STANAWAY DOWN BUT NOT OUT?

Richie Stanaway – Down, but not out? – Photo: InSyde Media

IF A meeting between team principals Garry and Barry Rogers and Richard Stanaway due to take place early this week goes to plan, the troubled Kiwi has the opportunity to be back in the driver’s seat of the #33 Boost Mobile sponsored GRM Supercar, in the aftermath of his benching for failing to meet team discipline standards.

By BRUCE WILLIAMS

GRM Team principal Barry Rogers, told Auto Action that both he and Garry didn’t take the benching of Richie Stanaway at the Gold Coast event lightly, but that they don’t necessarily see it as a season-ending decision.

The Rogers hope to have it sorted and Stanaway back in the car for Sandown 500 in the coming week.

GRM team owner Garry Rogers was quick to act and stood Stanaway down, failing to attend an organised autograph session, scheduled to be held on Sunday morning. He was replaced by the team’s regular Super2 driver Dylan O’Keeffe.

Stanaway defended his failure to attend, by claiming he was confused about when the session was to be held.

But as Rogers explained, the Gold Coast issue had been the straw that broke the camel’s back over several small but important issues that had been building up over the year.

“Look Garry is hard but fair and we have been trying to get some of the issues we have had with Richie resolved for a while now and in isolated terms, it seemed a big penalty for a minor misdemeanour,” Barry Rogers said.

Garry Rogers certainly pulled no punches when he made comment on the situation on his GRM Facebook page.

“Discipline and respect are vital parts of your wellbeing in life. I have always tried to blend in with all generations and I think I do a good job of that, but today Richie failed to turn up for a team’s sponsor signing session at the merchandise area (where) a lot of fans both young and old who were waiting to see him.”

“For a professional, that’s just not good enough. We need to be accountable for our action. Let me assure you it’s been a tough decision, but the fact is that good manners and discipline never go out of fashion and let’s hope and pray that a lot can be learned from this,” Rogers said.

Barry Rogers explained:

“Our plan is to get Richie back into the office early this week with Garry and I, sit him down and go through the issues and try and sort things out.”

“Garry and I have moved on from this issue and if Richie can understand why he was benched and accept that he has to lift his game, then he will be back in the car for Sandown, he’s a talented driver and that’s what we want.”

“It’s a funny thing, we both like the guy a lot (but) the way we have had to manage him is different to the approach we have had with our drivers in the past. Garry has always been a big believer in involving our drivers in the day to day operations of the business and nearly all our drivers have worked in the business over the years.”

“It’s the Garry Rogers school of race drivers 101, and while some people might think it’s a bit strange, we think it’s a way of keeping them grounded and it also helps them to understand the work and effort that goes into getting the cars to the track and all the effort the whole team puts into the racing over the year.”

“We tried that with Richie and we figured out pretty early on that it wasn’t going to work for him. Times have changed and somethings what worked in the past don’t seem to work these days, it’s a bit like football coaching these days, and we have changed our approach with Richie and given him a lot more flexibility than we have with any of our other drivers.”

“I hear some of the other drivers say they feel sorry for the kid getting dumped, but let’s see it for what it is. He’s not a kid anymore, he’s 27, and he needs to take responsibility for his own actions.

“The fact is (that) he has had some great opportunities, not just from us but from other teams as well. So hopefully he will learn from this and move on and accept that he has to do things that not only help him, but the team that he is driving for, as well as the sport overall.”

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