ADDERTON FORMALISES SUPERCARS TRC APPLICATION AND WANTS TO BE ON THE GRID FOR 2023
AUTO ACTION – NEWS EXTRA
PETER ADDERTON BELIEVES HIS PARTICIPATION IN SUPERCARS – NOT JUST AS A SPONSOR BUT RUNNING HIS OWN TEAM, WOULD BE A MAJOR ‘BOOST’ FOR THE CATEGORY.
Following the successful ‘Wild Card’ program at the 2022 Bathurst 1000, with the Kiwi pairing of Richie Stanaway and Greg Murphy, Peter Adderton went public across social media in his demand for Supercars to make the dormant 26th Team Racing Charter (TRC) – or what was formerly known as a REC or a Racing Entitlements Contract – available to him.
He has also been rebuilding bridges with RACE (ownership group of Supercars) management, and should he get the go ahead to race with his own team in Supercars, it will more than likely be aligned with a bigger team. Adderton has also confirmed that a Boost Mobile backed team would run Chevrolet Camaro’s and that Greg Murphy would lead the team.
Adderton’s social media post calling Supercars out regarding their reluctance to hand over the 26th TRC went viral and garnered thousands of positive responses and many dozens of comments. With most of the fans agreeing with Adderton’s position and many calling for Supercars to give the sometimes-outspoken Adderton the opportunity to go racing…
The often-outspoken Adderton spoke to Auto Action’s publisher Bruce Williams and outlined his plans for his own team and talks candidly about what he thinks might happen.
It was all smiles for the Boost backed Bathurst ‘Wild Card’ with Richie Stanaway and Greg Murphy doing the driving duties,he team finished a solid 11th with Stanaway showing he still has the speed to run at the front. Image Andrew Clarke
Well, it’s official, after all the posturing, Peter Adderton has formalised the process and has put in writing to Supercars on Monday a request to purchase the dormant Team Racing Charter. He says, though, that he feels like he is being blocked by the other teams, who are believed to have had a clause inserted in the sale agreement to RACE blocking the activation of that TRC before 2025.
“I made an official approach to Supercars to acquire the TRC. Absolutely,” he said on Tuesday. “I sent them a letter yesterday (Monday the 17th of October).
“I got an email back saying, “We got your application; we’ve got your letter.” I believe discussions are going on, and there is a board meeting this week where I believe it will be tabled.
“We’ve made it very clear that we’re not interested in the charter money; the teams will not need to take any dilution by allowing us to get the TRC. I’ve made that clear to everybody, so that shouldn’t be a hurdle.
“I think some teams out there are afraid of competition. They like it the way that it is. They like to know who will come first, second, and third and who will be happy in the top 10 or the top 15.
“However, I think the status quo has been that way for so long, bringing in a new team owner, someone like me who’s determined to improve the sport and our team, I think it scares some people.”
Contractual arrangements with the teams lock the dormant TRC as part of the deal for RACE to buy their shares in the sport from them last year. The agreement locks the dormancy of the 26th TRC until 2025, and it is this agreement he is hoping the teams will agree to break.
It also is believed the TRC must be offered to existing teams before it is offered to an ‘outsider’ like Adderton. Although what conditions are placed on its purchase is unclear, but Adderton is willing to pay handsomely for the TRC.
He remains hopeful of reaching a suitable agreement because it won’t alter their participation revenue. As such, he has already started planning how to build and run the team in a short time. Adderton was a co-owner of Brad Jones Audi team in the 1990s, so he isn’t foreign to what is required. This is where his association with Greg Murphy began, with ‘Murph’ as a driver in that team.
In 2019 he backed Garry Rogers Motorsport, which had Stanaway as its driver, and the two Kiwis will form an integral part of what he wants to build. He wants Stanaway as his driver and Murphy as his Team Principal. He also thinks the timing is perfect for bringing a new team into the sport.
Richie Stanaway, Garry Rogers Motorsport Holden during the Sandown at Sandown on November 08, 2019 (Photo by Dirk Klynsmith / LAT Images)
“I think considering we’re moving into Gen3, our chances are a lot better because nobody’s raced these cars. Everything has changed, and not many people are going to know too much about the car. I think that gives us a good chance to be able to really come up the speed with everybody else.
“Of course, you’ll have the traditional DJR Shell and Triple Eight cars at the front of the grid because they’re basically building them, but I think short of that, it allows us to do something new and unique. So, I think the timing is perfect.
“We’re not going to undertake it if we don’t believe that we can get the right people around Richie and the right people to build that team. We’re confident we can do that, and hopefully, time will tell.
“I think there’s a lot of disgruntled Holden fans and Chev fans based on Walkinshaw moving to Ford.
“And I’m not sure that Erebus even carries the Holden logo or the Chevrolet logo, I think they’ve got the E on the front of the car. So, I think they’re the only team out there that’s factory Holden is Triple Eight-Red Bull Racing.
“I think with Roland leaving, that’s lost a little bit of its novelty too, and I think there is a real opportunity to align with the fans and give the new Chevrolet fans a team to cheer for. I think that that would probably be the logical step for us.
