 | |
| Manufacturer | Chevrolet (Supercars) Holden (Super2) Mercedes-AMG (GT4) |
|---|---|
| Team Principal | Jamie Whincup |
| Team Manager | Supercars: Mark Dutton Super2: Wes McDougall |
| Race Drivers | Supercars Championship 1.Will Brown Scott Pye (Enduro Co-Driver) 88.Broc Feeney Jamie Whincup (Enduro co-driver) 888.Zach Bates Craig Lowndes (Enduro co-driver) Super2 11.Jackson Walls 35. Ben Gomersall |
| Race Engineers | Supercars 1. Andrew Edwards 88. Martin Short Super2 11. Minal Kanagasundaram 35. TBA |
| Chassis | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 (Supercars) Holden Commodore ZB (Super2) Mercedes-AMG GT4 (GT4) |
| Debut | 2003 |
| Drivers' Championships | 11 (2008,2009,2011,2012,2013,2014,2016,2017,2021,2022,2024) |
| Teams' Championships | 12 (2008,2010,2011,2012,2013,2014,2015,2016,2018,2021,2022,2024) |
| Round wins | 105 |
| Race wins | 252 |
| Pole positions | 150 |
| 2024 position | 1st (5868 pts) |
Triple Eight Race Engineering, branded asRed Bull Ampol Racing in Supercars, is an Australian motor racing team competing in theSupercars Championship. The team has been the onlyBrisbane-based V8 Supercar team since its formation, originally taking over and operating out of the formerBriggs Motor Sport workshop inBowen Hills during the2003 season before moving toBanyo in 2009. The team has won the Supercars drivers' championship eleven times, the teams' championship twelve times and theBathurst 1000 ten times.
The team currently runs twoChevrolet Camaros forBroc Feeney andWill Brown. Additionally, the team provides technical support toPremiAir Racing,Matt Stone Racing andBrad Jones Racing. The team performs its testing atQueensland Raceway.
Triple Eight Race Engineering was formed in 1996 in the United Kingdom, runningVauxhall's program in theBritish Touring Car Championship before expanding into AustralianV8 Supercars, purchasing theBriggs Motor Sport team in September 2003.[1] The sale included a custom-built facility in theBrisbane suburb ofBowen Hills, and a staff of 35 people. Engineers in Brisbane worked closely with the Triple Eight staff in the UK to build two newFord BA Falcons, while the team principals managed to attract substantial financial support fromFord.
The team debuted at the2003 Sandown 500.2004 was Triple Eight's first full season in V8 Supercars. It was a disappointing year for all involved, with both cars dogged by mechanical problems.Paul Radisich came 19th in the championship, whileMax Wilson finished a lowly 28th. The team's car speed, however, was certainly up with the front-runners for many weekends.
2005 saw a massive form reversal for Triple Eight.Craig Lowndes andSteve Ellery were signed as drivers andStone Brothers Racing engineer Campbell Little joined the team. Lowndes in particular was a catalyst for change, which along with powerful and reliable Stone Brothers Racing sourced engines saw a massive improvement in the team's performance. Lowndes finished second in the championship, finishing the year strongly and narrowly missing out on snatching the title fromRussell Ingall. Ellery came 13th. The year's highlights included a win for Lowndes andYvan Muller at theSandown 500 and a third placing for Ellery andAdam Macrow at theBathurst 1000. Lowndes won a further three rounds and qualified on pole position four times (including Bathurst).
2006 saw a continuation of this strong form, with new recruitJamie Whincup replacing Ellery, and making an instant impact in the form of a win at theClipsal 500. Lowndes scored four round wins, including sharing victory at theBathurst 1000 with Whincup.
Having led thechampionship to Round 11, Lowndes lost the series lead at theSymmons Plains weekend. Having seen a big chunk of his lead evaporate at the previous round on theGold Coast following two penalties for dangerous driving approaching the starting grid, the pressure was on Lowndes to perform at the Tasmania event. Unfortunately for Lowndes, he was caught in a massive crash on the opening lap of the first race, forcing him to the rear of the grid for the next race. He recovered, but he lost the series lead toRick Kelly, who took a handy 73-point lead. At the next round inBahrain, Lowndes stormed back into contention as Kelly encountered problems of his own. The stage was set for a spectacular finale atPhillip Island, with the two contenders separated by just seven points.
