Holden F1RWRS Racing Team

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HRT
Holden F1RWRS Racing Team.png
Full Name Valvoline Holden Racing Team
Base Melbourne, Australia
Founder(s) Frank Zimmer, John Zimmer, Mark Skaife
Team Principal(s) John Zimmer
Technical Director Mike Henry
Current Drivers #23 - Flag of Australia svg.png Frank Zimmer
#24 - Flag of the Isle of Man svg.png Douglas Mann
Other Noted Drivers Flag of Australia svg.png Rhys Davies
Flag of Australia svg.png Daniel Melrose
Flag of the United Kingdom svg.png Ashley Watkinson
Debut 2011 F1RWRS British Grand Prix
Races 95
Constructors' Championships 0
Drivers' Championships 0
Race Wins 3
Podiums 17
Points 229
Pole Positions 1
Fastest Laps 2


The Holden F1RWRS Racing Team (also simply known as HRT) is a motor racing team that competes in Formula 1 Rejects World Race Series. It was formed midway through the 2011 Formula 1 Rejects World Race Series season, as a merger between Rosenforth Engineering, who had just gone bankrupt, and ZimSport, operating at the time as Fwifwi-Holden Racing.


History

The HRT-003 in action at the 2013 German GP.

As a result of the feud on- and off-track between Rosenforth drivers Frank Zimmer and Phoenix McAllister, the team was forced to sell off its assets, including the contracts of McAllister and Zimmer. McAllister bought his own and set up Team Phoenix, while Zimmer bought the team itself. He merged it with ZimSport, a team run by Frank's brother John Zimmer, who had been operating a single-car entry up until that point. The team debuted at the 2011 British Grand Prix, with Frank driving his #6 and John the #23, and were known as Zimmer-Holden Racing. Shortly before the 2011 English Grand Prix at Snetterton, the team secured works status from Australian automobile manufacturer Holden, as well as title sponsorship from the National Australia Bank, renaming the team as NAB-Holden Racing Team. At the same time, they announced that Mark Skaife had acquired shares in the team and was named as team principal.

The team ended the season fourth in the Constructor's Championship, scoring 53 points, 64 behind champions Prospec. Frank Zimmer was tied with Gary Cameron for 4th in the Drivers' Championship, behind on countback, while John encountered a difficult season, finishing =14th with Hagane Shizuka, also losing on countback. However, the team did enjoy highlights, winning the Tasman GP with John, while Frank was third, as well as individual podiums at the Kent and Australian Grands Prix.

At the end of the year, John Zimmer would announce his retirement from racing at the age of 42, having competed in the F1RGP2C, IndyCar Series and F1RWRS. NAB-HRT announced that former F1 World Champion Rhys Davies would join the team for 2012. While he would fail to qualify for the Bavarian Grand Prix at the Norisring, he scored pole and fastest lap at the Saxon Grand Prix, and would finish 4th. He would also take his first podium at the Dutch Grand Prix, while Frank Zimmer would also take a podium at the British GP, where the team had debuted a little more than year before. However, after an incident involving Sammy Jones and Barii Mori, the team was forced to find a temporary replacement driver after Davies was suspended for two races. Former Hemogoblin Autowerks driver Ashley Watkinson, who won the first ever F1RWRS race, drove the #8 at the Kent Grand Prix, finishing third, before he drove for HRT's rivals Team Phoenix at the English and Australian Grands Prix. At Snetterton, HRT hired American Rusty Gannit for the race, but after he failed to pre-qualify, he was sent packing. The team was impressed with Watkinson's performance having never driven the car before, and they released Zimmer from his contract, albeit on good terms, so that Watkinson could drive for the team. It worked, as Watkinson took the team's second victory, again at Eastern Creek, while Davies also won the United States Grand Prix that year. The team would finish 4th once again that year, just 2 points behind third-placed Manx-Anglo-Nippon Racing Team.

