The Holden Colorado isn’t the first vehicle you’d think of when envisioning a race car, although prior to Australia’s SuperUtes championship starting next year, the automaker has changed that.

Based around the productionized Colorado, the SuperUte will compete in the championship alongside the Ford Ranger, Mazda BT-50, Toyota HiLux, Isuzu D-Max and Mitsubishi Triton.

Design work for the Colorado SuperUte was completed by GM Design Australia and the finished creation incorporates a roll cage, competition wheels and tires and a lowered stance. It is also painted Satin Steel Grey and stickered with Holden’s logo.

All vehicles competing in the championship will have horsepower capped at 340 and torque limited to 500 lb-ft (678 Nm). Minimum weight will sit at 1,800 kg (3,968 lbs).

The championship has been created to cater for the huge ute segment in the Australia, which makes up almost 20 per cent of new vehicles sold in the country.

In a statement, GM Holden general manager of brand, media and sponsorship, Emma Pinwall said “SuperUtes is an exciting new racing series and supporting Australian motorsport has been an important part of Holden’s heritage, so we are delighted to homologate Colorado for the series.”

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