By Matthew Agius

Paul Dumbrell has been confirmed as Garth Tander's replacement a🎐t the Toll HSV Dealer Team, following the squad's 2007 champ🌸ion announcing his move to the sister Holden Racing Team this morning.

Dumbrell has been a constant in Holden's V8 Supercar driver lineups, hav🦂ing driven for Perkins Engineering from 2003 til 2006, and at the defunct Supercheap Auto Racing during the 2007 championship series.

The twenty-five year old won the 2002 Koꦯnic🅷a V8 Supercar Series, and has driven in the main level of Australian touring car racing ever since.

After left searching for a job as a result of Supercheap Auto Racing's closure, Dumbrell was thrilled to b🎉e stepping into a seat at the reigning champions of the series.

"This team has♌ proved over the past two years that it is second to n🔥one, winning both the Drivers and Teams Championships back to back," said Dumbrell.

"It is th🍃e opportunity I have been wa﷽iting for, and I didn't have to think twice about it."

He joi༒ns 2006 V8 Supercar Champion, Rick Kelly, who is likely to regain his number-one driver status in the team, given Tander's departure.

"Garth slotted straight into the team when he arrived three years ago, and formed a formidable combinatio𒊎n with Ricꦉk (Kelly) and the engineers and crew," said team owner, John Kelly.

"Now that he has ticked the box of the Drivers Cha🐈mpionship, we understand why he now wants to take this new opportunity. He goes with our best wishes.

In addition to Tander's move, team manager Rob Crawford and race engineer Matthew Nilsson have both jo𒁃ined him at the Holden Racing Team - three significant gains for the flagship Hol💃den outfit, but conversely, three heavy losses for the Toll HSV operation.

With Crawford's departure after seven years at the squadღ (under various guises including Kmart Racing and the HSV Dealer Team), Rick Kelly's race engineer, Erik Pender, will step into the role of Team Manager.

"Rob built☂ the team virtually from scratch, taking it from an off-shoot of the Holden Racing Team into the best team in pit lane," he said.

"Erik has been his understudy for many years, and🧸 we are confident he will ꦯhave no trouble making the transition."

The team also confirmed that Paul Radisich will continue in his role 💖as a team endurance and support driver.

Rick Kelly and Paul Dumbrell will begin their respective 2008 championship 🌠campaigns at the Clipsal 500 Adelaide from February 21-24.