Following a revamp of the regulations prior to the 2013 season, HRT built their chassis and engine with reliability in mind. During the first half of the year, it worked well, with Davies finishing second at the Australian GP and the French GP. Watkinson would also score a few podiums. Davies would end the year with the record for most consecutive points finishes. However, as other teams started to catch up with reliability, it became apparent that HRT weren't as fast as their rivals. While more reliable than Dagnall Engineering, for example, the Dagnalls would destroy HRT in qualifying, and would usually do so in the race if the cars kept going. When Frank Zimmer and Garry Rogers set up GRM mid-season, HRT used it as an oppurtunity to focus on 2014 by hiring a pay driver for the rest of the year. John Zimmer had returned, with plenty of sponsorship from various Australian companies, to drive with Team Calinetic after the first few races, and was called up to drive for HRT. He replaced Watkinson at Akrotiri Bay, finishing third. He then replaced Davies for the next three races, because the GRM was faster than the HRT and he wanted to hold second in the championship (which he would lose to Aurelien Moll and Chris Dagnall in the final races). However, when Zimmer failed to qualify for the Japanese GP at Autopolis, HRT brought Davies back for Interlagos.

The HRT-004, driven by Ashley Watkinson, at the 2014 Tasman GP

2014 got off to a good start, as Watkinson scored 5th place at Adelaide, and Davies 4th in Brasilia. However, both came about from attrition, as it was immediately obvious that the car was neither as quick nor as reliable as the previous year. After Watkinson's 6th straight retirement, he was replaced by Australian pay driver Dean O'Lauchlan, although he didn't do much better. Near the end of the year the team announced that they would merge with GRM, and that Frank Zimmer would return to the team.

2015 was quite disappointing, however.

Holden Young Lions

When the F1RWRS Council announced the new F2RWRS to begin in 2014, HRT announced that they would enter a junior team, calling it the Holden Young Lions. They have signed Tommy Nash to drive the #0, and George Liquor to drive the #2. In the first full grid test at Oschersleben in 2013, Nash showed some pace, but Liquor had an engine blow up, and lost a lot of time. There has also been rumours of 18 year old Jason Hamilton replacing George Liquor in the #2.

At the first race in Istanbul, Liquor seemed to dispel doubts about his driving as he finished fifth in the chaotic race. However, he was poor in the next few races, overdriving the car and causing several engine failures. Nash, by comparison, managed to score points when he was seemingly out of it, and he took his first win at Silverstone. This was the final straw for Liquor, who was sacked and replaced by Hamilton.

However, the only other success the team had was a podium for Hamilton at Spa, with the Aussie picking up a pair of fastest laps in his season. After his win, Nash only scored three more points, and the team fell from fourth to sixth. The season ended badly, as Hamilton was injured in a large accident at Indianapolis.

As part of the merger between HRT and Garry Rogers Motorsport, the Young Lions were run by GRM in 2015. The team decided to rest Hamilton until he was fully healed, but he left the team for MRT's RoLFS team as they promised to put him in the car straight away.