Lowndes qualified on the third row of the grid, while Kelly was further back on the fifth row. However, Kelly fought back in the first race to be right on Lowndes' bumper at the conclusion of the race – Lowndes was fourth, Kelly fifth. In the second race, Lowndes came third while Kelly was fourth – again close behind. The points going into the final race of the year were tied. On the second lap of the final race, Kelly pushed Lowndes on the rear bumper while in the high-speed section between Turns 3 and 4, sending Lowndes into a spin, eventually cleaning out both Lowndes andTodd Kelly (Rick's older brother). Rick Kelly was given a drive-through penalty and finished 18th. Lowndes' car was extensively damaged and was only able to salvage 29th place. Rick Kelly had won the championship.
However, Lowndes and his Triple Eight team protested, claiming that Kelly had deliberately taken Lowndes out of the race. The stewards, after deliberation, dismissed the appeal, saying that the drive-through penalty was sufficient punishment for Kelly. Furthermore, Lowndes and Triple Eight accused theHSV Dealer Team and theHolden Racing Team for bad sportsmanship –Mark Skaife was given a bad sportsmanship flag in Race 1 for blocking Lowndes, while Kelly's teammateGarth Tander was given a drive-through penalty for blocking Lowndes in Race 2. Some days later, Lowndes was awarded the prizedBarry Sheene Medal, which was some consolation.
In2007, the team retained the services of Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes.Vodafone replacedBetta Electrical as the title sponsor. Whincup narrowly missed out on the Drivers Championship by 2 points, withGarth Tander and Toll HSV Racing Team winning the last race of the season in Phillip Island.
In2008, Whincup won the championship, and Lowndes and Whincup won their thirdBathurst 1000 crown. During the 2008 Season, it was announced at the Hidden Valley round that Ford would withdraw its support from all but two teams (Ford Performance Racing and Stone Brothers Racing) on the Supercars grid from 2009 onwards. Triple Eight was one of the Ford teams to be effected by the decision, despite proving that they were the top Ford team that year and would go on to win their third Bathurst 1000 and first drivers championship as well as being the head developers of the new FG Falcon which was to be introduced in 2009. It was estimated that due to the decision by Ford, Triple Eight lost $2 million from their budget annually.
In2009, following Ford's decision to withdraw support from all teams other thanFord Performance Racing andStone Brothers Racing, the Ford logos on the front of the cars were replaced by a stylised pink pig's head, referring toHog's Breath Cafe, one of the team sponsors. The team ran newFG Falcons. Triple Eight Racing won fifteen of the twenty-three races staged during the championship, with Whincup winning eleven races and the championship and Lowndes taking four wins at Winton, the Gold Coast and Barbagallo, finishing the year in fourth. Due to the loss of factory support from Ford for the 2009 season. Triple Eight announced prior to Bathurst that the team would be controversially switching to arch rival Holden for 2010 onwards.
In 2010 the team switched to racingHolden VE Commodores in response to the withdrawal of Ford's support, after signing a three-year deal with Holden.[2] The team also re-signed with major sponsor Vodafone for another three years until the end of the 2012 season.[3]
The team celebrated the first race of the year with a 1-2 finish with Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes respectively. Jamie Whincup won both races in Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, and Hamilton, but lost the championship lead after troubled races at Queensland Raceway and Winton, while teammate Craig Lowndes finished on the podium several times. They also had a great result at Bathurst with a 1-2 finish with Craig Lowndes, Mark Skaife and Jamie Whincup, Steve Owen respectively. Whincup finished the year in 2nd, with Lowndes in 4th.
In2011, Whincup regained the championship from Lowndes with the team winning the Teams Championship.
During the2012 season, Triple Eight dominated, winning 19 races including theSandown 500 (Lowndes andWarren Luff) and theBathurst 1000 (Whincup andPaul Dumbrell) with Whincup won the title from Lowndes.
