Supercars was rocked by the exit of 23Red Racing last week, team owner Phil Munday spoke exclusively to Auto Action’s Bruce Newton about the impact and reason behind his decision, the future of the sport and the highlights from the past two and a half years. Grab the latest issue of Auto Action #1786 to read more:
Why will 23Red Racing no longer contest the Supercars Championship?
It’s the current climate we are in financially in our economy. I don’t blame any sponsor for pulling out or what they have done. The reality is losing sponsorship ahead of schedule has a flow-on effect to what we all do.
In my situation, it has pushed me to a point where I don’t have the funds to run for the rest of the year without the sponsorship money behind me. I still have the REC (Racing Entitlements Contract) and my car still sits at Tickford. My announcement is we just won’t be running the car this season under what we have had. Prior to the end of this financial year we will make a decision as to what we do and where we go.
What are Munday’s fears for the future of the Supercars championship and the teams involved?
I just think it’s a tough time. In business if you do something wrong you can usually capture and control the spiralling costs or the problems you’ve got, or the expenses in your business. You can address those to turn the business around.
This COVID-19 is something no-one could ever have expected to smash 80 to 100 per cent of your business revenue overnight.
I think if the sponsors in any industry have all copped that sort of whack to their bottomline then that’s one of the things they all think of. Is it best put the money there (sponsorship) or keep staff employed and keep businesses running?
So in some cases people have to do some pretty brutal things in business and I think sponsorship is one of them. That will feed into our sport here.
I just hope when we get through the other end of this, the public and the fans get behind it 150 per cent. And then the sponsors go ‘this is something we have to do’ and it starts a new cycle again
What were 23Red’s highlight results?
The first podium at Ipswich (in 2019) was a highlight. I was at home watching it with my family. It was such a great moment. It was not just for me, but for the guys, for Will. It was such a confidence boost.
Then blow me down he backed it up at Tailem Bend and nearly won it. I wasn’t there either! So they said I wasn’t allowed back at a race meeting after that, because they had such good results when I was away! I told them I was coming no matter what.
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Some of the leading drivers in the history of the Supercars Championship include Peter Brock, who is often referred to as the "King of the Mountain" for his nine victories at the Bathurst 1000, a race that is considered one of the biggest in the series. Other notable drivers include Dick Johnson, Marcos Ambrose, Craig Lowndes, Shane van Gisbergen, Jamie Whincup, who holds the record for the most championship titles, and Mark Skaife, who has also been a dominant force in the series.
The Bathurst 1000, held at Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales, is arguably the most famous race in the Supercars calendar. Other significant races include the Sandown 500 and the Adelaide 500, which are known for their challenging circuits and thrilling competitions.
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