In a somewhat shocking move this week, Holden announced it would be ending its 26-year relationship with Walkinshaw Racing in favor of Triple Eight Race Engineering for the coming Australian Supercar Championship.
But if you're Holden, the move wasn't surprising at all according to John Crennan, who until 2011 had run the Holden Racing Team and HSV for 20 years.
"Clearly Triple Eight deserved to win the HRT prize and the other party deserved to lose it," Crennan told Speedcafe. "The numbers on the scoreboard speak for themselves in that respect."
Crennan claims Walkinshaw Racing has no one to blame but boss Ryan Walkinshaw, who he claims has made "monumental mistakes" since he took the helm following the passing of his father Tom Walkinshaw in 2010.
Among the errors, Crennan lists social media brashness, poaching Adrian Burgess from Triple Eight Racing and not moving to Australia.
"He should have been here 24/7 and not try to run it by remote control.
"Being here full time he would have been able to eat and drink with his people and got to know the business inside out and back to front.
"His appointment of Adrian Burgess created an intense enemy in Roland Dane whose experience, influence and guile to my mind was always going to see a monster come back at some point.
"It worried me at the time and I thought there would be a reset on that at some point."
But if you're Holden, the move wasn't surprising at all according to John Crennan, who until 2011 had run the Holden Racing Team and HSV for 20 years.
"Clearly Triple Eight deserved to win the HRT prize and the other party deserved to lose it," Crennan told Speedcafe. "The numbers on the scoreboard speak for themselves in that respect."
Crennan claims Walkinshaw Racing has no one to blame but boss Ryan Walkinshaw, who he claims has made "monumental mistakes" since he took the helm following the passing of his father Tom Walkinshaw in 2010.
Among the errors, Crennan lists social media brashness, poaching Adrian Burgess from Triple Eight Racing and not moving to Australia.
"He should have been here 24/7 and not try to run it by remote control.
"Being here full time he would have been able to eat and drink with his people and got to know the business inside out and back to front.
"His appointment of Adrian Burgess created an intense enemy in Roland Dane whose experience, influence and guile to my mind was always going to see a monster come back at some point.
"It worried me at the time and I thought there would be a reset on that at some point."