In June 2012, Vodafone announced it would not renew the sponsorship.[4] In August 2012,Red Bull took over the naming rights for the 2013 V8 Supercars season onwards.[5]
In the2013 season, the newCar of the Future specification cars were introduced with Triple Eight racing the newHolden VF Commodore. Whincup and Lowndes finished first and second in the championship.[6]
In 2016, a third car was added forShane van Gisbergen, with the team purchasing aRacing Entitlement Contract that was last used in 2014 byJames Rosenberg Racing.[7][8]Van Gisbergen won the2016 championship.
In 2016 and 2017, Lowndes raced under the banner of Team Vortex, with Whincup and van Gisbergen under the Red Bull Racing Australia banner.
In 2018, Lowndes raced under the banner ofAutobarn Lowndes Racing, with Whincup and van Gisbergen under the Red Bull Holden Racing Team banner.
From 2017 until 2020, Triple Eight was the factory Holden team being rebranded as the Red Bull Holden Racing Team.[9] The team was responsible for developing theZB Commodore that debut in2018. They also lead development for the expected V6 twin-turbo engine that was to be the replacement to the V8 engine in the future, all without the guidance of former technical directorLudo Lacroix. However, in April 2018, Holden announced it had chosen to halt the development of the turbocharged V6 engine and that it would be sticking with its V8 layout for the time being. This meant that the scheduled wildcard entry the team was planning to enter never happened.
For 2021 and beyond, Triple Eight rebranded to Red Bull Ampol Racing due to theHolden brand being retired at the end of 2020. This was the first time that Triple Eight raced without factory support from Holden since joining the brand in 2010 and only the second time in its V8 Supercars history without any factory support (the last time being 2009).Ampol, formerly known as Caltex Australia, replaced Holden as one of Triple Eight's major sponsors alongside longtime partner Red Bull.
Despite the name change, Triple Eight continued with Holden Commodores for both 2021 and 2022. TheChevrolet Camaro made its debut in 2023 along with Gen3.Jamie Whincup retired after 2021, his 16th and final full time season with Triple Eight,[10] and was replaced by Broc Feeney.Shane van Gisbergen continued to drive for the team.
For 2023 and the new Gen 3 cars, Triple Eight along with all other Holden teams switched to theChevrolet Camaro ZL1 afterGeneral Motors shut down the Holden brand.
For 2024,Shane van Gisbergen announce his move away from V8 Supercars to NASCAR with Trackhouse Racing.[11]Will Brown was brought on to replace him (with the car number changing to 87) and partnered withBroc Feeney.
Triple Eight will switch to Ford for the 2026 season.[12]
The team entered an extra car at the2013 Bathurst 1000, running under the banner of Xbox One Racing and driven byAndy Priaulx andMattias Ekström. They qualified in 18th and finished in 10th.
For the2021 Bathurst 1000 the team ran aSupercheap Auto backedHolden ZB Commodore which was driven by formerSuper3 ChampionBroc Feeney and formerSupercars championRussell Ingall.
For the2022 Bathurst 1000 they ran aHolden ZB Commodore under the bannerSupercheap Auto Racing and was driven by 3xSupercars champion and 7xBathurst 1000 winnerCraig Lowndes and current Supercars driverDeclan Fraser.
For the2023 season they ran a singleChevrolet Camaro ZL1 forZane Goddard at theDarwin Triple Crown and withCraig Lowndes for Sandown and Bathurst.
For the 2024 season they ran a singleChevrolet Camaro ZL1 forCooper Murray at theDarwin Triple Crown and teamed up withCraig Lowndes at Sandown and Bathurst.
Triple Eight have previously entered cars in theDevelopment Series forAndrew Thompson in2011,[13]Scott Pye in2012[14] andCasey Stoner in2013,[15] winning the series in 2011. Since2014 Triple Eight has provided technical assistance toEggleston Motorsport.[16]For the2019 season Triple Eight re-entered the development series, Super2. Fielding two cars forBrenton Grove andKurt Kostecki.For the2020 season they scaled the team down to one car driven by 2019 Australian Formula Ford ChampionAngelo Mouzouris.[17]For the2021 season they went back to a two car operation withAngelo Mouzouris being joined by ex-Tickford Super2 driverBroc Feeney.
