There’s no word on plans to contest the Australian Rally Championship, but today saw the official unveiling of the new Holden Rally Team.

Don’t bother trying to think of a competitor from the Holden stable for the likes of Impreza WRX and Lancer Evo, the team vehicles are a pair of Jackaroo 4WD wagons.

Off-road champ Bruce Garland and motor racing icon Peter Brock will drive in the factory-backed Holden Rally Team, with the pair lining up to compete in next month’s Australian Safari.

One of the world’s toughest off-road endurance tests, the Australian Safari International Cross Country Rally consists of a gruelling 4,300km course over eight days throughout the Northern Territory.

Garland will compete for outright Auto Division honours driving a specially modified Jackaroo in the Unlimited 4WD category, while Brock will compete with a standard version in the Showroom 4x4 category.

The Holden Rally Team livery features a variation of the striking "Holden Racing Red" theme on the current Holden Racing Team V8 Supercars which Holden believes will ensure the Jackaroos stand out in the tough desert conditions. (In the `red centre’? Hmm..)

Holden’s executive director of sales and marketing, Ross McKenzie, believes the new rally team’s participation in the Safari is an ideal opportunity to showcase Jackaroo’s capabilities under the most rigorous conditions Australia offers.

"Holden is inherently Australian and there is a natural synergy in the Jackaroo competing in one of the world’s toughest off-road endurance races," said Mr McKenzie.

"After all, motor racing is the heart of Holden and with the formation of the Holden Rally Team we are aiming to emulate our success on the race track with success in the dirt."

"Jackaroo has a reputation for capability, having won the Australian Safari three times before. Our manufacturer involvement at this level underpins the confidence we have in Jackaroo as the vehicles are put through the extremes of the Australian outback over thousands of kilometres."

Defending the laurels
Garland, 42, is a three-time and defending champion of the Safari, having taken wins in 1996, 1999 and 2000 in a Jackaroo with co-driver Harry Suzuki.

Ranked in the top 30 FIA professional rally drivers, Garland is Australia’s most experienced off-road competitors and has raced successfully in many of the world’s toughest off-road endurance rallies, as well as being involved in vehicle preparation for some of the sport’s best teams.

Garland predicts a tough race ahead in defending his title, but believes HRT is well placed for that defence.

" I expect it will be pretty fierce out there this year," he said.

"However, the strength of the Holden Rally Team is in its infrastructure and people - areas we’ve concentrated on recently."

Team-player Peter
Brock’s exploits for Holden on the race-track are legendary, although his off-road successes are also impressive. While his greatest off-road result came when he led home the famous 1-2-3 Holden Commodore victory in the 1979 Repco Round Australia Trial, Brock backed that with a win in class and second overall driving a Jackaroo in the 1998 Playstation Round Australia Rally.

"This year I think the stability of the Holden-backed crew will be a key - it brings a greater element of ‘team’ into play," said Brock.