HRT ready to take flight with Briscoe and Dodo.

The Holden Racing Team has launched its 2006 car and team, with a significant announcement regarding one of the squad's new endurance drivers.

Regular Drivers Mark Skaife and Todd Kelly will be joined by acclaimed endurance driver and V8 Holden loyalist Jim Richards and new enduro pilot Ryan Briscoe for the 2006 long-distance races.

Briscoe, known to many Australian and international motorsport fans as Toyota's former Formula One test driver who contested last year's Indy Racing League series and is in contention to drive for PKV Racing in Champ Cars this season.

"I definitely appreciate this opportunity - V8 Supercars is the pinnacle of Australian motorsport and the Holden Racing Team is the team you want to be driving for," said Briscoe.

"As a kid I was a big follower and I can remember some of the classic battles between Skaifey and Seton, and also Wayne Gardner. I used to admire Jim Richards a lot too. I've always been a Holden man, my dad drives a Holden ute so I guess I inherited it.

"I didn't really think I would be driving a V8 Supercar at this stage of my career but motorsport is a funny game like that - you never know where it's going to lead."

The coup signing of Briscoe for Bathurst and Sandown 2006 further cements the HRT's reputation for scoring big name drivers, the previous being Japanese GT and former Jaguar F1 tester James Courtney, who recently took up the vacant seat at Stone Brothers Racing. Briscoe will partner Jim Richards, a mainstay of the HRT fraternity for a number of years now, but will undoubtedly incur an initiation of fire at his championship debut, with most entries racing within a second of each other.

Despite this, Briscoe's overseas experience is second to none - and is similar to that of Courtney, and former star Marcos Ambrose, with an extensive European open-wheeler breeding to his name.

In addition to the Briscoe deal, Dodo Telecommunications has joined the Holden Racing Team as a primary sponsor for the General's flagship outfit. After backing Team Dynamik in 2004 and Tasman Motorsport last year, Dodo's upgrade to sponsoring the most successful team in V8 Supercars is an 'attractive' option according to director Larry Kestelman.

"The Holden Racing Team is definitely the best in its game and we feel we're the best in the telecommunications business, so it's a great association for us," said Kestelman.

"The speed aspect of it is also attractive for us - we're placing a lot of emphasis on the speed of our broadband connection so the two things go hand-in-hand.

"The other big one is the technology aspect of it - we're striving to be at the forefront of technology and the Holden Racing Team is definitely the front-runners and innovators in V8 Supercars.

"We try to make sure we're involved with winning teams and sports that people love, we also enjoy it, we have a lot of fun with it. All Australians love their sport and so do I. By being associated with it we get to expose our brand and tell people what we do, and also have a lot of fun.

"I love V8 Supercars and have been a long-time fan of motor racing. I'm looking forward to seeing the Holden Racing Team win many events this year."

Dodo signage will appear on the front and rear guards of the new look Holden Racing Team Commodores - each of which boasts a revised version of the 2005 livery design - yet still remains one of the most striking sets of warpaint in the paddock.

Long-time sponsor Mobil 1 will also remain with the Holden Racing Team for the next three years after agreeing to remain on board as a primary sponsor for the team, whilst Toll Holdings and Puma have joined the Clayton based squad in a smaller capacity.

Aside from new enduro pilot announcements, the season regulars Mark Skaife and Todd Kelly are also anticipating a year of better fortunes after the resurrection of their racing pride in 2005.

Kelly claimed two round wins (Shanghai and Darwin) whist Skaife drove incredibly well at Bathurst to clinch his fifth Mount Panorama crown, and Kelly his first.

The pair remain fierce competitors in the series, and also maintain a healthy edge of competitiveness against each other, which will be critical if the team hopes to challenge the likes of Stone Brothers Racing, Team Betta Electrical and the HSV Dealer Team, all teams that showed excellent form at the end of 2005, for the title.

Mark Skaife will pilot the team's all-new 2006-specification chassis whilst Todd Kelly will drive the car used to win the 2005 Super Cheap Auto 1000 at Bathurst, before switching to his new car early in the season.

Skaife, is as keen as ever to go racing, but also highlighted the HRT's off-season improvements.

"We're about winning races, rounds and championships, we've rolled out a brighter, bolder colour scheme that is symbolic of the way we want to approach our work this year," said team owner Skaife.

"Just as we are meticulous about the appearance of our team and our cars, we will also be more conscious than ever before of the fine details that make the all difference on the race track.

"Outwardly, a bright new shade of red is one of only a few visible changes that our Partners and supporters will notice, but from within I can tell you that we're continually analysing and evolving the way we go racing.

"It's all part of our commitment to strive for absolute excellence because in a category that is this hotly contested, anything less isn't going to get you very far."

Todd Kelly on the other hand, has focussed on fitness for 2006, and is looking to challenge for a debut crown this year.

"I was in good shape last year but I've been working harder than ever on strength, doing weights and a lot of cardio work, because you really need that in the longer races like Clipsal," said Kelly.

"Obviously as a team we need to work at getting everything spot-on in terms of car preparation, but working on increasing my own fitness is the best thing I can personally do to make sure I'm able to be in contention at each and every race.

"Every weekend I go racing, if I don't walk away the round winner I feel that I haven't done my job properly. Last year I was able to walk away feeling pretty happy on three occasions and I can tell you I'm keen to do it more often this year.

"As a team, I reckon we're hungrier than ever after a few successes last year. We've got the most experienced and stable Team in pit lane and we have learned plenty in the last couple of years. Now it's time to do something with it!"