Tickford Racing buys Holden chassis

Having initially sought to purchase some parts from GRM to repair Thomas Randle's crashed Mustang, Tickford also bought a near-new control chassis from the former Supercars squad.

The chassis was originally built to be a Holden, however given the space frame is a control component, it can easily be turned into a Gen2-spec Mustang.

Tickford plans to do exactly that and either use the car in Super2 next season or lease or sell it to another Super2 competitor.

“We bought some material to repair Thomas’ car and they also had almost a brand new chassis there so we decided to buy that as well," explained Tickford CEO Tim Edwards.

"We’ll pluck off the bits of GM sheet metal off it and put Mustang sheet metal on, much like we did with FG-X to Mustang, and put our chassis rails on it and it will become a Tickford chassis.

"It’s no different to... I’ve got some Pace chassis and I’ve got some that I built myself because the chassis is the chassis. They’re not manufacturer specific.

"It’s just a chassis, it’s just a rollcage. But then you do have a few little bits of GM sheet metal on it, so we’ll just cut that off like we did with the FG-X and just put Mustang sheet metal on, window apertures and that, put our anti-roll-bar mounts and a few little trinkets."

The chassis market for current cars is particularly hot at the moment following final confirmation that only Gen2 cars – the Mustang and ZB Commodore – will be eligible for the second-tier Super2 series next season after the main game moves to Gen3.

With plenty of Gen2 cars being snapped up by collectors there is a scramble to secure chassis that will be eligible for Super2.

It is against the rules for new chassis to be built specifically for Super2 without some history in the main game.

"It was just too good an opportunity," added Edwards. "We got it at a good price and it was near new, the thing has only done a couple of races so we just thought, let’s grab it.

"We know we’re going to carry on racing Mustangs in Super2, there’s plenty of demand for Mustang chassis in Super2.

"The thing is with these cars, I’ve got enough parts to probably make 10 Mustangs but I don’t have 10 chassis, so without the chassis you can’t build any more than you have physically got chassis for."

As it stands its understood Tickford has sold one of its current main game cars, the Cam Waters car, which leaves it with the three other main game cars, the Randle car currently being repaired, and the this latest GRM acquisition.

Two of those cars will be retained for an expanded two-car Super2 effort from Tickford while the others are on the market.

"Some are sold already, some are for sale, some we’re going to run ourselves," said Edwards of his Gen2 fleet.

"As I say, these will all be competing in Super2 either in our hands or other people’s hands.

“We’re going to run two Super2 cars next year. That’s always been our ideal model and I think it will be more important next year as well so that teammates have got information to bounce off each other and stuff like that."

He is yet to lock in drivers, though, particularly with the question mark hanging over the short-term future of current Super2 driver Zak Best.

“At the moment we’re in the market for a couple of Super2 drivers next year and we’ll see what happens for Zak next year and whether he is going around again or if he’s got something else," said Edwards.

"We’ll just navigate all of that over the next couple of months."

Edwards was then coy when asked if Best is still in the frame for a promotion within Tickford, following rumours he could replace James Courtney next season.

“Well there is always the five-into-four scenario and we’ve crossed that bridge many a time in the past," he said.