PWR secures Dencar

[GTRMagic]

Of interest in the motorsport press this week (thanks MN) is that Kees Weel's business interests seem to have expanded to include Dencar.

Dencar Racing Services is now part of the PWR group.

So who is Dencar you may ask?

Well in the days not so long ago, Dencar installed the roll cage and pick-up points into a variety of VR, VS, VT, VX & VY Commodores to HRT's designs.

Each of the new HRT shells came from this operation, for HRT itself to complete the build up process into rolling chassis.

The customer base expanded to the other Holden Motor Sport supported teams, including KMart Racing and PWR, in constructing brand new shells, and repairing and reworking existing ones.

In the most recent race weekend at the AGP, both the Rick Kelly KMart car, and Mark Skaife's HRT version, have ended up at Dencar for repairs.

Dencar has also resurrected the shell Craig Lowndes virtually destroyed at Calder, into the HRT PR2 3 seater ride car which was used as the launch vehicle for HRT livery earlier this year.

Indeed the work done on converting the PWR & KRT VXs to VY spec was completed at Dencar's premises in Dandenong.

Racing cars in other classes have had roll cages installed, or fuel cells, or myriad other racing hardware supplied by this operation.

So it is obviously a very good operation, with a very skilled group of people accompanying it.

It is an open secret that PWR has had issues with its relationship with Holden Motor Sport in the supply of equipment to them, and being third cab off the rank for any new bits. Jason Bright's Eastern Creek podium speech, and the his comments in the Great Race book will further expand on some of that.

It could be highly significant that PWR has picked this business up, as while it contracts to Holden Motor Sport to supply parts to their contracted teams (which for now are HRT, KRT & PWR and to some degree Tasman), perhaps there is a change in the pecking order for new vehicles coming from there.

Might we see the next brand new car from Dencar appear in the colours of PWR instead of HRT? Its certainly more than possible....

[Just Do It!]

What about Blue Oval shells?

[GTRMagic]

Peter Beehag's operation currently has the contract to prepare those.

It isnt impossible that Dencar could prepare Ford bodyshells, the knowledge of supercar shells would certainly be there...

I wonder what is next on the menu... Revolution Racegear, MoTeC, Holinger... the possibilities are only limited by your imagination

[Average Punter]

And your bank account...

Speaking of which, where has Kees made his dollars??

I think it would be interesting if the good shells rolling out of Dencar went to PWR first. Wonder how Big Nose will cope with being third in line???

[pete55]

K & J Thermal was the Kees Weel business until he sold it recently. PWR is owned by Paul. The Dencar buyout is a smart move by Kees.

[mixxer]

can you spell leverage

[mmciau]

Gee there's a lot cynicism in this world!!!

Mike

[Arai GP5]

How to guarentee efficient supply from suppliers:

A) Build meaningful relationships with suppliers.

B) Buy them.

Respect to Kees Weel. VERY, VERY smart move.

Good stuff MNews for digging out the story.

[Mike Hunt]

Old news but true news. Word around the traps is that Mr.Skaife is less than impressed.

[mmciau]

It may be that the Lion's wise people may well be spreading expertise and options so that if any person/company does not perform, then the Lion can shift it's expectations quickly.

mike

[Henry]

Mr Skaife would in all likelihood NOT be impressed, but I presume that he has a fairly tight contract in place with Dencar regarding supply terms and conditions. Still if it came to a fight, who would be holding what gun to whose head?

I wouldn't expect much to change, certainly not in a hurry, but there is the potential for some interesting manouvering, is there not?

[GTRMagic]

Ultimately it is a flaw in any "control" strategy to rely on subcontractors where there is no automatic option to sell to the owner of the intellectual property.

The Dencar business, and its operators, would have a wealth of knowledge in applying the HRT designs to various Holden models over the years, and if HRT had been clever, they would have bought the Dencar operation themselves, or an equity position in it, so that this level of skill couldnt be shared with someone else.

This has been around for some time, but as ever, it is only when the circus comes together again that there are enough people around to confirm whats going on.

[Just Do It!]

Funny thing is, GTR, I thought Holden or HRT already owned Dencar....? Weird!

