat, who is a fourth-generation Holden figure.

The cars were photographed at the former Holden plant in nearby Elizabeth, where Percat’s elders worked.

WAU drivers and crew will also be wearing one-off polos, which will also be on-sale to the public.

The polos will be available for purchase both at track and online via WAU's online store.

WAU Team Principal Bruce Stewart said the livery was a special way to thank all who followed the team’s Holden journey.

“We wanted to do something special for the last ever Holden race,” Stewart said.

“It just wouldn’t be right if we didn’t have the lion and the helmet on the side of our cars for one last time.

“We know how much it means to so many people.

“This team has had such a long a storied history with Holden, we bled red, our fans bled red.

“For the final roar, it’s only fitting we reflect back on the journey we’ve had and thank everyone involved, from the fans who have supported us through thick and thin, the thousands of people who contributed to Holden over its journey, and everyone here who has been a part of our team.

"It finishing in Adelaide is also fitting, with so many people contributing to the Holden legacy just down the road at the Elizabeth plant, the place Nick’s father, grandfather and great grandfather worked as well – these people were the lifeblood of Holden.

"A thank you to all of our partners who have supported this, we are looking forward to hopefully sending the brand off in the best possible way over the weekend.”

The new-look WAU cars will first hit the track in Adelaide on Thursday.

Mostert and Percat are third and 16th in the points respectively.

Tickets for the VALO Adelaide 500 are on sale on Supercars.com and Ticketek.com.