Complete F1RWRS Results

Year Chassis Engine # Drivers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Points CC
2011 HRT-001 HSV LS3 BAV GER SAX LUX BEL GBR ENG KEN NED TAS AUS NSW SUR CHN USA 53 4th
6 Flag of Australia svg.png Frank Zimmer 10 Ret 3 17 2 DNPQ 3 Ret 9 4
23 Flag of Australia svg.png John Zimmer DNPQ DNPQ DNPQ 10 DNPQ 4 1 Ret INJ 14
2012 HRT-002 HSV LS3B BAV SAX GER LUX BEL NED GBR KEN ENG TAS SUR NSW AUS CHN USA 500 100 4th
7 Flag of Australia svg.png Frank Zimmer Ret 13 15 DNPQ DNPQ DNPQ 3 7 6 2
Flag of the United Kingdom svg.png Ashley Watkinson 7 1 Ret 7 11 16
8 3
Flag of Australia svg.png Rhys Davies DNPQ 4 10 5 4 2 Ret EX EX 7 5 6 Ret 9 1 23
Flag of the United States svg.png Rusty Gannit DNPQ
2013 HRT-003 HSV L12-1 TAS AUS MEX USA MON FRA GBR GER NED BEL POR MED MAC CHN JPN BRA 50 3rd
3 Flag of Australia svg.png Rhys Davies 4 2 5 4 4 2 Ret 4 Ret 5 10 Ret 7
Flag of Australia svg.png John Zimmer Ret 9 DNQ
4 3
Flag of the United Kingdom svg.png Ashley Watkinson Ret Ret Ret 3 2 Ret Ret Ret 2 Ret 7 Ret 6 15 Ret
2014 HRT-004 HSV L12-2 TAS AUS BRA MEX USA MON FRA GBR GER BEL ITA MED SEA MAC CHN JPN 6 11th
5 Flag of Australia svg.png Rhys Davies 15* Ret 4 12 Ret Ret 6 Ret 15 Ret 13 Ret Ret Ret
Flag of Australia svg.png Jason Hamilton Ret Ret
6 Flag of the United Kingdom svg.png Ashley Watkinson 5 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret
Flag of Australia svg.png Dean O'Lauchlan Ret DNQ Ret Ret Ret 13* Ret 8 Ret
2015 HRT-005 Holden LSF1-15 TAS AUS MED MON MEX USA CAN GBR GER BEL AUT ITA SEA CHN JPN BRA 1 13th
17 Flag of Australia svg.png Frank Zimmer 7 Ret 7 6 12* Ret Ret DNQ DNPQ 16 DNPQ DNPQ DNPQ 9* DNPQ
Flag of Australia svg.png Daniel Melrose DNPQ
18 9 11 DNQ Ret
Flag of the United Kingdom svg.png Poppy Whitechapel 10 7 DNQ DNQ
Flag of Australia svg.png John Zimmer DNPQ 9 DNPQ DNPQ DNPQ Ret DNPQ DNPQ
2016 HRT-006 Holden LSF1-16 AUS NSW GBR ITA AUT CAN USS USN GER SEA MON BEL MEX ARG CHN JPN 14 9th
23 Flag of Australia svg.png Frank Zimmer DNPQ 11 Ret 8 7 Ret Ret Ret Ret 10* Ret 7 Ret Ret Ret 2
24 Flag of the Isle of Man svg.png Douglas Mann DNPQ 8 5 Ret 11* Ret Ret 5 8 Ret Ret 4 9 10
Flag of Australia svg.png Daniel Melville 9 Ret
2017 Holden HRT-007 Holden LSF1-17 AUS NSW GBR ITA AUT CAN SUS NUS GER NED MON BEL MOR ARG JPN CHN 5 9th
17 Flag of the Isle of Man svg.png Douglas Mann 7 8 9 10 5 15 Ret
Template:AUS Carter Simpson DNQ
Template:AUS Michael Robertson DNPQ DNQ DNPQ DNPQ DNQ DNPQ DNQ DNQ
18 Flag of Tropico svg.png Alberto Cara 4 7 Ret Ret 7 17 9 Ret DNPQ 8 DNPQ DNPQ Ret DNPQ Ret Ret

Complete F2RWRS Results

Year # Drivers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Points CC
2014 TUR MON FRA GBR AUT GER NED BEL HUN CZE ITA POR ESP CAN 100 43 6th
0 Flag of Canada.svg.png Tommy Nash Ret 6 8 1 16 8 Ret Ret 14 Ret Ret 7 Ret 16 Ret
2 Flag of the United States svg.png George Liquor 5 15 Ret Ret
Flag of Australia svg.png Jason Hamilton 8 Ret 5 3 8 4 9 Ret 8 7 Ret
ARWS Constructors
2019 Season ARWS Constructors
Aeroracing Blokkmonsta Euromotor Fusion Gillet ENB Jones Kamaha Kjellerup Lomas
Mecha MRT Nurminen Simpson USD Venturi Voeckler Vincent
Former ARWS Constructors
Acuri - AMR - ARC - ArrowTech - Autodynamics - Bangelia - Boxtel - Calinetic - CR - DGNgineering - Dofasco - FAT - Flying Fish - Foxdale - Gauthier - Hemogoblin - HRT - Horizon
IBR - JLD - Kingfisher - KQ - Lotus - MAN - Minardi - Mitie - Pacchia - Phoenix - Prospec - Revolution - Rosenforth - SOTL - Sunshine - Tassie - Tropico - Trueba - Virgin - West Cliff - ZimSport

F1RMGP 24 Hour Bathurst Enduro Results

Year Garage # Chassis Finish Driver 1 Driver 2 Driver 3
2014 H6 2 Holden VE Commodore 13 Flag of Australia svg.png Peter Brock Holo.png Flag of Australia svg.png Mark Skaife Flag of Australia svg.png Nick Percat