MOTORSPORT Australia has affirmed Super2 experience is no longer a prerequisite to gain a Superlicence, even if Supercars applies its own eligibility rules.
There have been various changes to the Superlicence criteria over the years, the most recent of which removed the effective need for drivers without a FIA Gold rating to have completed six Super2 rounds.
A driver cannot race in Supercars without a Superlicence, as Matt Chahda found out in 2017, Nathan Herne in 2020 and Michael Anderson in 2022.
However, what was not necessarily made clear publicly last year is that Supercars reserves the right to install additional criteria for drivers to be eligible to compete – and indeed has.
A Supercars spokesperson recently confirmed to V8 Sleuth that the category makes the ultimate decision on allowing drivers onto the grid, and the plan remains in place to enforce the minimum number of rounds in the feeder Dunlop Super2 Series.
Thus, while the likes of American-bound Herne or archrival Joey Mawson might be able to get their hands on a Superlicence, they remain ineligible to race in Supercars unless they can attain special dispensation.
Amid any potential confusion, Motorsport Australia’s Mike Smith moved to clear up the governing body’s position.
“We will issue a Superlicence if you meet the criteria,” he told V8 Sleuth.
“There may be other criteria that Supercars put in place for you to get an entry into Supercars but that’s not associated with issuing a Superlicence, if that makes sense.
“Joey (Mawson) is a good example because he is someone who in our view has got a lot of experience both here and overseas and has won Formula 4 championships and has competed at a very high level in Europe and also won the Gold Star here.
“Of course he hasn’t done the six Super2 rounds – but that is not going to stop us from issuing him a Superlicence.”
Asked if he would lobby Supercars to not place its own additional demands on top of a Superlicence, Smith replied: “No, and to be honest, it’s not really our role to do that.
“I mean, what we do as a governing body is say, ‘this is the level of experience that we think is required to compete at that level’.
“If an individual category themselves choose to put in additional criteria, that’s entirely up to them.
“We’re not necessarily saying that we’re disagreeing with the six Super2 rounds.
“I think our role in all of this is to ensure that we’ve got the right drivers driving those cars and we believe the issuing of a Superlicence is an appropriate way to measure that.
“But if a category such as Supercars want to put in place additional criteria over and above that, that’s up to them, and that’s a decision that they make for their own reasons.”