As well as building cars for its own use, Triple Eight has also built cars for other teams. It has provided chassis forDick Johnson Racing (2009–2012),[18]Paul Morris Motorsport (2010–2012),[19]Tekno Autosports (2010–2021),[20]Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport (2012–2017),[20]Team 18 (2016–2022),[21]Matt Stone Racing (2018–2022),[22] andPremiAir Racing (2022–present).[23]
Originally affiliated with championBritish Touring Car Championship race teamTriple Eight Racing and owned by Peter Butterly,Roland Dane, Ian Harrison andDerek Warwick, Dane later took majority ownership, with Harrison maintaining a minority shareholding.[24] In late 2015, Dane sold approximately a 30% shareholding in the team toPaul Dumbrell, Tim Miles and Trinette Schipkie, whilst his daughter Jessica and Jamie Whincup also bought minority stakes over the following years.[25][26]
In 2021, Roland Dane stepped down from his role as team principal in favour of retiring full-time driver Whincup, taking up a non-executive chairman role and selling his remaining shares in the business to Whincup and Jessica Dane.[27] New Zealand-based Scottish millionaire Tony Quinn additionally bought a 40% share of the team.[28]
In July 2024, Jessica Dane sold her shares in Triple Eight to team sponsors Earl Evans and Steven Blackmore, moving to the United States and taking up a role in General Motors' motorsport department.[29][30] In December 2024, Roland Dane stepped down as non-executive chairman and was replaced with Quinn's business partner Rex Devantier.[31]
The following is a list of drivers who have driven for the team in the Supercars Championship, in order of their first appearance. Drivers who only drove for the team on a part-time basis are listed in italics.
Paul Radisich (2003–04)
Dean Canto (2003–04)
Rickard Rydell (2003)
Max Wilson (2004)
Yvan Muller (2004–05)Steven Ellery (2005)Craig Lowndes (2005–present)Adam Macrow (2005)Jamie Whincup (2006–present)
Allan Simonsen (2006–07, 2009)
Richard Lyons (2006–07, 2012)
Fabrizio Giovanardi (2008)Marc Hynes (2008)James Thompson (2009)Steve Owen (2010)Mark Skaife (2010–11)Andy Priaulx (2010–11, 2013)Andrew Thompson (2011)Sébastien Bourdais (2011–12)Paul Dumbrell (2012–18)Warren Luff (2012–13)Mattias Ekström (2013)Steven Richards (2014–18)Shane van Gisbergen (2016–23)Alexandre Prémat (2016)Matt Campbell (2017)Earl Bamber (2018)Garth Tander (2019–22)Broc Feeney (2021–present)Russell Ingall (2021)Declan Fraser (2022)Richie Stanaway (2023)Zane Goddard(2023)Will Brown (2024–present)Scott Pye (2024–present)Cooper Murray (2024)Zach Bates (2025)The following is a list of drivers who have driven for the team in the Super2 Series, in order of their first appearance. Drivers who drove for the team on a part-time basis are listed inItalics
Andrew Thompson (2011)Scott Pye (2012)Casey Stoner (2013)Kurt Kostecki (2019)Brenton Grove (2019)Angelo Mouzouris (2020−21)Broc Feeney (2021)Cameron Hill (2022)Declan Fraser (2022)Jackson Walls (2025-)Ben Gomersall (2025-)Jamie Whincup (2019–present)Craig Lowndes (2019)Shane Van Gisbergen (2019–2023)
Prince Jeffri Ibrahim (2019–2024)Jazeman Jaafar (2019, 2022–2024)
Maximilian Götz (2020, 2023)Nick Foster (2020, 2022)Yasser Shahin (2020)Anton De Pasquale (2020)Sam Shahin (2020) Prince Abu Bakar Ibrahim (2022–2024)Broc Feeney (2022–present)Kenny Habul (2022)
Martin Konrad (2022)
Jules Gounon (2022)Luca Stolz (2022–2024)Richie Stanaway (2023)Jordan Love (racing driver) (2023–2024)
Mikael Grenier (2023)Declan Fraser (2024)Peter Hackett (2024)Summer Rintoule (2025-)Jarrod Hughes (2025-)
