“To have won those races, that’s why it got the nickname ‘The Golden Child’, the boys knew not to do anything bad to that car. “It’s an unbelievable car,” remarked Skaife on Shannon’s Legends of Motorsport. Image: Mark Horsburgh- Motorsport Images/LAT Photographic “An unbelievable car.”Ĭhassis 045 took Skaife to 20 race wins (the most of any HRT chassis), including two Bathurst wins and a pair of V8 Supercar titles at a time when the HRT was at its zenith. Mark Skaife leads Marcos Ambrose during the Darwin round of his dominant 2002 championship. The question has to be asked, what extra value would be added to the chassis 043 if it was fitted with its race winning engine… HRT Chassis 045 – Mark Skaife’s ‘The Golden Child’ These engine swaps came about because of the Holden Racing Teams engine maintenance program which would see worn engines come out of one car, be serviced and then fitted to the next chassis that required a fresh engine.Īt this time both cars have fully fresh mechanicals including engines. Mark Skaife masterfully nursed the car home when the air intakes on the ‘Golden Child’ were blocked by plastic bags following a minor windstorm which swept across the track. Not long after the 2003 Bathurst result, the V8 Supercar rule makers made changes to the weight of the reciprocating assemblies (crankshaft, conrods and pistons) of these engines and mandated a higher minimum rotating weight.Īnd in a true twist of history, the engine in chassis 043, is the HRT power unit which survived massive temperature peaks on the way to a Bathurst victory in 2002. Shared DNA – more than just sister chassisĪnd in an interesting twist of DNA sharing, chassis 045 – ‘The Golden Child’ has the very same lightweight engine that was fitted to chassis 043 – the ‘Lap of the Gods’ car during the Top Ten shootout lap.Īlthough it is somewhat unclear, the engine was most likely still fitted to the chassis for the 2003 ‘Great Race’ victory which Murphy shared with a young Rick Kelly.Īt the time, within HRT circles this Chevrolet based racing engine which was mandated for Holden Supercars was regarded as being special and at the cutting edge of performance. Mark Skaife drove both of these chassis on his way to winning three Supercars Championships in a row, starting out in chassis 043 in 2000, then switching to chassis 045 halfway through the 2000 series.ĭriving the then K-Mart sponsored 043, it was Greg Murphy who stunned the Supercar paddock and fan base during the 2003 ‘Top Ten Shootout’ with a lap that came from heaven… Earning chassis 043 the well named ‘Lap of the Gods’ car. Image: Mark Horsburgh – Image: Motorsport Images-LAT PhotographicĪs far as Holden Commodore V8 Supercars are concerned, these two HRT – Dencar built chassis – 043 and 045 Commodores, dominated the Supercars Championships from 2000 to 2002 and the Bathurst 1000 from 2001 to 2003.ĭuring a period when the Holden Racing Team was at the peak of its power, the two HRT Commodore V8 Supercars delivered some of the most memorable moments in the history of Supercars and the Bathurst 1000. Mark Skaife crosses the line in a litter filled ‘Golden Child’ in front of his overjoyed team to win the 2002 Bob Jane T-Marts Bathurst 1000.
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