page_title: Holden Commodore (VK)
section_title: Touring Cars
hierarchical_section_title: Holden Commodore (VK) / SS Group A / Motor racing / Touring Cars
caption_attribution_description: English: HDT 05 being driven by Peter Brock in the pits at Wanneroo Raceway 1985
context_page_description: The Holden Commodore (VK) is a mid-size car that was produced by the Australian manufacturer Holden from 1984 to 1986. It was the fourth iteration of the first generation of the Holden Commodore and introduced the luxury variant, Holden Calais (VK) sedan.
context_section_description: The VK Group A SS Commodore was originally intended to be ready for racing in 1985 to replace the near standard VK competitors had been forced to use. However, delays in parts from suppliers meant that the HDT had not built enough road going Group A cars to pass homologation on 1 August, delaying the cars on track debut until 1 January 1986. Peter Brock later recalled that after the 1985 James Hardie 1000, long time HDT driver and Brock's right-hand-man at the Special Vehicles operation John Harvey had remarked that their personal road cars (the SS Group A) were in fact faster and more reliable than the 1985 race cars.
  As a comparison, the VK Commodores run by the HDT at the 1984 James Hardie 1000 under the old Group C regulations (which saw the cars have much larger wheels and large aerodynamic spoilers front and back) produced over 410 bhp (310 kW) and were recorded at 275 km/h (171 mph) on the 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) long Conrod Straight. The near standard 1985 Group A race cars only produced around 300 bhp (220 kW) and were recorded at 252 km/h (157 mph) on Conrod. This difference was also reflected in lap times with Peter Brock's fastest 1985 qualifying time being 8.811 seconds slower than he was in 1984.
  In early 1986 the HDT gave the car a dream debut when Brock and new co-driver Allan Moffat won the Nissan Mobil 500 at the Wellington Street Circuit, while team mates Harvey and new team engineer/driver Neal Lowe won the Pukekohe 500 in the second race of the New Zealand series a week later. Of note, the two winning HDT Cars were not brand new SS Group A models, instead they were the teams 1985 Bathurst Commodores, upgraded to 1986 specifications.
  The Holden Dealer Team then took two brand new cars to Europe for the 1986 FIA Touring Car Championship, one for Brock and Moffat, and the other saved for the Spa 24 Hours and be spare parts if needed. Brock and Moffat joined fellow Commodore privateers Allan Grice and Graeme Bailey in Europe, with Grice in particular proving to be a revelation in the Les Small (Roadways Racing) prepared VK, qualifying well and leading a number of races at Monza, Donington Park (where both Brock and Grice led) and Hockenheim. In his dice for the lead at Hockenheim with the factory backed Volvo 240T's of reigning ETCC champion Thomas Lindström and former Formula One driver Johnny Cecotto, Grice set the touring car lap record for the 6.823-kilometre (4.240 mi) circuit that wasn't broken until 2000, the year before the old track was re-configured into a shorter, more technical circuit.
  At Spa for the 24-hour race, with the HDT running their two cars and teaming with the Roadways Commodore of Grice, and after problems including two blown head gaskets in the number 05 car (the same problem had happened when the HDT did a pre-Spa test over 24 hours at Calder Park), an early lost wheel and later a broken seat for Grice caused by his oversized co-driver, Belgian Jeweler Michel Delcourt (the Roadways team reported that the HDT refused to lend them a spare seat during the race, forcing them to borrow one from the retired TWR Rovers), and no oil pressure for the second HDT car at the end of the race, the two teams claimed the prestigious Kings Cup prize. The second HDT car, driven by New Zealanders Lowe (the team engineer and endurance co-driver for Harvey), Kent Baigent and Graeme Bowkett finished 18th outright. The Brock/Moffat/Harvey car finished 22nd while Grice, Delcourt and Belgian Alex Guyaux finished 23rd.
  In Australia the Group A Commodore became the car of choice for many privateers in the ATCC with the HDT and ex-Grand Prix motorcycle racing star, wise-cracking Kiwi Graeme Crosby being front runners. Brock's former HDT co-driver Larry Perkins set up Perkins Engineering, which would eventually build customer Commodores for privateers, appeared with his own VK SS Group A in time for the Sandown 500. Peter Brock gave the car its first Australian win by winning Round 6 of the series at Surfers Paradise in what was the last win by a Commodore in the ATCC until Brock won the opening heat of Round
caption: the near standard VK at Wanneroo 1985, raced by Peter Brock
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