Cast your mind back ten years... a similar rumour did the rounds following the Bathurst victory... on the back of confirmation that Tony Longhurst was campaigning a Ford sponsored by Castrol.... and Ford.
At the time it was felt that it was really in protest at Ford not increasing their sponsorship of the team, when they had delivered the endurance races to the blue oval that year in the face of heavy Holden opposition...
Now... DJR doesn't enjoy the level of manufacturer support enjoyed by several other outfits, including and especially the famously under-achieving and expensive works team. Truth is, there's one Ford team holding up the badge for us... while that MAY change some time in the future, if you took them out, it'd just be the same deal we've endured since 1997.
Anyhow, think of what's at stake:
- This team is synonymous with Ford, having achieved great success during an association with the marque dating back to 1976, including numerous vicotries at the highest echelons of the discipline.
- While they haven't enjoyed true front-runner status for a while, throwing away a car with which you have a prolonged familiarity, for one which a good dozen rival teams can't get on top of isn't a real smart move, particularly if the manufacturer of said car doesn't have any knowledge of a deal, or any desire to provide funding, and if you're starting from scratch.
- It's a bl@%dy Holden