FURTHER DISPENSATIONS WILL NEED TO BE GIVEN

Due to change in the Superlicence point systems for various Motorsport Australia categories, Nathan Herne now has enough points however falls at the hurdle of not having competed in enough Super2 events.

Last month Motorsport Australia announced that the points awarded to a whole raft of national categories had changed.

One of the main notable changes was the increase in points given to the S5000 Australian Drivers’ Championship, which now awards 12 points to the winner, as many as the Super2 Series and GT World Challenge Australian Championship.

As the allocation is awarded to categories over the past three years, Herne’s fifth in the inaugural Australian S5000 Championship awards him with enough points to hold a Superlicence, but requires dispensation due to a lack of Super2 starts.

“We’ll keep fighting on and pressing on, I have got the points now I guess, that’s the one goal I wanted to get this year,” Herne said to Auto Action.

“But moving forwards we have just got to make our way around it and see if we can get one.

“I’ll definitely apply for another one (with dispensation) and see where it takes me, it is a hard old world and we’ve just got to wait and see what happens, I’m just ticking off all the boxes I can to get a Superlicence one day.

“If I went back through the old emails from last year and why I got turned down, I’ve ticked every single one of the boxes.

“A lot of people are in the same boat as me, you do one year of Super2 and that’s it, that is all your money spent.”

As well as this, drivers in the National Trans Am Series will also be given points for the first time with seven on offer to the winner of the series.

TCR Australia also had a boost in points putting them on par with the Porsche Carrera Cup Series.

The boost in Superlicence points to the Australian Racing Group categories TCR, S5000 and Trans Am is welcomed by ARG CEO Matt Braid, despite the Super2 addition.

“From our point of view we’re not too concerned about that,” Braid told AA.

“We are very, very pleased that obviously our categories have got some in that Superlicence points ladder.

“I think very clearly, you look at the drivers that have been awarded a Superlicence, it’s mainly through dispensation.

“I don’t believe that will affect the right drivers in our categories being able to progress to get a Superlicence.

“I’m very confident it won’t impact the quality drivers that comes through our categories.”

Braid explained that he understands the logic of having to go through Super2 and that dispensations will continue to handed out to many drivers.

“Super2 and Super3 is a pathway category to Supercars and that’s certainly understandable and very rational,” Braid said.

“We look at the Superlicence points, it’s a Supercars license point system, those conditions are obviously around aligning to their chosen pathway so that’s understandable.

“But that’s why the dispensation option in there too.”

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