EX-SUPERCARS figures are proving prominent in the championship’s efforts to get back onto foreign Formula 1 support cards.
The noise around the potential for Supercars to venture outside of Australasia once more has grown in recent weeks.
It’s no secret that the Singapore Grand Prix is a target for Supercars owners RACE and its chairman Barclay Nettlefold.
What’s less known is the connection to the event via Singapore Grand Prix executive director Adam Firth.
Firth worked at Supercars for seven years (2006-13), initially as its general counsel and secretary, before taking on the role of international and events business director.
Firth was pivotal in navigating the deal which brought Supercars to F1’s 2013 visit to Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas.
While there has been plenty of turnover at Supercars headquarters since then, one person Firth did work closely with is Shane Howard, who has an events background and is nowadays the championship’s CEO.
Another F1 race which Supercars has been linked to, albeit more subtly, is the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Like Singapore, there are often support category vacancies for the Jeddah event, potentially creating demand for a series like Supercars.
Notably, the CEO of Saudi Motorsport Company – which promotes the nation’s F1 grand prix – is none other than ex-Supercars CEO Martin Whitaker.
Whitaker succeeded Cameron Levick as Supercars CEO in 2010 but announced in September the following year he’d switch into a newly created position of international director (although that stint was relatively shortlived).
Whitaker was also Bahrain International Circuit’s CEO when Supercars first raced at Sakhir in 2006.
Matt Braid is another name that has been murmured in connection to potential Supercars/Saudi aspirations.
Braid was the Australian Racing Group’s CEO until last October, and is listed as a director of Tier 1 Management.
Tier 1 Management is described on Linkedin as a sports/media/automotive investment specialist which “has worked with sports leagues and teams, media partners, promoters and investors in Australia, New Zealand, the United States and the Middle East.”
F1 is understood to be an attractive proposition to Supercars and RACE for its surging global popularity, although questions have been raised about whether any such ventures can be made more sustainable than previously.
The 2013 Austin 400 was the last time Supercars raced outside of Australasia.
The push does also come at a time when there is uncertainty around Supercars’ future at the F1 Australian Grand Prix.
This year’s edition was the last hard-and-fast event on the existing Supercars/AGP contract, and while there is a two-year option in the background, the presence of F2 and F3 and plans for a 2024 Albert Park pitlane reorganisation have triggered some doubts.
Other question marks regarding overseas events include suggestions that the Gen3 cars do not fit the racks previously used for airfreighting Supercars, and possible commercial blowback that could be attached to a move into the Saudi sector (on the basis of human rights matters).
Howard has indicated the 2024 Supercars calendar should begin to take shape by the end of May.
