There have been many iconic drivers, and many iconic sponsors, who have made up Australian motorsport’s unique fabric.
When you think of certain drivers, you think of certain sponsors, and visa versa.
These combinations are the stuff that marketers dream of … an instant link between a successful entity and their brand.
There are many examples of enduring partnerships in Australian motorsport, and in particular, Australian touring car and Supercars competition.
So the team at The Garage decided to sit down and jot down the combinations that are synonymous with the other … Here are our top six from a wealth of options.
Dick Johnson Racing – Shell
Dick Johnson’s association with Shell has been on and off for 67 years, but it has been the enduring sponsor of his career. It was sponsor of his during his early career and in fact together with his wife Jill, Dick owned a Shell service station in the Brisbane suburb of Wooloongabba until the mid-1980s.
Johnson returned to the Shell fold in 1983, with the company backing not only his racing efforts as a major sponsor in 1987, but the entire touring car championship.
Although there have been breaks in between major sponsorship stints, Shell has been a prominent supporter and continues to be into the 2024.
Walkinshaw Andretti United – Mobil
Walkinshaw’s relationship with Mobil began when it was the factory Holden team and recruited Peter Brock for the 1994 Australian Touring Car Championship.
Mobil joined at a time when Walkinshaw in the guise of the Holden Racing Team was rising and it succeeded in winning the title when Craig Lowndes took the win in 1996.
What followed was a golden period for the team as the team took five titles in a row between 1998 and 2002.
It continued to support the team through an era of transition due to it losing its Holden backing, but gaining partners in Zak Brown and Michael Andretti.
Mobil continues to be a naming rights partner to this day.
Perkins Engineering – Castrol
Castrol was a supporter of the Holden Dealer Team when Larry Perkins was part of the team, but the oil company joined the former Formula 1 driver when he turned privateer in 1986.
Perkins enjoyed minor support from Castrol until 1993 when the new V8 formula beckoned and the customary red, white, green and black livery adorned his VL Commodore to start the season.
By mid-season, Perkins was in a VP Commodore and was one of the leading drivers during the early V8 years highlighted by his wins at Bathurst in 1993 and 1995.
Expanding to a two-car team in 1996 for Bathurst co-driver Russell Ingall, who was a title contender throughout his time at Perkins Engineering until departing at the end of the 2002 season.
Castrol continued to be a major partner of Perkins Engineering until 2005.
Since then, Castrol has supported the likes of Greg Murphy, Rick Kelly and currently Thomas Randle in Supercars competition.
Holden Dealer Team – Marlboro
Marlboro’s support of the Holden Dealer Team is one of success.
Beginning in 1974 and lasting until 1984, Marlboro’s support of the HDT spawned four Australian Touring Car Championships, six Bathurst 1000 wins in addition to multiple success outside of these events.
Alongside the support of Levis jeans, Marlboro catapulted the HDT into the mainstream through its advertising.
Through switches from Torana to Commodore, Marlboro’s white, red and black schemes are synonymous with the success of the HDT during the Group C era.
Marlboro’s association with HDT ended at the end of the 1984 season when Group A regulations were introduced and the factory squad welcomed Mobil as its primary backer. It also correlated with a change in Brock’s lifestyle when he gave up drinking and cigarettes as he took a new attitude to his health.
Triple Eight Race Engineering – Red Bull
Since entering the Repco Supercars Championship in 2004, Triple Eight Race Engineering has enjoyed some long sponsor relationships.
Betta Electrical and Vodafone came before Red Bull, but now at more than a decade, the energy drink is the one with the longest association.
Red Bull came onboard when the new Car of The Future regulations were introduced and it achieved immediate success with Jamie Whincup.
Whincup had been a Monster Athlete up until Triple Eight’s switch to red Bull backing and it proved a controversial switch.
Whincup racked up three titles under the Red Bull guise, while the acquisition of Shane van Gisbergen in 2016 added further title and Bathurst successes including the final Holden victory at the mountain.
A youth line-up of Broc Feeney and Will Brown currently lead the way for the team as Red Bull extended its support of Triple Eight to the end of 2026 last year.
Garry Rogers Motorsport – Valvoline
Garry Rogers has enjoyed a long relationship with Valvoline starting from 1988 when he recruited American John Andretti to co-drive alongside him to the current day.
Starting with supporting Rogers himself in his touring car and AUSCAR programs, it transitioned to supporting young drivers beginning with Steven Richards in Formula Ford.
Richards also raced AUSCAR, Super Touring and moved into a full V8 campaign in 1996 all supported by Valvoline.
GRM expanded to two-entries in V8 Supercars during the 1998 season where Jason Bargwanna and Garth Tander linked up.
Title contenders at the turn of the millennium, GRM won Bathurst in 2000 as it kept on supporting young drivers in Formula Ford and the Konica Lites Series (now Super2).
Valvoline was always a mainstay even if GRM had a major sponsor such as Fujitsu, Wilson Security or Boost in the latter seasons.
The GRM and Valvoline relationship continues to this day.
Adelaide 500 – Clipsal
When an event is still referred to as its former naming rights partner, it means the brand has made it.
South Australian based electrical accessories company Clipsal took naming rights of the Adelaide 500 in 2000 in a deal that lasted until 2017.
The Clipsal 500 opened the season for each of those years and the race is still referred to this title despite it changing naming rights partners multiple times since.
One of the biggest events of the calendar, the Adelaide 500 is an iconic round and was dead three years ago before a successful campaign was launched to bring it back.
VAILO is the current naming rights partner.