HRT make radical engineer changes

The Holden Racing Team are hoping a personnel switch-up will kick-start their spluttering Supercars season in Darwin.

James Courtney and Garth Tander will work with new engineers this weekend, with Robb Starr to run Courtney's No.22 Commodore, while team research and development manager Alex Somerset is in charge of Tander's No.2 entry.

Neither driver, previous champions in the category, have appeared on the podium since the season-opening Clipsal 500.

Courtney scored a win and second-place in Adelaide, while Tander's best result was third.

They sit 11th and eighth in the championship respectively.

"What we're trying to do is reinstall some confidence with the drivers," team boss Adrian Burgess told supercars.com.

"At the moment both drivers have lost a bit of confidence with the car and those around them and we need to rebuild that."

Burgess admitted it was never nice making changes mid-year and was not happy with the situation, but was looking at the bigger picture.

"We've got to do the right thing for the business and if a fresh set of ears and eyes on the other end of the phone and looking at the data is what provokes a change of performance, that's what we've got to do," he said.

Starr replaces Alistair McVean and Somerset comes in for Blake Smith.