Walkinshaw Andretti United has today revealed its 2019 Sandown 500 Retro Round liveries, paying tribute to the 20-year anniversary of a one-two finish at the 1999 Sandown ATCC Round for the Mobil 1™ Holden Racing Team, with drivers Mark Skaife and Craig Lowndes.
The livery, which was originally seen on the two 1999 Mobil 1 Holden Racing Team Holden VT Commodores, has been replicated on the Mobil 1 Winning Appliances Car No. 2 of Scott Pye and Warren Luff, as well as the Mobil 1 Appliances Online Car No. 22 of James Courtney and Jack Perkins.
It includes the return of an icon, the Holden Racing Team lion and helmet, to the sides of both cars, which will be sure to be an instant fan-favourite this weekend.
The one-two round finish at Sandown was thanks to a clean sweep of the three races across the weekend, with two from Skaife and one from Lowndes, as well as a front-row lockout in qualifying, making it the perfect weekend for the team.
On the whole, 1999 was a barnstorming year for the Team, who claimed its third championship win with Lowndes’ in four years, won eight of 13 rounds, and 21 of 33 races, which included the first 10 of the season.
The year was also infamously remembered for Lowndes’ huge roll-over accident at Calder Park Raceway, where he suffered a knee injury that kept him out of the following round in Tasmania.
The livery has been seamlessly adapted to the current Holden ZB Commodore, with the famous PPG-Paints red, white and blue replicating the original design.
Mobil 1 will take its traditional place on the bonnet of both cars, as it did 20-years ago, while Winning Appliances and Appliances Online will continue on the sides of their respective cars.
The transition to Retro Round couldn’t be done without the support of our entire partner group, who have made this possible.
Both cars will be seen on-track from this Friday, with Practice 1 of the Sandown 500 scheduled to get underway at 10:35am AEDT.
Ryan Walkinshaw - Director, Walkinshaw Andretti United
“The 1999 livery is iconic, it’s a big piece of our history, and it’s absolutely amazing to see it replicated on-track this weekend.
“I could talk for days about how good it looks, but I think the fan response to this is going to speak volumes. It’s not only our loyal fans, who have stood by us for years and years, that are going to love this, we think the entire Supercars fan base will.
“The lion and helmet means so much to so many, including my family, and to have it back reminds people of who we are, and what we stand for.
“To have Mobil 1 in their true position on the bonnet speaks volumes about their support over the journey, and their commitment to our team, but it’s also fantastic to see new partners like Winning Appliances and Appliances Online on such an amazing livery, which they work so well with.
“1999 was an incredible year for the team, and a perfect weekend at Sandown, let’s hope we can replicate that this weekend.”