“We will attach ourselves ideally to a bigger team. I’m not going to say which team that is, but it would be more of a satellite operation and to work together at the start. We see ourselves purchasing a car from an existing team manufacturing the new Gen3 race cars.”
Mid-last year, Boost Mobile and Supercars had a barney that resulted in Adderton declaring that Boost Mobile was out of Supercars in 2023, cancelling its sponsorship of the Series, the Gold Coast 500 and Erebus Motorsport.
Adderton has confirmed that he will not be part of the Erebus program in 2023
Some of that may change, but Erebus won’t, as that team is in negotiations with several potential partners including both Caltex and Coca-Cola for next season.
“We’re done with Erebus, and I do believe that they have secured another sponsor. I told Barry and Betty that we were in a state of flux, trying to decide what we wanted to do and whether Boost was staying in the sport.
“But if Boost did stay in the sport, there were certain criteria that we needed to ensure, and that is coming together. Barry and Betty, rightly, needed to make their decisions based on their team. I wish them all the best with whatever sponsors they’ve got. But, no, we’re not going back to Erebus.
Adderton was embroiled in a very public feud with Supercars owners following his comments around the AUTO ACTION story of the ‘rejected’ of Supercars to FANTECH back in late July.
Adderton says the relationship with RACE Chairman Barclay Nettlefold (left) is on the mend and has always thought that Supercars CEO Shane Howard and his team do a great job.
The issue was further agitated by a subsequent social media ‘stumble’ with regards a post at a rival Optus store activation.
He didn’t hold back with his criticism of the new Supercars ownership group-RACE.
However, in recent months Adderton has accepted an olive branch from the boss of RACE-Barclay Nettlefold and believes that going forward the relationship is well on the mend.
“I’ve got a lot more respect and time for both Barclay (Nettlefold, Chairman of RACE) and Shane (Howard, CEO of Supercars), although I’ve never really had a problem with Shane. I’ve had more issues with the new ownership than with the management. The management of Supercars does a good job.
“Barclay has apologised for what happened at that [Optus] store, and he sees what my point was and understands where I was. You got to give people credit-where-credit’s due. He’s starting to listen, and whether he takes the advice doesn’t matter; the fact that he’s willing to listen is a massive step.
“I would say that the relationship between Barclay and me is now one of mutual respect and that he’s trying to improve things. He was thrown into the deep end, and I was highly critical of him.
“Let’s make no mistake about that; I’m not going to shy away from that. I think he floundered a little bit, but I think he’s come out swimming now.
“He’s now starting to understand the politics of the sport. I think he’s getting a better handle on the value players and those who aren’t. He’s quickly working out who adds value and who doesn’t. We’re going to see a different Barclay approach as a chairman of the RACE.”
He hinted that the altered approach has changed the way he views his sponsorship of the sport, and that Boost Mobile may yet continue with its sponsorship of the sport and the Gold Coast event.
Two ‘guns’ will front the Boost Supercars team should Peter Adderton get a deal done. Richie Stanaway has the skills to steer the car and Greg Murphy will steer the team.
“We continue in the dialogue. We continue the discussion. I don’t have a problem with the sport of Supercars and I love the fans. I just didn’t like the way it was being run. From what I’m seeing now, they’re willing to listen and try to improve things. As long as they continue down that path, I think we’re in a positive space.
Adderton’s style has often put some of the more conservative operators in pitlane on the offensive at times, but he says it is his nature to say it as he sees it.
“The Australia I grew up in and the Australia that I left when I went to the US, was a bunch of straight-talking people. One of the things that Americans loved about Australians is there was no bullshit when it came to us. I think that has changed a lot in the sporting bodies inside Australia, and Supercars is no different.
“Everyone says to me they like the way I go about it because it is a “fresh approach”, but it shouldn’t be a fresh approach. I encourage everybody to have an opinion, and I don’t care whether they agree with me or not. As long as you have an opinion and you’re willing to stand for that opinion, then that’s what it is.
“I think the fans have probably been sitting back, saying, “Finally, somebody’s coming out, just saying it as it is.”
“Not everybody agrees with what I say, and sometimes I don’t even agree with myself when I have said something. I think we’ve got the fans on our side, and I love it. I’ve got fans who are fans of Red Bull and Shell. They were coming up to me at Bathurst and down at the Motor GP saying, “We really hope you get a TRC.”
“Our team will be dedicated to the fans. There will be nobody in pit lane that will treat the fans better than we will if we get at TRC and have the chance to be part of the show. No one.”
FOOTNOTE
AUTO ACTION can confirm that the board of RACE has meetings this week and no doubt that they will have some discussion around Adderton’s application.
How they can get a deal across the line when most of the teams don’t want to give up a share of the income stream remains to be seen.
But if we look at the sport as an entertainment package – as it is often promoted – who would deny Adderton and a Boost supported team the chance to take part in the premier racing category?
Let’s face it, he doesn’t even own a team and yet he keeps many of us entertained and waiting for his next statement… How much fun could it be with him owing a team!