[GTRMagic]

Well thats not the only piece of the Supercar puzzle that Mr Weel has secured.

It appears that PWR has also acquired the premises formerly occupied by 00 Motorsport, including the CNC equipment, Catia design software, HP hardware, drawing office, fabrication room and anything else that was part of the 00 operation.

Where this gets interesting is that the equipment remaining in this building is sufficient, and modern enough, to design, develop and manufacture their very own V8 Supercar.

Ford or Holden. Lets not forget that the original Gibson Motorsport Holden operation ran from this location for some years....

I can imagine some rumblings out Clayton way over that little gem...

[Just Do It!]

At the risk of opening a can of worms, would that fit in with the reason that the PWR cars were yellow last year in anticipation of a sponsor switch....and if so, was PWR going to have to switch to Blue to activate that sponsorship?

Is the deal a purchase from Mr Gibson or a lease deal? With the lease price approaching AUS$200k per annum.... surely it is a purchase.

Interesting to see, another subtle easing away from Clayton.

[GTRMagic]

Its an outright purchase from what I understand. All equipment and the building at numbers 13A and 13B Kitchen Rd Dandenong.

So it seems Fred Gibson & Bob Forbes are finally clearing their last remaining Supercar assets.

Interestingly, if the noise is still right about the equity holders of the company that owns/owned the building, M.Skaife may receive a level of income from the disposal of this property!

[aj_308]

as I understand it Fred sold up quite a while back?

[GTRMagic]

No, he actually leased the whole shebang to Mr Forbes. This lease ran out in December 2003.

Mr Forbes is said to still possess the ex-SBR AU and Green Eyed Monster AU, sitting in Sydney at one of the Forbes' business premises, awaiting sale.

[Just Do It!]

Fred still owned the Kitchen Road premises - complete with two(??) dynoes and all the other stuff GTR listed.

It would have been a great place to locate a team, except the rent was a little sharp.

No bites on the can of worms thankfully Thanks GTR

[GTRMagic]

Well just talking about the worms for a minute, the PWR operation currently has 3 cars in its possession, the 2003 VX Paul Weel ran, the 2003 VX Jason Bright ran, and now updated to VY body and suspension (but the Aurora wont fit without a new crossmember and other bits and pieces) and the Dencar-refurbished VY that started life as a VX but can adapt to fit the Aurora engine.

Unless there is a plan to get Fords up and running rather quickly, I cant see the PWR operation changing manufacturers any time soon.

Indeed that they let the ex-00 cars go to WPS, and to have had the building virtually cleared of all Ford-related spare parts in that transaction, suggests the RED brand is here to stay for the PWR team for some time to come.

[Just Do It!]

Phew, you didn't open the can

[mmciau]

In the commercial world, would the manufacturing arm of Weel group be a supplier of radiators and coolers as OE to Holden Ltd production at Elizabeth?

Mike

[champcarman]

I believe they are but that deal may be part of the K&J Thermal operation that Weel has sold. I believe this was auto trans oil coolers. I think Dencar was part of the TWR operation which was aquired by Holden and has been now sold on to Weel in the same way HRT and KRT were sold on to Skaife and the Kellys. But certainly interesting that HRT may now be a customer of PWR for more than just radiators and brakes.

[pete55]

In it's business dealings, PWR deals with both Ford and Holden and in it's performance road car operations it is the same. There is nothing to stop Dencar from building both Ford and Holden shells for V8 Supercar teams and that may well be the intention. Currently the Beehag shells are not being received that well.

[GTRMagic]

Dencar was owned by 2 guys who contracted to Holden Motor Sport for preparation of racing body shells. One of the partners sold out to the other last year (may have been the year before, I am getting old) and the remaining partner agreed to terms to PWR towards the end of 2003.

Holden, HRT, TWRA, TWRE, KRT or any other entity did not have an equity position in this business as far as I am aware, only contracts with its proprietors.

That the business also operated from the Clayton Business Park where the HRT, KRT & PWR premises reside seemed to be convenient since most work they got was thru the HMS operation.

I presume with the new location now secured, that Dencar will join PWR Racing at a new home in Dandenong...